ã€ŠI Only Wish I Had a Clich&#xE9; Adventureã€‹


 Chapter 1 - I only wish it wasnt my pilot chapter...

    When I was a kid, I dreamed of becoming an adventurer. It might''ve been every kid''s dream, but mine was a bit special. It was everything I¡¯ve ever had, or at least after I was alone.

    The way I imagined my adventurers were like one cliche after another. After all, my ideal adventure came from all those fantasy books I had read.And I can tell you that much - there were many.

    Like most adventures, my story would begin from discovery chapter. I thought of every possible power I could own, but in the end, I decided that I was a wizard. Not only because of how flashy wizards were but also because there were so many things they could do. I could own so many different powers. Only my imagination would be my limitation. And I did have imagination.

    I thought of every adventure I could have, which were always full of excitement, and joy and just awesomeness.

    I had adventures, such as saving a princess from the tower that was protected by a dragon - and that¡¯s a real cliche. I was protecting the king from a great evil. And I probably saved every single town in the world, at least, twice.

    And there was always that one girl. After one of the adventures, I met a girl that I would fall in love with. I would visit her, promising her the moon. I had numerous types of letters in my head that we wrote to each other. And to be fair, that was an impressive thing to think about for a kid.

    I thought of different plot twists. What if my parents were someone famous? What if there was special blood deep within my veins, and in the end, only I could use the power to defeat the greatest evil of them all?

    But even after all those adventures, there would be a big finale. I still remember preparing for it, turning every room upside down to make them look like an arena. Some other rooms were different planes altogether. It was a big moment and a big fight.

    I would travel to the deepest dungeons to findthe one, hiding in the Endless Chambers. I have to defeat that evil. I will defeat that evil. Everything depended on it. And if I failed that fight, all my hard work beforehand would¡¯ve been pointless.

    I thought and prepared for that final battle for months. I thought of all the puzzles I would have to go through - which I ended up solving epically. I thought up hundreds of spells I could unleash or stop the evil. And all those random dice tables that I would use for the evil. It needed to be fair, after all.

    And finally, the time arrived. There finally wasthebattle in the Endless Chambers.

    There were many stages of the fight. There would be a battle in our minds. We would teleport to different realms and planes - hero chasing the evil - to end up back in that very same place where it all began. Endless amount of spells were cast. Many slashes and cuts were hit and dodged.

    And when we were both back in that very first chamber - gory, bloody, and barely alive - I would stand up, run towards the great evil, jump like a true hero, and do the final slash.

    It was finally over, and there was peace. The world was saved.

    People would throw a festival that would last for weeks. That day became a special day, always celebrated and membered.

    And there was nothing else to do - not until the next time. But that wouldn''t be my story anymore.

    I would retire and marry that woman. I would become a mentor to many, even to the king himself. I would be the most famous person to ever lived. Even Hin, the first hero, was nothing compared to me. I became more than a hero - a legend.

    During my free time, I would teach the new young ones, telling them about my adventures. After all, it was all about the stories from the beginning to the end. I told them how I killed my first goblin, to a hobgoblin, to a demon, to a dragon, and finally to the great evil - the final boss. And sometimes, I would go out, and do some adventuring, just for the nostalgia. But nothing would ever feel the same, at least, compared to that epic battle.

    I would tell of those stories to bards until the last of my days. And I would finally leave my legacy on my children''s shoulders, as I take my final breath.

    That was my dream. Or, at least, that was the way it should¡¯ve gone.

    But things never go the way we like. Not at all. And like every story, my story also has a beginning. It¡¯s a weird story, a short one. But it¡¯s something that started it all.

    And to be fair, I thinkI''m insanefor sharing it.

    My parents died when I was very young. That¡¯s what I was told. But I kept living in my parents'' home. There was always this nanny, who brought me all the food. But honestly, I don¡¯t think she ever cared much about me. She always did the bare minimum.

    Luckily enough, my parents were wealthy, and I wasn¡¯t that stupid. I paid for the bare minimum but always stayed in-doors, spending the money only for food and books. I kept reading all those adventure books nanny brought me. It was a dull life on the paper, but fun in my head.

    After all, I lived in my fantasy world. I barely remembered all those sad moments. But I assume that it was my way to escape from that pain.

    The outpost I lived in was a weird one, and it was a relatively small outpost. It did pretty well, taking into account that it was the final outpost, and it was not that far from¡°The Volcano.¡± It was the place where all high-end adventurers walked through to stay overnight to either get some rest or refill their supplies. It was considered a safe zone - a place where nobody stayed for long, but it was always more towards the safe side. The most dangerous part was going to or leaving from the outpost. However, if you wanted to make a lot of coins and fast - this was the place. But it was the high-risk and high-reward place. After all, it was easy to forfeit one¡¯s life as well.

    I would''ve liked to stay ignorant to the outside world and continue living in my fantasy world, but there was a day when I had reached a problematic point - I was out of the money. For a while now, the nanny had stopped coming by - and I could only assume that she either had decided to leave or had died. But I still managed, by going outside to buy the food all by myself.

    Living in a village that''s near the chaos had one advantage - I didn''t recognize anyone, and neither did they recognize me. There were two reasons why I stayed around. First, I was too afraid to leave. Secondly, I could look outside the windows and look at all those different adventurers passing by, which helped me to think all those custom character descriptions inside my head. Stupid, I know, but it helped me to stay sane. Luckily enough, my home was the opposite side of the tavern where a lot of adventurers went so that I could do it without any difficulties.

    And since I had a money problem, that''s where I also went - the tavern. It''s the perfect place to get some food, and maybe find a job. After all, most stories began there, in a tavern.

    And so did mine.

    Perhaps the tavern was the only place in the city that was still unchanged. The tables were still the same old - more black than brown - barely keeping themselves together. The smell in that place consisted mostly of bad hygiene. It¡¯s not surprising since tavern was numerous adventurers¡¯ first stop after they had stayed all day long outside of outpost and probably swung their swords at all those evil monsters.

    The only difference compared to the tavern I always knew about was the ever-changing innkeepers. And there was yet a new one, who was cleaning the over-the-top dirty glass with his definitely-not-clean piece of clothing.

    With a slight gulp, I walked to the counter. "Hello," I said, waving my hand.

    "Hello there," a young innkeeper responded, smiling gently and looking at me. "What can I do for you?"

    "Before that, did the old man finally die?" I asked, pretended to look like a local. Before coming here, I had tried to mimic adventurer''s casual clothing, to look like any other adventurer.

    The innkeeper stopped cleaning the glass and examined me. "I''m surprised. That older man died five years ago when demons attacked the outpost. I''m his son," the innkeeper said. He placed the glass on the counter, together with the dirty cloth, and kept examining me. ¡°Are you a new one around here? You certainly don''t look like an adventurer."

    I was surprised. Back then, I didn''t understand why he could see through my deception. "I''m-"

    But before I could say anything, I could feel how a hand landed on my shoulder, making me immediately turn around and take a step back, hitting my back against the counter.

    The stranger began to laugh. "That boy has some reactions," an older man said, grinning. The man had a long near-white beard with some very simple plain robes, with a slightly pointy hat. In my adventurer''s book, it would be a wizard. "Hey, kiddo. I have an easy job offer. Want to hear about it? It pays well, and I guarantee you that much," the man said, making me forget about the innkeeper altogether.

    "How much?" I asked, not wasting my time.

    The older man now pushed his hand around my shoulder, pulling me away from the counter. It was slightly disturbing. "One beer to that boy," the old man shouted over his shoulder and led me to a bit more distant table.

    I wanted to resist and go back to my room, but I couldn¡¯t. At least, the older man ordered me a free drink. "Get me some food too, alright?" I shouted over my shoulder.

    As we reached the table; got ourselves seated, I stared at the older man, raising my eyebrow to make him talk.

    "Ten thousand gold pieces.¡± He didn¡¯t even blink, just stared straight back at me.

    My eyes widened. The truth was I was very close to shitting myself. We aren''t talking about pennies here. We are talking about money that most people won''t see in their entire lifetime.

    "Ten... thousand?"

    "Yes," the old man said, having occasional hiccups. He wasn''t entirely sober, but then again, in this place, who was?

    "I might look like a boy, but I''m not that stupid. Are you going to rob me and sell me as a slave or something? Or are you a loan shark?" I asked, looking at the older man suspiciously. No, I was still young and stupid. I was merely twenty. But, I always managed to look and pretend to be a lot older than I was.

    The older man stared at me for a moment, serious. But after a short delay, he began laughing. "I can see why you''d see me like that," he said, taking a long sip from his beer and began searching something from his cloak. It didn''t take long before he placed something on the table. "I need someone to do a simple job, and you seem like a good fit," he explained, hand still on that something. ¡°It¡¯s important enough for me, and my party that we are willing to pay a lot for it.¡± As he removed the hand, he kept staring at me. "That should make me trustworthy, right?"

    After having a short staring contest, I finally gazed at the object. Just as I was reaching out my hand, the innkeeper arrived, putting a plate in front of me, consisting of some chicken wings, salad, potatoes, and the promised beer.

    "Thank you," I said, getting a quick nod from the innkeeper as he left. My attention landed immediately back on the object. With a gulp, I reached out my hand and picked it up, examining it more closely.

    My eyes widened. "Are you a platinum adventurer?" I asked. After taking an even closer look at the symbol, I released a long breathe slowly, trying to stay calm. "And it has even the number on it. One. Does that make you the highest-ranking adventurer out there?¡±

    "Yes. We can confirm it at the adventurer''s guild if you desire," the old man said. I had never seen an adventurer''s badge before, but I had read plenty of stories and seen plenty of pictures. But to think that the first badge I ever saw was the highest-ranking adventurer was something fortunate. They say it''s impossible to steal or create a fake badge, as well. And just holding it in my hands alone told me that it was a real deal.

    I pushed the badge back in front of the older man and looked at him, thinking. "So? I''m listening," I said, trying to sound professional. Just knowing that they were the best adventurers out there, I knew that I wanted that job. It was a gold mine.

    You see, the money older man offered me was even more than my parents had left me. With that money, I could be set for life. I could hire protection, leave, and still have enough money to live till the end of my days. So, even though I tried to look like I was still not convinced, I was ready to take it.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "I can''t give you too many details, but we are leaving tomorrow morning towards the volcano. Over there we''re going to leave you into a safe spot to wait for us. Your job is simple: stay near the empty cart, and keep an eye out for us. If someone comes or appears, give us the signal, and we''ll know," the old man explained, not twitching even once.

    "That sounds... very dangerous."

    "I''ll be frank here. I told you that it''s an easy job, but it¡¯s still arisk it for the biscuittype of job."

    "I don''t know," I said. As I reached out my hand to grab the salt shaker, I managed to tip it over. I never believed in unlucky omens, but that got me frozen for a moment.

    The older man looked at me and the shaker. "Boy, it seems even destiny wants you to take this job," he said.

    "What? Shouldn''t that mean the other way around?" I said, pretending to laugh.

    "But you did say - I don''t know," the old man noted, crossing his hands and leaning slightly back. He released a long sigh. "Either way, think, boy. It might be your best chance to join a great party, and possibly earn a fortune. Perhaps once the job is over, you''ll also have a great adventure to tell."

    I raised my eyebrow as a response. But the older man kept smiling. He stood up and patted me on the shoulder. "Think about it. Sleep on it. If you''re up for it, tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn in front of the tavern," he said. He barely took a step away, before stopping and looking back. "And take more comfortable traveling clothing - your current one is so shiny and clean that it hurts. We have a long way to go, so do makeyourself comfortable," he said, finally walking away.

    I took some of the salt from the table and threw it over my shoulder. I had never believed in bad luck, but I still followed the tradition. When you spill the salt, you throw some of it over the shoulder. Never hurts to respect something like this. "Bad luck, bad luck, go away," I muttered to myself, sighing afterward. With another pinch of salt on my food, I began my feast.

    Usually, I wouldn''t have even considered such a job since it was just too risky. But money can change people. The fact that it was a job from the highest rankest adventurer can persuade and make me believe that it was a safe job.

    And so I had decided to take it. After gathering my few things and wearing one of my more comfortable clothing, I walked toward the tavern. Of course, my clothing was compared to the tavern one a lot simpler. And on top of my clothing was a clean cloak, making sure that I was warm. It was supposed to be my first adventure, so I still had to dirty it.

    "Ah, here he comes. I told you he would come!" the old man shouted as he saw me. There were a total of three men and one woman standing there.

    The woman seemed visibly annoyed by the fact that I had come. "Gogror, I told you we don''t need anyone like that," she said, crossing her hands and examining me.

    "Chia," the old man said, eyeing his companion. "Shut up!" he hissed to her, whispering something afterward. After a long sigh, he faced me. "Hello, boy. Welcome to our party!"

    "Hello. I''m-"

    "Nobody cares who you are," Chia interrupted before I could tell my name. "You''re just a temporary companion for a simpleunneededjob.¡± Well, one thing was certain - she was a total bitch.

    "Now that''s just rude," Gogror muttered, looking at Chia. "This is not how we make new friends."

    "Now-now, you two," a muscular man said, flexing his muscles as he finally decided to interrupt. His mouth barely opened, but it was enough to see his overwhelming smile. "I''m Behmer. And that monk is Jiang. But he''s not very talkative one, so ignore him," he introduced himself and the monk. The monk gave me a more extended nod.

    But just as I opened my mouth to reintroduce myself, Chia sighed loudly. "Let''s go. We are wasting our time over here!"

    "You''re right," Gogror said, nodding and walking to the nearby cart, finally taking a seat. He waved at me to sit beside him. The other three got on their separate horses and began to follow next to the cart.

    It was a long journey. And as we kept moving forward, the barely-growing grass already began to die off, almost like withering away. At some point, we saw more ash on the ground than dirt or grass. And then there was only rock and ash. Some black trees were smoldering, like a lump of coal. And some trees were ashen. In the end, that''s what one could expect from going towards the volcano. We also saw some weird beings occasionally walking far away - more demons if anything.

    But for me, it was exciting. For the first time, all those adventurers and descriptions in those books finally got a real visualization in my head.

    Of course, I was visibly worried whenever I saw a monster slowly walking far away.

    "Don''t worry, boy. This cart is enchanted," Gogror explained, smirking.

    "What do you mean?" I asked him.

    Behmer began laughing. "It means it has an invisibility ward on it, which also makes anything within ten feet around us invisible," he explained.

    "Fighting our way to the volcano would be a pain in the ass," the old man said.

    "But doesn''t that mean that this wagon is rather expensive?" I asked immediately.

    "Very expensive," the old man responded, giving me a wink. "It''s more expensive than I''m paying you."

    "Wouldn''t you be afraid that I would steal it then?"

    The older man smirked. "But you won''t. You''re too inexperienced. That''s why I chose you," he said.

    I moaned. "I feel cheated," I muttered, looking at the volcano that was throwing an endless amount of smoke straight into the sky. There was also a river of lava, all the time flowing down to a side, slowly.

    The traveling continued until everyone besides me began eyeing each other. With a synched nod, everyone but the old man and me sped up their horses, going ahead.

    "What''s up?" I asked.

    "Cleaning the castle''s courtyard," the old man said, preparing another smoke pipe.

    "Castle?" I asked, eyes widening.

    "Oh yeah. I didn''t tell you, did I? We are going to kill the Demon King. The strongest Demon King yet alive."

    My eyes widened even more. "What the fuck? Why didn''t you tell me that sooner? And why would the Demon King live here? Shouldn''t they be at somewhere more dangerous and isolated?"

    Gogror smirked. "Kiddo, this is the most dangerous and isolated place. It¡¯s next to the volcano. Tell me, would you have come if I told you casually: ''Hello, we are going to kill the strongest Demon King in the world? Want to join us?''"

    "No!" I said immediately.

    "Exactly," the old man said, laughing. "But in the end, it doesn''t change your job. You''ll be fine."

    I frowned. "What if you don''t make it back?" I asked the question.

    "We will make it back. We are the strongest," the old man responded.

    "Bullshit. It''s a fucking Demon King. It¡¯sthe one, someone who is the strongest of them all. So, he might be stronger than all of you. This is madness.¡±

    "Madness?" the older man said, going serious. "We''re giving it our all! We''ve been preparing for this moment for a long time. We are the strongest adventurers in the kingdom. In the end, only we can save the world."

    I began laughing, weakly. "This is a suicide mission. I should''ve seen the signs."

    "Boy..." - he began fixing his pipe one last time before entering the castle¡¯s courtyard - "...the only reason why I''m telling you this is that I owe you that much. If we fail here, you can take this cart and leave. This cart will be more than enough as a reward. The other three would probably be against me telling you all of this. Sometimes, it''s better to stay in the dark and live in that bubble called lies. But because there''s a chance we won''t make it back, I wanted you to know the truth. You''ll have your payment in one way or another."

    Before I could''ve said anything more, we were already entering through the castle''s gate. The other three were waiting in the courtyard, cleaning their weapons. There were plenty of dead demon bodies lying around.

    "You arrived, good," Chia said the moment we entered close enough for them to see us. "So, let''s go?" she asked, watching the older man.

    The older man nodded, stood up, and with a quick hand swipe, a staff appeared in his hand.

    "You''re a wizard?" I asked the obvious question.

    "Yes. I prefer to keep that knowledge hidden. Wizards are sought after, and it brings me more trouble than anything else," the old man said, jumping down from the cart.

    ¡°I knew that. You should change your clothes if you don¡¯t want to be seen as a wizard,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°Otherwise even the demon will focus you first!¡±

    "We''ll be back in a few minutes, I hope," he said, walking to his companions.

    "I''ll keep an eye out. Sure. Don''t worry; my life depends on you. Yeah!" I said with a monotone voice. The older man smirked, searched something from his robe and threw it at me. I caught it. It was a simple-looking stone.

    "Shake it if something is wrong," the old man said, finally walking away with others and raising his hand to wave backward.

    I liked that older man. He was great and wise. He would be a good hero.

    And thus, I began my seemingly endless waiting. I couldn''t help but think about the spilled salt. Did I make a huge mistake by taking that job?

    I could tell you fantastic stories about my waiting, but no, it was boring. Too boring, perhaps. What would you do if you were in the most powerful devil castle¡¯s courtyard, keeping a watch? At first, I was stiffened, but as time passed, I got more and more relaxed.

    It was after around four hours when my doubts began to rise. What if a backup was coming? Shouldn''t I get the fuck out of there? What if the heroes had already lost and died?

    So, being the smartest of the group, I decided to do the stupidest thing possible - I jumped off the cart and followed the heroes.

    Why? Don''t ask me. I still don''t know what I was thinking. Perhaps it was the adrenaline. Maybe something told me that if I were going to die, at least, I would want to see the Demon King, at least, once. Or perhaps the heroes were injured and needed my help?

    The castle halls were vast and full of monsters, except them being all dead. But things changed when I reached the main hall. That room was massive and full of corpses. I could see the interior design, full of different demon faces. But as I looked around, I could also see the bodies of those four.

    "Old man? Behmer? Jiang? Chia?" I said, looking at them one by one, managing to take only a few steps forward. None of them moved, not even the slightest.

    But that was the moment I thought that I was going to die. Behind all of those bodies, a colossal figure began to rise. With every breath, fire burst out from his mouth and nose. That fire released enough light to reveal a massive body of the Demon King. And I am not talking about just slightly larger than human, but like ten times larger. It had two massive horns and was entirely red. It felt like I met the devil itself.

    "Backup? How dare you to enter the castle of the Demon King," a deep voice echoed throughout the chamber.

    "Fuck, shit, fuck, shit, balls, donkey balls, demon balls," I muttered as I knelt down and took the closest sword I saw. It was heavy, but with enough adrenaline running through my body, I could raise it and point it towards the Demon King.

    Finally, I realized the truth. I should''ve believed the bad luck of the spilled salt. I should¡¯ve left a long time ago.I was going to die.

    "You shall taste my fury. You will be squashed like a tiny human you are. You will taste my infinite-" the demon began his monologue, taking a great step forward. But it was a staggering step, which made him drip and fall forward. And as it landed on the ground, his head went precisely through my sword. It came without saying that I released the sword instantly, letting gravity to do all the hard work.

    There was this one long moan - growl, perhaps - and then there was a silence.

    "What... the... fuck?" I murmured. I had done the literal final blow against the Demon King. Or can it even be considered as a final blow?

    And there I was, in a room full of dead bodies, alone. I was the only witness to this event, and I was the lone survivor.

    What do you think I did next? After screaming, panicking, and crying for the next half an hour, I finally gathered every piece of expensive-looking weapons or armors, placing them in the cart. I pulled all of those four adventurers¡¯ dead bodies to the cart. And finally, I chopped off the demon''s king head - which, by the way, was a stupidly hard thing to do - and put it inside the cart as well. It was after all of that I realized why that cart was needed and so important for the older man. I was probably also the manpower who could help to carry all of those things.

    I would go into details how awful the travel was, but I''m just going to skip it and say that after almost crapping myself every time I passed a monster, I finally made it back to the outpost.

    The town welcomed me as a hero - after spending, at least, an hour to figure out how to disable the warding so that I would be a visible arriving hero.

    After confirming the kill with the adventurer''s guild, things began to move fast. First of all, I immediately got one reward for the kill - rank Hero.

    It was hilarious when I had no rank before-hand, and suddenly, I passed every single adventurer in the guild. It was a special reward which says that this will be given with no questions asked, or no matter what. I could safely say that I was the only person to ever achieve something like that, without being an adventurer first.

    For the second part of the reward, I was teleported to the capital city, where I met the king. Also yay for getting out of that outpost, and safely.

    There was a long ceremony on how I was presented with the official title in front of every citizen, and I had to tell to different famous people over and over and over again how I did it.

    And let me tell you when I was in front of those people, and I knew the truth how little I deserved all of this - yeah, I would not tell anyone about what happened. So, for the first time in my life, my thought up cliche adventure fantasy became a useful skill to have. I gave them the most thrilling story I could think of.

    I wish I could tell you more, but that''s where my memory ends and starts to fail me. I drank so much that the next moment was the following day. I¡¯m not even sure if it was the next, or a couple of days later.

    "Good morning, Hero," a loud voice echoed throughout the room, as someone pulled curtains away from the window, making the light shine directly on me.

    "Shit, fuck, shit!" I said as I quickly got myself half-seated, still not fully awake. After a moment of pause, I released a long sigh. "Ah. Just a nightmare," I said, relieved. My whole body was slightly sweaty, and the alcohol had probably done its job.

    It was finally over, or so I believed.

    "Nightmares, heh? I''m not surprised. You just killed the damn Demon King," the man said, laughing.

    "Yeah. Well, I guess I can finally retire," I said, laughing as well, lying back down, eyes closing. It was nowhere near close to an epic adventure, but, at least, it was over. I¡¯m probably the weakest hero ever, so it only made sense that nobody should ever know the truth. But it was fine. I could finally retire.

    I could finally thank myself for following the tradition and throwing that salt over my shoulder.

    "You''re funny," the man said, facing me and smiling. "We are happy that you''re our Hero. But it''s time to get up.¡±

    What an asshole, I thought.I¡¯m the hero, dammit. Let me sleep.

    ¡°It''s time to do all of those hero responsibilities. There¡¯s enough of small demons to eliminate for starters. Don''t worry; they are easy targets compared to the Demon King. You could call them even a vacation."

    My eyes widened. "Excuse me? I think I heard you wrong. I want to retire," I said out loud, smiling fakely.

    "You jest, Hero. After all, you gave us the Hero''s vow. You¡¯re now the true hero!" the man said, still smiling. "You''re the adventurer guild¡¯s best, and their spokesperson. Just the fact that you''ve never been a ranked adventurer, and you managed to kill the Demon King speaks of your greatness.

    "You''re our new hope. You''re an inspiration to the children who look up at you. Your message that you don''t need to be an adventurer to become a hero is obvious. Every adventurer is also looking now up to you, waiting for you to show what you''re capable of. You¡¯re now their leader.

    "You were the one who tried to save those four poor heroes, who were getting ahead of themselves and got beaten by the demon lord. But your good heart - trying to stop them and then still killing the Demon King single-handedly - shows that we need you! It''s only a pity that you couldn''t have saved those other adventurers¡­ no¡­ heroes!

    "But it''s time for you to become who you were meant to be! It¡¯s time to stand up! Become who you were meant to be!"

    There was a long moment of awkward silence. I didn¡¯t expect that speech. Was that guy my biggest fan, or something? Never I had been as confused as I was that moment.

    "What?" I muttered. I didn¡¯t remember telling me about those four other adventurers, which means that I was probably too drunk. And I barely remembered giving Hero''s vow. But it was before all of that drinking.

    I frowned. How did I get myself into that? Yesterday I was nobody. Now, I wasahero. I didn''t know how to fight, nor I knew magic. I was the weakest hero ever with no skills what-so-ever. And to be quite honest, I wasn''t even the hero. Those four were. I just lucked out the kill. I was supposed to die there.

    And now I was there, praised by my first fanboy.

    "For starters," I began. "My name is-"

    "My lords!" the door was forced open as a man ran through it.

    "For fuck sakes," I moaned, getting interrupted once again.

    "The city is being attacked," the messenger said out loud.

    One would say that I was lucky, right? One would say that I was blessed for getting all of that glory like that? Wrong.

    This is where my true adventure began. This is my story.

 Chapter 2 - I only wish I wasnt sent to meet the demons on my first day...

    "The Capital is being attacked?" the captain said, looking at the messenger, turning to gaze out of the window.

    "No, not the capital, captain!"

    "Oh, stop giving me heart attacks!" the captain responded, gazing at me for a moment, hands crossed. "So? Out with it!"

    "Kirkwall, sir! They say that thousands of demons are walking towards the walls," the messenger said.

    "Thousands?" the captain muttered.

    "Thousands, sir. They are asking the hero."

    Almost like a nightmare, the captain looked at me, smiling. "There''s your first job as a fresh hero, it seems," he said. To be quite honest, I wanted to choke the guy and to run off. But if I wanted to go on a suicide mission, I would want to look cool, at least. It smelled like the beginning of the end. I was going to be the shortest and weakest hero to have ever existed.

    "You can''t handle even that?" I said, letting myself to fall down back on the bed. If I was going to die, I could at least pretend to be cocky.

    "Well, some still think that you-"

    "I brought them the head, and they still question it?" I said out loud, looking at the ceiling. At that point, I didn''t care. None of it mattered. At least I was going to die as someone awesome.

    But I was surprised. The captain I had talked a moment ago was slightly sweaty, and his voice was shaking. "No, I''m definitely not doubting. It''s just that you did bring back four platinum heroes who were also well equipped. I personally don''t doubt it. It''s just that you vowed, and we might not be able to deal with that attack without a hero."

    I sighed. "That''s what I get for honoring dead heroes. Fine," I said, looking at the ceiling. At least I was going to delay going there as much as possible. Kirkwall was the furthest major city from the capital. Which reminded me of my home town. It was further out from the Kirkwall. A lot of humans thought of it the same as capital or at least adventurer''s capital.

    "How''s Volcano''s Outpost?" I asked, not gazing at the messenger to look more important.

    "It was evacuated to the Kirkwood, Hero. Every outpost at the other side of The Wall was successfully evacuated. It was actually one of the towns that reported seeing the first demons. But since the demon king was recently defeated, we prefer to be more careful?"

    "I see," I said, keeping up my serious face. I was happy that my home town was safe - even though I knew nobody over there - but it was more important to look like a hero who cared.

    "I guess it would be best if I took it upon myself," I repeated myself. Within my calculation, if we were to hurry, it would take at least a week of travel there. The capital was literally the furthest city from the Kirkwall. But I could delay it at least a few more days with my skills.

    What I didn''t expect was the fact that moment I got my new fancy armory and weaponry together and followed the captain to get to my hopefully fancy horse, I was led into a larger, a slightly dusty room instead.

    "Shouldn''t we hurry to our horses?" I mentioned it out loud as I looked at the captain.

    "What? Oh, right. We are teleporting you there," the captain responded, smiling.

    "Eh?"

    A bunch of wizards were in a circle at the center of the room, making some motions, muttering something. A bunch of * costly* gems disappeared, and a large portal replaced the jewels.

    Fuck... my... life...

    "By the way, I never asked your name," I said, as I took a step towards the portal, quickly looking over my shoulder.

    "It''s Rollan, Hero," the captain said.

    "I see. My name-"

    "The portal is closing, please hurry!" one of the wizards shouted, interrupting me.

    "Off you go!" The captain hurried, pushing me towards the portal.

    And without saying my name, once again, I was in yet another new dusty room, assumingly somewhere in Kirkwall.

    I had forgotten the fact that the country definitely was rich enough to afford bullshit like that. Everyone knew that portals were stupidly expensive. Only dwarves could use them more freely if they needed. But even the wealthiest would only use it as the last emergency. The country, however... yeah.

    As expected, I wasn''t alone. They would never give me a chance to run away. Always surrounded by strangers. It was a dark round room - like before. In front of me stood two guards with torches, and an older man in a butler uniform.

    "Hero, I presume?" a slightly croaky voice said, adjusting his monocle on his eye to read something from the barely-lit paper. "The Hero is to be forwarded straight out of the gates to meet the demon''s leader. Signed by the mayor."

    As a side note, sometimes I wondered why all those butlers had to be described similarly. The same uniform and that monocle. It wasn''t even funny. Every single one of them.

    "Oh? And the mayor didn''t even bother to come and say hi to the new hero?" I said out loud with a voice that seemed like I was just talking to myself.

    "I''m sorry. It seems that the mayor''s hand is full of work thanks to the hero who saved the world. He only needs to make sure that the Kirkwall''s wall won''t fall," the butler said, giving a slight bow. "I''m truly sorry," he said, almost seemed like sarcastic.

    I frowned. To be quite frank, I was desperate. I had planned to take a long way to that city, but I was already there, and now I was forwarded straight in front of the demons.

    "Are the armies ready to fight alongside me?" I asked the obvious question.

    "I''m sorry, but you''re going alone, for starters," the butler said.

    It took a lot of effort to do nothing and pretend like it was nothing. "Why?" I asked after a short silence.

    "That was the message demons threw at us. They won''t attack us as long we send the hero alone. They want to... you," the butler explained, looking towards one of the guards. The guard immediately gave his torch to the other guard and began opening a huge paper piece.

    We want to meet hero. Won''t attack, giving time.

    Traitors. All of them.

    "Are you serious? We should gather our troops and-"

    "I think that''s impossible. Most adventurers and defense are still gathering. This is a lot bigger number of demons than we had ever anticipated. There are simply not enough fighters, or it would be a suicide mission. So we have to ask you, the hero, to buy us some time," he said.

    I couldn''t help but begin laughing. This was bullshit, all of it. No wonder there were so many tales where heroes didn''t have a long life span. They died soon after defeating the evil. In the end, they became just a sacrificial tool. Perhaps most people couldn''t wish anything else but to die in glory, but not for me. I didn''t have an option. That''s it. If I were strong, I could refuse, and perhaps escape. But I was weak. I was nobody. Even that butler could stop me.

    "Sure," I said, sighing. "You guys are pathetic. But sure. I''ll defeat that demon army for you," I bluffed, laughing.

    "I am... sorry," the butler muttered.

    As we left the castle, I saw it for the first time. Kirkwall''s wall. Or just ''The Wall'' as most adventurers would call it. The city was named after the human''s king who according to the legend got most of the major races together to build this wall. It was the wall that every adventure talks about. Every story has The Wall in it. It''s where the adventure begins.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    For me, it was slightly funny. I was born at the other side of the wall, yet I had never seen the wall. I saw it for the first time, as a hero.

    "Hero?" the butler said, looking at me.

    "Ah, yes?" I said immediately, looking at the butler.

    "The way you look at the wall seems... intriguing," the butler said.

    "I just remembered when I saw it for the first time," I lied, laughing weakly. "Do you know the history about the wall?"

    Butler couldn''t help but snort. "Who do you think I am?"

    "Is it true?" I asked straight away, looking at him.

    "Which one? There are so many legends," the butler said.

    "The official," I said. If I was a hero, at least I could pry some information before my death.

    The butler sighed. "The dragon-elven-human-orc-dwarf contract?"

    I responded with a quick nod.

    "Yes, it''s true," he said. "As far as I know, at least."

    "All of it?"

    "So-so," the butler said. We both now walked towards the main gate, but it was still quite far away. Even though the streets were full of people, I barely noticed them, only wanting to grasp the history of the world.

    "Very well. You are the hero, after all," the butler said, sighing. "Long time ago, the world was in chaos. Evil beings traveled around the main continent," the butler barely began.

    "Yes, I know the basic start. The monsters were a problem and all races needed solution. Get to the main story," I said, overly excited.

    "Right," the butler said. With a long sigh, he continued.

    "So, humans took upon themselves to do the first meeting with every race. Almost every major race presentative gathered. Humans, orcs, dwarves, elves, centaurs, fairies, and even the biggest surprise - dragons.

    "But only five races of them all agreed to do something about it. After a lengthy discussion, a decision was made - an agreement. This city used to be a major choke point for the travel between the evil''s domain and everything else. So, all races worked together to push monsters further back than this point.

    "And they did, just to deal with the real part of the contract - building The Wall, splitting the continent into two to give every civilian a chance for a simple, healthy life. After that, every race had a role in the agreement.

    "Dwarves promised to provide every stone to the wall, maintaining it. They would never ask any price for not even a single stone piece. It worked out for dwarves as well since their city, Kul Tarum, deep inside their mountains, had problems where to put all their excessive stone. So they were more than eager to provide the material.

    "Since orcs were natural builders and had the strength, they agreed to build the wall, maintain it and keep the watch on the wall.

    "Elves had always been... wise. They lived a long life, but there weren''t that many of them because of their... breeding problems. But they did agree to keep the inner parts of the continent safe. They would hunt down every single demon that managed to stay on the main continent, and also those who would danger the peace.

    "Since dragons are rare, but they possess potent magic, they made the unbreakable contract and promised to make sure that the agreement would be honored. To be quite honest, nobody has seen the dragons for centuries, so some think it''s a myth. Others believe that they only show themselves when it''s necessary.

    "And finally humans - the shortest life span, but with the most significant numbers - took on the biggest task of them all, cleaning the other side of the wall, in hopes to one day destroy the evil once and for all.

    "And whoever destroys the demon''s king will be given the greatest title of them all..."

    "...a hero," I finished, looking in front of myself, feeling cheated. I didn''t deserve that title. I stole that title.

    "Yes," the butler said. "Adventurer''s guild was created so the humans would feel like it was worth it and keep themselves motivated. The title hero was thought out, which even other races began to respect. And in a long turn, even other races began to take part in the adventurer''s guild. Especially dwarves. There has been one case when a dwarf became a hero."

    "Raikou the Great," I muttered. "I have read books about him. He has a statue in the Kul Tarum," I muttered.

    "Elves never admit it, but even they are slightly jealous of dwarves. Maybe that''s why there are more elven adventurers nowadays," the butler said, chuckling. "I have told this story to innumerable children. Didn''t think that I would tell this to a hero," the butler said, suddenly stopping in front of the main gate. There was a sound of metal as the gate began to open itself slowly.

    I sighed, looking through the gate''s bars. "Hey, look at me. I''m barely an adult," I said, laughing. I was really young, barely 19.

    "Youngest hero ever. What''s worth, I think sending you alone is a stupid idea and a huge mistake. You defeated the great evil. If you could nurture your powers more, you could-"

    "It''s fine," I said, raising my hand dramatically to stop him. "It''s the job of the hero to make sure citizen are going to be fine. If I can''t defeat them, at least I''ll buy some time." With a quick spun, I walked towards the gate, wind blowing against me, swirling my cape behind my back just to make me look more impressive.

    At least I had to look fucking cool. And if I''m going to die already, at least, I''ll look like a hero, like a champion. At least that butler will tell stories about me to the next set of children.

    And after I had walked through the gate, I was back at the other side of the wall, where I had born. I knew I would get back beyond the wall. I didn''t expect it to be that soon, but I still knew it.

    Of course, it comes without saying that I worked against every temptation to look back. Cool guys - especially heroes - don''t look back. Maybe after I''m very far away, I might take another peek at the wall. But right now I knew that every orc and human on that wall was looking at me.

    I was their champion.

    And then I saw them. I''m not talking about tens or hundreds, but thousands of demons standing far away, probably looking at me as well.

    Being in the middle of both, I threw a last look back at the wall. It was an endless wall with a single gate. It was also stupidly tall wall. Small lights were at the top, probably guards who were looking at me.

    A smirk goes over my lips. At least I didn''t die in my room, but I could experience this. Perhaps this was my only quality - I had guts. I managed to keep myself composed, even if every odd was against me.

    I couldn''t help but remember the salt on the table - an ill omen. I did throw it over my shoulder- why wasn''t that enough?

    I had to stop, as one colossal demon began walking towards me as well. So, as he stepped close to me, I started to think about how to look more badass. There was nothing else I could do anyway. So, I unsheathed my too heavy sword - which I barely managed to hold in my hand - and pushed the tip against the ground, resting both of my hands on top of it. I made sure that my legs were just enough apart from each other so I would look slightly cooler. I was giving style points to myself.

    It had to be exactly like in my thought out stories.

    The demon stopped in front of me, examining me, leaning slightly down to stare at me. I looked up but didn''t do anything. If the demon decided to hit me right there, I would be probably dead.

    "You are... hero?" the demon asked loudly, looking at me. Every word felt heavy but strong. It was a tall demon, human shaped. But their skin was burning, almost like a heated up charcoal, someone occasionally blowing their breath against it. Two horns came from the side of his head. Their hair and beard were almost like burning, or perhaps they were just that color, I couldn''t understand.

    Every thought screamed to run away or to say that I wasn''t the one he was searching. But my brain knew that it was the only weapon I had - the title. Nothing else.

    "That''s me. What''s up?" I said casually, stretching my shoulders slightly to show that I didn''t even bother to keep up my guard.

    "You look... puny and weak. Yet you defeated our master?"

    I smirked. "It''s not the size that matters, you know?"

    What I saw surprised me. The demon smirked. "You humans make funny jokes."

    I couldn''t help but raise my eyebrows. "What? You could understand it?"

    "It''s a joke about a penis, isn''t it?" the demon asked, grinning.

    I looked at him, snorting. "I''m surprised. I didn''t think that you''d..."

    "Many of us are huge fans of your culture. We just have..." - the demon gazed at the wall - "...something huge on our way. But maybe it''s better. Many of us can''t handle the excitement and might accidentally crush you, puny humans."

    I gasped some air. Suddenly many stories in my mind were collapsing. All those ideologies that demons were those pure evils, only evil were collapsing.

    "Aren''t you all demons? You don''t seem like ones. Demons are supposed to be the evil incarnation.""

    "Demons?" the demon said, looking at me. He began to laugh. "Don''t compare us with those things. Well, they also inhabit this part of the island, and some of us are enslaved under them, but we hate them. They enslaved our children and us. They force us to create weapons of destruction and fight for them."

    I facepalmed openly. I couldn''t help but do it. "Who are you then?" I asked.

    "Well. You can call us fire giants!" the fire giant said, finally sitting down to have a better look at me.

    I sighed, once more. "And you never told that to any humans?"

    "No," he said. "They wouldn''t talk to us. You''re the first human in centuries to speak with us. They usually attack first, and never ask questions. It''s either we end up dead, or them.

    I frowned. "And you never thought of not killing humans, but capturing instead and talking afterward?"

    The fire giant stopped and began to think. "Few have tried. Then the other humans think that they will save them and still attack us. At least demons only punish us if we do something bad."

    To think that those ''demons'' were just misunderstood fire giants. How funny. After centuries of history, nobody ever thought of thinking that maybe not all of them are not demons?

    "So? Why did you ask me here? Why do you want to fight with me?"

    The fire giant tilted slightly, looking slightly confused. "Fight?" he asked. "Oh no. We wanted to thank you. You killed our master who was enslaving us. Now we are free. After we heard that he had been slain, we decided to fight ourselves free. We are here to thank you and ask you if you''d want to become our leader?"

    I looked at him, eyes widening. I burst into laughter.

    "What?" the giant asked.

    "It''s nothing. Forgive me. Why me?"

    "Well, if you don''t become our leader, we have to fight between ourselves to find the new clan leader to survive on this continent. But we thought we should first ask our savior to become the leader!"

    I looked past the fire giant, examining thousands of the fire giants. "There are so many of you..."

    The fire giant looked back and began laughing himself. "Oh no. That''s Balbaru. He can do magic. He is creating this illusion like there were many of us. He thought you puny humans would take us more seriously if we looked like an army.

    I frowned once again. "Well, let me tell you, it did work. They are shitting themselves behind me right now," I said. I finally tried to lift up my fancy sword to sheathe it, but immediately abandoned that idea after I discovered that I couldn''t do it without looking awkward.

    "How many are there?"

    "There''s twenty-four of us, right now," the fire giant responded.

    "Fine. I agree to become your leader," I said, smirking.

    "Oh, it''s too bad that you- oooh?" the fire giants looked surprised. Even he hadn''t expected that.

    "I said sure. I''ll become your leader. I think I can put you into good use," I said, smiling. It might''ve been a stupid idea, but that was my only way of survival.

    I didn''t know what challenges destiny would throw at me, but I needed some allies. I needed someone to do the fighting for me. I needed to look like the final boss - except nobody should ever be able to reach me and fight me. I needed to build a wall that cannot be destroyed.

    "By the way, my name is-"

    "Oh, hero. No. Master! Thank you. We will serve you. We shall follow you. I prefer this so much over going back in there and start fighting against others of my kind. Thank you so much."

    For my surprise, those fire giants were not that confident. But beggars aren''t choosers. It was my adventure, and I needed to start somewhere.

    And perhaps, in the end, my adventure did begin after passing The Wall for the first time. I only wish it had been a different cliche circumstance.

 Chapter 3 - I only wish the council wouldnt just leave everything to me...

    They all were seated behind an overly sized table. There was this awkward silence between everyone - except me, of course. I was casually eating all the fruit that was placed at the center of the table. As I caught one of the elves staring me for too long, I shared a grin.

    "What?" I said, staring right back at him. "I haven''t eaten anything today. It''s not every day when one meets demons, and comes back to tell the tale," I said, smirking. I had to change my voice quite a lot so they would understand the sarcastic part of the demons.

    "And what a tale it was," the elf responded, face staying as emotionless as ever. I did wonder if all elves had such a hard time with emotions. But I shouldn''t assume too much.

    Apparently, someone was still missing, which was weird because it seemed that every race was already present in the room. There were humans, orcs, elves, and dwarves.

    The door opened one last time, and a final figure entered the room. It was a bit unexpected. Yet another human figure entered the room. But the unexpected part wasn''t that it was a human figure, but how pretty the female human figure was. She had burning red hair, but her face wasn''t that visible because of her black veil that hid the upper part of her face. Her clothing wasn''t too fancy, but yet they were pretty. But it was mostly black that dominated her style.

    "I see you''ve all gathered," the woman said as she walked towards us.

    "You''re late... again," the human king said out loud, examining her. "We''ve waited for-"

    "I..." the woman said, looking at the king intensely, "...don''t care."

    That woman has balls. Not literal balls. You know what I mean, me, I thought. Shit, why did I reference myself as you? I''m such an idiot, I kept thinking as I looked at the woman.

    A smirk appeared on the woman''s face, almost as she was laughing at my thought. "And you must be the new hero," the woman said as she stopped in front of me at the other side of the table, examining me from top to toe - or at least the parts she could because I was still sitting behind the table. There was this moment of a pause.

    "Yes. I''m Hero," I muttered, smiling. The silence continued.

    "Very well, Hero," she responded, saying last part with a slight delay. It was a moment when I realized that I had wasted opportunity to introduce myself properly. That was also the moment when I realized why articles are so important.

    "Well, I guess since we have a new member in our council, we should introduce ourselves," the woman said, smiling.

    "Why?" The king said, still annoyed by the fact that he was interrupted. "We all know who he is. Why should we-"

    "Because the hero might not know who we are," the red-haired woman interrupted king again, making him even more furious. "It''s a nice custom we have here. I even avoided saying your name so you could introduce yourself. Go on. Begin."

    The king stared at the woman for a short while but finally released a long sigh. "King Johnathon Rowley. I would be the human''s king - if you didn''t know that yet."

    Of course I knew exactly who he was. We had already met to start with. And I knew that I would have to work with him, so annoying him was a bad idea. He was the one who gave me the hero title, and who I reported to.

    "Of course, King Rowley," I said with a slight bow. Rowley smirked. He was obviously pleased.

    The woman rolled her eyes and looked towards the dwarves who were sitting opposite side of Hero.

    "Daloden Goldstone, at your service, Hero. I''ve heard great things about you. I''m looking forward to hear more. After all, you''re the youngest and strongest hero - at least according to Rowley," the dwarf said. He had a pure white long beard with braids closed by some golden rings. He also had a lot of items made of gold around his neck and fingers. The family name had a meaning.

    "It''s delightful to meet you. I''ve heard and read many great things about your ancestors, your family name, and, of course, you. I feel honored to meet you," I said out, bowing once more.

    "Hah. The boy has manners," Daloden said, giving Rowley a long smirk. "Call me Daloden, boy. Also, you''re always welcome to visit me at Kul Tarum."

    I barely bowed before feeling how the red-haired woman now stared at orcs.

    The oldest one grinned. Even though he looked older, there was still so much energy behind his smile. "Xorakk, Zodagh, and Borug" -- he pointed first himself and then two other older orcs sitting beside him --"at your service. If it comes to the wall, we''re your man."

    I was fascinated. Orcs had a diverse history. A long time ago, they had merely been slaves. But now they were an integral part of the country. Yet, they only called each other by the first name basis. Instead, it was the jewelry and markings on the skin that declared their status. And even those jewelry weren''t fancy. If I didn''t know much about orcs, I wouldn''t think that they were important.

    "It''s an honor," I said, bowing slightly once more. I barely opened my mouth before feeling how the red-haired woman gazed now at elves.

    "I''m Qildor Theven, The First Elf. But just call me Qildor," a bit younger-looking elf said, which didn''t mean much since they were basically immortal.

    "You''re Qildor?" I muttered, eyes widening. "I''m sorry. I''m just... in awe. The stories about your heroism is-"

    "They are probably very exaggerated," Qildor interrupted me.

    "Anyway," the red-headed interrupted.

    "Another time, Hero," Qildor whispered with a smile. I gave him a sharp nod.

    "Then there''s you, the next generation hero, Hero," she said. But before I even coughed to get my throat clean, she continued, "and then there''s me."

    That woman just skipped me.

    She looked at me for a short moment, giving me this flirty smirk together with a short curtsey. "I''m Aldrynte. I''m a dragon," she said. "Call me Aly."

    I was frozen for a moment. Of course she was. It only made sense. There was supposed to be a dragon who would oversee the old contract. It only made sense that Rowley would be fearful of her. But I didn''t expect to see the dragon in the form of a beautiful woman.

    "Can we get now down to the business?" Rowley said as he leaned forward, elbows on the desk and head resting on his hands.

    "Certainly," Aldrynte said, walking all the way around the table and sitting next to me, giving me this smile. All I could do was return the smile. For the first time - as she got close to me - I could see her eyes. They were red oval pupils - beautiful.

    "The hero has decided to allow demons to settle near the other side of the wall. That''s unacceptable!" Qildor said it out loud. I was slightly surprised that he was the first to say something like that. And he did manage to catch my stare. "Nothing personal, boy."

    "That''s fine," I said, smiling. I stood up so they all would look at me since I wanted all the attention. I felt a slight shiver going through my spine. But the words were the only thing I had left. So I did the only job I thought I was good at - talking.

    "First of all, they are not demons. They are fire giants. There''s a huge difference," I barely began before Qildor coughed.

    "And how do you know that they aren''t deceiving you? What if the next thing they''ll do is attack the wall?"

    "Because they gave me a lot of other information as well about the demons. If you look carefully at them, they could be mistaken by the demons, but they are definitely humanoid," I continued, looking at Qildor, but just for a moment so he wouldn''t feel comfortable. As I saw how many were not convinced, I snorted.

    "I love our history. Especially the period when this alliance didn''t exist. Back then when we were also slavers. We enslaved lesser creatures to fight against demons so we could survive. Not every race in this room did that, but many did. Some of us even were enslaved by another," I said as I looked towards the orcs.

    "Don''t get me wrong, I''m not blaming anyone. This is now history. But why wouldn''t the demons do the same? Why wouldn''t they enslave those who were left at the other side of the wall? Why wouldn''t they force them to fight for the demons, for their own species survival? And for the fire giants, it''s especially painful since they do look similar," I explained, looking around the room. The room atmosphere had changed. Many had thoughtful expression, and some others were still doubtful.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    "And why should we trust them?" Daloden asked, playing with his beard.

    "Even if we trust them, I wouldn''t still risk letting them through," Qildor quickly announced.

    "And I''m asking neither. I agree with both of you. And that''s why I''ve already presented the best solution: let them settle on the other side of the wall. They don''t even need to settle directly next to the wall. Just a slight distance away. We can still keep an eye on them from the wall, and we''ll still see over their city what''s going on afar. The fire giants will also protect the wall and keep an eye out. Let humans themselves slowly communicate with them, learn about them. Perhaps in time, we''ll come to trust them more and create this new connection."

    Rowley nodded. "And I approve what our hero is trying to do."

    Qildor looked at Rowley. "You do?"

    "I do. He''s our hero. If he has reached the conclusion he has presented, I trust him," Rowley said.

    "He has been a hero for how long again? Two days?"

    "Three days," I said, trying to keep up my smile.

    "Thanks for proving my point," Qildor said, glancing at me.

    "And yet four days ago he defeated the strongest demon king. He also went against the visibly strongest looking demon army while you didn''t even show up. And he talked to them, instead of just annihilating them. I guarantee you that any other human, orc, elf or dwarf wouldn''t have done that.

    "That''s the difference between humans and Elves, Qildor. We learn, but you''re still stuck in your traditions," Rowley said, sighing. But just before Qildor opened his mouth, Rowley raised his hand. "I''m sorry if I offended you, my old friend, I''m not saying traditions are bad things. But not right now."

    It was Aldrynte who finally coughed. Everyone looked at her, making me retake my seat. "Since the Hero''s action is about the other side of the wall - even though it''s directly behind the wall - it''s the human''s king right to decide what is being done at that side of the wall. Unless everyone vetos it."

    "I assume everyone understands how foolish this is," Qildor said.

    Rowley''s eyes flashed as he looked at Qildor. "A lot of things we have done is, according to you, foolish. At first, the adventurer''s guild was a silly idea, but now some of your very own people have become adventurers," Rowley said, staring at Qildor. "But I respect if everyone here decides to veto it," Rowley said with a sigh, leaning back and looking at the other races.

    Aldrynte sighed. "So, I assume you put it on a veto?" she asked, looking at the elf.

    "Yes," Qildor said, nodding.

    "Very well. Everyone who agrees to veto it, raise your hand," Aldrynte said.

    I looked around the room, almost expecting everyone to raise their hand. But for my surprise, only elves and dwarves had raised their hands.

    "Veto has failed. Hero, you can begin settling fire giants at the other side of the wall," Aldrynte said, giving me a warm smile.

    "May I ask, why you didn''t vote for it?" Qildor asked, looking directly at the orcs.

    "Human king said it already. You haven''t even been at the wall for a while. But we have seen the fire giants. Some of us have even worked with them," Xorakk said, smiling.

    Borug grinned. "They ain''t bad lads. We have seen a lot of things from the wall. But this, my friends, is something I''ve never seen before. Our hero might be young, inexperienced and new, but he knows what he is doing," the youngest Orc said.

    I smiled and gave the orcs a slight nod.

    Qildor sighed. "So be it. But since I don''t trust them, I''ll send some of my elves to protect the Kirkwall," he said.

    "Be our guest," Xorakk said, reaching out his hand.

    Aldrynte coughed once more to get attention, finally looking at me. "Anything else, Hero?"

    I nodded. "Yes. One small thing."

    To be quite frank, it was a huge deal. It took me a while to reach a decision that I should tell that to them. Mostly because telling them will affect me as well. But I couldn''t just keep it as a secret.

    "Go ahead," Aldrynte said, nodding.

    I stood up once more. "I talked with fire giants. Apparently the strongest demon who I defeated was not the strongest. There''s this real king. Or as they like to call him: The Supreme King. Silly title, if you ask me.

    "He''s beyond the mountain, and he''s apparently a lot stronger than any other Demon King that has ever lived. But he likes to stay in the background and appoint a new fake Demon Kings. For him, we are like his playground. All of this is just a game."

    The room went silent. Everyone just stared at me, not sure what to say. After a cough, it was Qildor who opened his mouth slowly, thinking of what to say. "That''s impossible," he said.

    I could''ve stopped him right there, and already explain everything since I knew what he was going to ask. But I stayed silent so he could continue and say out what was in everyone''s mind.

    "After The Volcano, there''s nothing. Evil''s Castle is the last thing standing. It''s the furthest point one could go. Many adventures have shipped around the mountain just to see if there was a possibility to sneak behind the enemy lines. But there''s nothing. Even that trip around The Volcano was dangerous because of the flying demons trying to destroy the ship. In the end, there''s nowhere to go or hide. There''s bad weather, there''s an ever falling ash, and there''s a sickness that will board any ship circling The Volcano. Maybe they could hide inside the volcano, but we all know that''s also impossible," Qildor explained as he looked at me and everyone else, intensely. They all looked at Qildor, except Aldrynte who looked at me, a smile on her lips.

    "Yes," I said, nodding, looking back at Aldrynte, but just for a moment. "That''s what I thought as well. But then I heard something ridiculous. Impossible, I thought. But it turns out that the impossible is the truth."

    "And what''s that?" Rowley snapped, wanting some answers.

    "It''s all an illusion. Well, not all of it, but most of it," I said it out, trying to stay serious.

    "You''re fucking kidding me," Daloden said as even he stopped petting his beard.

    I smirked. "The Volcano is stupidly tall and steep because we shouldn''t try to climb it. The Volcano seems to be erupting all the time because it needs to look dangerous. We don''t want to die, after all. And the sides are constantly colored by lava so nobody would try to circle the volcano on foot. And it has worked," I said, looking at Daloden.

    "Are you saying that during our whole history, there has nobody been powerful enough to see through such illusion? You''re saying that someone has kept such powerful illusion up every single day? And you''re saying that nobody hasn''t been stupid enough to try to climb The Volcano?" Qildor said, looking down at his table, half facepalming.

    "No, and yes. First of all, we have reached The Volcano in a mere hundred year or so. Until then we''ve been slowly pushing towards it. I''d assume that back then such illusion wasn''t necessary. But yes. That just proves how powerful the real Demon King is. And I think there''s definitely someone who has tried. But they have never made it back to tell the tale," I said, looking at Qildor.

    "You have no proof," Qildor said. But his eyes were telling me something different. He didn''t want to believe. And who would?

    "I actually do," I said, looking at Qildor.

    "Really? And how can you prove this?"

    "Go outside and look at the mountain. It''s gone," I said, smiling. "The Volcano is such a huge illusion, that we can see the tip from here. But the truth is that it''s not that tall. Once we know it''s an illusion, we can see through the illusion, which means we won''t see the tip anymore. Some of the most powerful illusions need conditions to keep themselves up. For this illusion, the condition is the lie - it exists. When I found out the truth and looked at the mountain, the illusion had disappeared. I didn''t see the mountain anymore."

    "That''s nonsense. You''re saying that there''s not even a single adventurer, who might''ve thought it was an illusion?" Qildor said. Daloden just stood up and walked towards the window.

    "Apparently not. Or not enough to believe that it actually is. Who could''ve thought that demons can deceive, right? Shocking."

    Daloden coughed. "It''s gone," he said. Everyone slowly turned to look at him. They all understood what he meant. As I gazed at Aldrynte, she was the only one who was not looking towards the window, but me.

    "That''s a huge discovery," Rowley said, frowning.

    "That''s why I also trust fire giants. If they truly were demons, they wouldn''t reveal such secret. Never," I said.

    "And that''s why sometimes you talk and work with different creatures, not fight," Rowley said, sighing.

    "And how did they find it out?" Qildor asked.

    I smiled. "Their leader said that they overheard it, and after that, they barely got away with it. Well, it mostly meant they didn''t get found out. They would''ve been slain if there was even a suspicion," I said. By now, almost everyone was near the window, looking far away.

    "It''s still there," Qildor said, raising his eyebrow.

    "I guess you don''t believe it enough," I responded.

    "Shit," he muttered. "It disappeared. Great."

    I smiled.

    "So, I wanted to give you this information. That''s all. I''m done," I said, sitting back down.

    Aldrynte smirked. "Impressive," she whispered.

    "I''m impressed," Rowley said out loud, looking at me with a half smirk. He walked back to the table, got himself seated, leaned back and began clapping. "You''re a true legendary hero," he said. To be honest, I was surprised that Rowley was as supportive as he was.

    "Ah, it''s nothing. Really," I muttered, feeling how my ego grew slightly.

    "So, I''ll leave everything about this new demon lord to you. May the Gods favor you," Rowley said, nodding.

    "Of course," I responded, smiling. It took me a second to realize what had just happened. "Wait, what?" I muttered.

    "He said that you''re now responsible for leading the charge against the Supreme Demon King," Aldrynte said, smiling.

    "What? I-I. What?" I said.

    "Come on, it''s only obvious," Qildor said, sighing. "Even I agree with Rowley here."

    And to be fair, it was surprising that Qildor agreed with Rowley.

    "Then it''s decided. I''ll leave everything to you," Rowley said.

    I had dug my own grave. It was to be expected, or I thought it to be a possibility, but I dug my own grave, still. All of it was unfair. I became a hero by luck - or perhaps unluck - and now I''m leading a charge against an even stronger demon? It all sounded like destiny, or the gods hated me.

    The room was silent, everyone stared at me expectedly.

    "Fine," I said, sighing once more. "But I want the new demon lord information not to leave this room," I said, looking at every race presentative in the room.

    "Why?" Rowley asked.

    "Because the last thing I want is stupid adventurers going where they shouldn''t and die. I need time to prepare for this. Possibly years. We have one chance, and if the enemy knows what we know, he might make the first move. We don''t want that," I explained.

    "I can give you a year," Rowley said.

    "A year? Are you serious?" I said, looking at him.

    Rowley nodded. "More than that, and we are letting the demons regroup. It has always been around two years before a new demon king starts to rise," Rowley said, looking at me, seriously. "Usually the hero takes care of the next Demon Kings for a while as well, but we don''t want to repeat the next cycle, do we?"

    Even I was surprised. Only two years. It was probably one weak Demon King after another until either the hero became old and weak, or they''d die somehow. But I wouldn''t be able to defeat next one either way, so if I wanted to try something, I needed to do it within a year as well.

    "Fine," I said, sighing.

    It was either do or die. But I still felt like I was a terrible cheat.

 Chapter 4 - I only wish I wasnt that attracted to dragons...

    Yes, I can be a little bit stalker sometimes. But only for the greater good. Oh, I guess I¡¯d have to be more specific - all for my greater good.

    ¡°Aldrynte,¡± I said as I quickly stepped next to her. ¡°It seems we¡¯re going the same way. May I join you?¡±

    Of course, it was a total lie. But sometimes we have to lie when we want to get something very badly.

    A smirk appeared on Aldrynte¡¯s face, but just a slight one. I could see her face turn slightly towards me, her pointy dragon eyes looking at me, examining me. Perhaps the interest wasn¡¯t one-sided. ¡°Sure,¡± she said. ¡°Where¡¯s your stop?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s one¡­ place¡­ where I¡¯m staying. I¡¯m new around here, so I can¡¯t remember the name,¡± I said, smiling. I was begging her not to dive in to catch my lie.

    ¡°Sure,¡± she said, looking in front of us. But the smirk at the edge of her mouth almost told me that she didn¡¯t need to ask any more questions to see through the lie.

    ¡°I never expected to meet a dragon. I¡¯ve heard of¡­ your kind. But only very few can say that they have seen your kind. And here I am, talking to one,¡± I said, examining her. Every instinct told me to look away, to be that little boy I really am. But since I was already deep in shit, I promised to go out all the way. At least I can pretend that I¡¯m great.

    ¡°You know, dragons have this special power,¡± Aldrynte began, which got my immediate attention. ¡°We can detect how powerful someone is or might be. This is how we¡¯ve ranked all the previous heroes, and how capable they are.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± I said, smiling, trying hard to hide my gathering sweat. She knew. She fucking had to know.

    ¡°Yeah. And you¡¯re the interesting one. I don¡¯t detect anything from you. Absolute zero. Nothing. Even normal citizen has more than you. But you - nothing,¡± she said, shaking her head slowly.

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± I said, one of my hand raised to scrub my neck.

    ¡°It is. That usually means one of the two. Either you¡¯re weaker than anyone I¡¯ve ever met,¡± she began, her eyes looking sharply at mine.

    ¡°Or¡­?¡±

    ¡°Or you¡¯re so strong that I cannot measure you. You¡¯re so strong that you can hide your presence or your power,¡± she said, eyeing me suspiciously.

    ¡°And what do you think I am?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re definitely hiding something,¡± she said, a slight smile appearing at the very edge. ¡°Perhaps in time, I¡¯ll find out. But either way, it¡¯s none of my business.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but smirk. Perhaps the fact that dragons were only overseers was my saving grace. ¡°I guess we are both interested in each other. You know, I¡¯ve always wondered why people won¡¯t recognize you with your eyes?¡±

    Aldrynte smiled. ¡°What eyes?¡± she asked. As she did so, she merely blinked. Her eyes were suddenly normal human eyes, slightly more red than brown. Surprisingly enough, I prefered her normal eyes a lot more. There was this mystery.

    ¡°Now that¡¯s intriguing. Why don¡¯t you keep it up most of the time?¡±

    ¡°Because I can¡¯t help but like when you¡¯re staring at my eyes,¡± she said. I couldn¡¯t help but blush. ¡°But don¡¯t get it in a wrong they. When you¡¯re someone special, and you need to hide it all the time, it¡¯s nice to occasionally show something off. Plus, I can be selective who sees my real eyes and who doesn¡¯t,¡± she continued. With a sharp blink once more, her eyes were back to normal.

    I nodded. ¡°I understand that,¡± I said. But for me it was reverse. I only wish I could be the one people saw me as. Just once.

    ¡°Let me guess, you wish that you weren¡¯t a hero? Or you wish you could have a day off as a normal person?¡± Aldrynte said, trying to read my mind.

    ¡°Why would you think that?¡± I asked, faking a surprise.

    ¡°Because that¡¯s what special people sometimes wish. However, you don¡¯t get to choose. The moment you arrived at that outpost with the Demon King¡¯s head, your life was changed,¡± she said, looking at me. ¡°Tell me, Hero. Do you regret it?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know. There are parts that I do regret. But at the same time, I feel that I have never been more alive than now. So even if I¡¯m going to die tomorrow, I think I¡¯m fine. I think I¡¯m okay with that.¡±

    Aldrynte stared back at me, a bit surprised. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect such answer. Perhaps that¡¯s your biggest strength. Nobody would¡¯ve had guts to just go and talk with fire giants. But you did. Even during that meeting, you were calm. That makes me wonder if you¡¯re just a cheat, or perhaps you¡¯re really something.

    ¡°That¡¯s harsh,¡± I said, laughing fakely.

    Aldrynte face leaned towards me. ¡°I¡¯m a fire dragon. My words are meant to be a bit spicy, a bit hot, a bit burning,¡± she said. Even though it seemed impossible, I still felt her hot breath touching my neck. It was as hot steam touched my skin.

    ¡°I have to admit, it¡¯s turning me a bit on,¡± I said, looking back at her.

    She couldn¡¯t help herself but laugh, I followed. After a while, she stopped, looking at me. ¡°You¡¯re surprising me, Hero. In a good way.¡±

    As I was about to open my mouth, I noticed us standing in front of a large fancier house. It was at the edge of Kirkwall, but it definitely felt more like a rich people¡¯s region. ¡°That¡¯s your stop?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Disappointed?¡±

    I chucked. ¡°No offense, I don¡¯t know much about dragons. I thought maybe you¡¯ll turn and fly somewhere away,¡± I muttered, looking at her.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t savages, you know. There are some of us who like the ancient way, who like to keep their true form, or perhaps they can¡¯t turn into humans as I can. Most young ones can¡¯t. But most of us live in different places, looking exactly like any other human, or dwarf, or elf, or who knows what.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but shine. It was something I had always wondered but didn¡¯t know. Or well, before I met Aldrynte, at least.

    Aldrynte giggled as she saw my face. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone. I¡¯m only telling this because you¡¯re the hero,¡± she said, smiling, taking a few steps towards the building. ¡°Want to join me?¡± she asked the golden words. I was hoping for that question.

    I gave her a nod, following her. ¡°What¡¯s this place?¡± I asked. She leaned against me and put her hands around my arm. I couldn¡¯t help but smirk, and enjoy her touch. The more I was with her, the more attached I felt. Perhaps it was just my weird fetish towards the dragons. Perhaps it was the dragon¡¯s power to charm me. Or perhaps I really did like Aldrynte. It was too early to know. But I only felt the need to be with her, as long as I could.

    Aldrynte couldn¡¯t help but stop for a moment, examining me. ¡°You really don¡¯t know? Right. Of course. You never were adventurer, were you? A Hero, who was never adventurer and skipped it all,¡± she said, chuckling. ¡°Look at it carefully. What do you think this place is?¡±

    I stopped next to her and examined the building. It was a beautiful large building, built of the finest wood - creyewood to be more exact, or Elfwood by the commoner¡¯s tongue - but painted to the color of white. At the entrance, it was filled with white platinum decorations. The entrance alone was fancier than anything I had ever seen. Perhaps one could compare the entrance and the building¡¯s design with some of the prettiest churches. But even then they could lose the fight. After all, that building was a truly special building.

    ¡°I know this place,¡± I muttered. Of course, I knew that place very well. It was in every hero book I¡¯ve read. It always was the dream of every adventurer. They all wished to be in there, at least once.

    ¡°The Platinum Theatre,¡± I muttered, looking finally at her sharp eyes. ¡°Of course. The greatest hall in this world. Place where the richest, most famous gather. Place where only the platinum adventurers or other important people are allowed to enter. And if someone gets platinum ranking, this is the place where the ceremony is being held,¡± I explained to Aldrynte, almost like she had never seen it before and needed an introduction. But she couldn¡¯t help but giggle.

    ¡°Are you sure you weren¡¯t adventurer before?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I was a bookworm. I read a lot about this place, or about adventurers. But I never became one, until now,¡± I explained. ¡°That¡¯s your place?¡±

    She gave me a nod. ¡°Come. I¡¯ll show you, maybe introduce you to some people,¡± she said, giving me a wink.

    ¡°I would appreciate that,¡± I muttered.

    She tightened her hand around my arm once more and began walking towards the entrance. I couldn¡¯t help but casually follow her, walking next to her.

    As we reached the entrance, a man in a platinum armor took a few steps towards us, stopping us. ¡°Ah, Aly. Welcome back, my lady!¡± He gave a slight bow, looking at me afterward. ¡°And you are¡­?¡±

    ¡°Fred, please. Take a sharp look. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll recognize,¡± Aldrynte said, smirking. I stayed serious, looking at the guy.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m sorry. If he¡¯s a new platinum adventurer, he needs to have a ceremony first. I can¡¯t-¡±

    ¡°Kid,¡± I said, looking at him. ¡°This is my first time entering this place,¡± I said, looking at the guy. I knew very well that he was a platinum adventurer, but I over-ranked him, probably hard. ¡°Don¡¯t make this uncomfortable,¡± I added.

    ¡°He¡¯s the hero,¡± Aldrynte said, chuckling.

    Fred¡¯s face turned red as he realized what he had done. ¡°I-I-I¡¯m so sorry. Please forgive me, Hero!¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s just go in, Aldrynte,¡± I said. We both continued walking as Fred kept bowing down towards us.

    ¡°You¡¯re mean,¡± Aldrynte said, chuckling.

    ¡°I need to keep up my image,¡± I said, sighing.

    ¡°Fred is a really cool guy. You should get to know him. If he really wants, he really can stop you entering, you know. Not that he would do that.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°In time. Everything in its own time,¡± I said.

    We walked through the main entrance, entering to a rather large room, more impressive than the entrance.

    It could be easily filled with people if there was a big event. At both sides were hallways, leading somewhere. This large room was decorated not only by gorgeous creyewood furniture, but also by platinum signs, which glimmered in an enchanting way. It was to these signs that the Platinum Theatre owed its name. Two large stairways, rooting left and right of the reception, arcing to meet at the top. Making your way up the stairs, you''d find large opened doors which lead to the main hall.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯m a bit speechless,¡± I muttered as I looked around the room. It even had platinum chandeliers, and full of portraits and statues of different era¡¯s heroes, or other very known people.

    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why they want this place to feel truly special. Your picture, and maybe even statue, will be put here as well,¡± Aldrynte said, eyeing me multiple times, slightly amused by my reaction.

    As we walked towards the reception, there was an elf who was sitting and writing something. But as soon as we eyed him, he raised his eyes as well, examining us and standing up. He walked out of the reception to meet us slightly before it.

    We all stopped, elf eyeing both of us. ¡°My lady,¡± he said, taking Aldrynte¡¯s free hand and giving it a kiss. ¡°Hero,¡± he added, doing a slight bow. ¡°Welcome to The Platinum Theater. I¡¯m honored to finally meet and welcome you here for the first time. You may call me Elwin. I¡¯m always here if you ever need me or my services.¡±

    I was pleased. I was truly pleased. And being next to Aldrynte, I felt that alien feeling I had barely felt before - I was superior, I was important.

    ¡°Hello Elwin,¡± I said, giving him a nod. But that was as far as I went, letting Aldrynte take the lead.

    ¡°Elwin, is there anything happening right now?¡± Aldrynte asked.

    Elwin smiled, pleased. ¡°There¡¯s always something happening, my lady. But would you want to perform tonight? You¡¯ll always have a spot if you only ask,¡± he said, smiling.

    Aldrynte sighed. ¡°So nothing special, I got it. I¡¯m with a guest today, so I¡¯ll pass. Maybe tomorrow. I can¡¯t make our guest¡¯s first-time visit uncomfortable, am I right?¡±

    ¡°Of course, my lady,¡± Elwin said, doing a slight bow.

    ¡°Oh, is he here tonight?¡± Aldrynte asked, a visible smile on her face. It made me intrigued and wonder who she meant or asked about.

    ¡°Right now, no. But I¡¯ve heard that he might arrive soon. Do you want me to tell him¡­?¡±

    ¡°No. If he comes and notices us, he¡¯ll say hi,¡± Aldrynte responded, smiling. ¡°Come, let me show you the main feature of this building,¡± she said, pulling me away towards the left side of the stairs. Elwin bowed one last time and walked back to reception.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite known, and you¡¯re a performer?¡± I said, smiling.

    ¡°Nothing special,¡± she said. It was obvious that she was being shy. ¡°We all need to have some hobbies.¡±

    We followed the stairway, the red carpet at the center of it. As we raised higher and higher, I could now see how the tiny details were built inside the carpet, full of golden strings. And even each newel had a design of its own, telling the history of adventurers and heroes. At least until the half-way when the designs stopped, and it was just a bland stone newel.

    ¡°Is that where we are right now with our history?¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll create at least the next one. But it¡¯s up to you. So think carefully how you want it designed, and for how long,¡± Aldrynte said chuckling once more.

    ¡°Pft,¡± I voiced, looking away. ¡°Now I feel pressured.¡±

    Aldrynte laughed.

    As we reached the top of the stairs, we could hear music and small talk reaching our ears. And when we walked through the doorway, it was almost as a magical barrier that tried to quiet the sounds down were removed. Everything became lively.

    It was a massive room. There were at least 5 floors at every side - except stage¡¯s side, of course - filled with chairs and tables. At the center of the room was filled with more circular tables with comfortable chairs circling them. While most tables were empty, there were plenty of people everywhere, filling occasional tables.

    At the exact opposite side of the entrance was the stage, currently owned by a female human singer and a pianist elf. They were performing a piece of slow music. The more obvious fans were at the front, listening to them, almost like in a dream state. Others were scattered around, talking, some only occasionally listening.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    ¡°Welcome to The Platinum Theater, I guess,¡± Aldrynte said, head resting on my shoulder, but just for a moment.

    ¡°Damn. That¡¯s¡­ fancy¡­ I guess?¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Before we continue, here¡¯s one thing,¡± Aldrynte started, her face serious. ¡°To make sure that we keep things easy and follow the system, I have a proposal. If I introduce you to someone, I¡¯ll tell them that you¡¯re my patron.¡±

    ¡°Is that how it works?¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Yes. Usually, platinum adventurers become a patron to one or two performers. The performers usually promote their adventurers in their songs. The best songs often leave this building as well, starting to live the life of their own,¡± she explained, gasping air before continuing. ¡°Would you become my patreon? For tonight?¡± She gave me a wink.

    It was obvious that she was using me. If the current hero was her patreon, it would mean a lot. Even I understood that. It wasn¡¯t just adventurers getting the good performers, but the other way around as well. Or perhaps it was more about the other way. If the artist got a higher ranking patron, or at least someone famous, it would be a huge deal for the artist. It decided a lot of income as well.

    But I didn¡¯t care. ¡°Sure,¡± I said without a second thought. She was important for me in so many ways, and getting her favor would only be a good thing.

    She smiled, gave me a slight nod and walked forward, making me follow. I could feel how many eyes caught us, immediately. Most of them stared at me. But I knew that stare. It was jealousy. And most people probably didn¡¯t know who I was, not yet.

    ¡°Are you sure that you¡¯re nobody important?¡± I whispered as I followed her.

    Aldrynte laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even I know that I¡¯m pretty. So it¡¯s only natural for them to stare,¡± she said.

    We walked to the spiral that leads to the next floor. But before that there was a tough looking dwarf, looking at us. Immediately, he removed a rope that was blocking our way, giving us a slight bow on the way. After a slight nod, we followed the stairs up.

    ¡°Do they always bow so much?¡± I asked.

    Aldrynte shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s you, silly. It¡¯s you who they¡¯re bowing to. It¡¯s a tradition for this place to bow down to hero as a highest ranking adventurer. Together with some other important people,¡± she said.

    ¡°Damn,¡± I muttered, feeling a slight ego boost.

    As we reached the top of the stairs, we could see how many seats filled with different races, but they all were in fancy suits. It was also easy to differentiate platinum adventurers from just stupidly rich people.

    ¡°Aly!¡± a slightly louder voice echoed throughout the room as an older man stood up, looking at us. ¡°Join us!¡± he said, waving his hand. The table was filled with the other three men and one dwarf.

    Aly gave me a slight smile as we walked to the table.

    ¡°Thion,¡± Aldrynte said.

    ¡°Oh-oh-oh. Are my drunken eyes deceiving me, or I don¡¯t know the person next to you?¡± Thion asked, leaning slightly towards me, examining me. It almost felt like he was deciding if I was good enough for her.

    ¡°Thion, this is Hero, our current hero, and my tonight¡¯s patron,¡± Aldrynte said.

    Those were those slight moments when I thought of sharing my true name, even though I knew it wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°Actually, my name-¡±

    ¡°Hero?¡± Thion interrupted with his loud voice, as I expected. I already knew that I had to find some kind of witch to break the curse. ¡°Oh my. I feel honored,¡± he said, trying to do a slight bow, but doing it awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you Aly. You can¡¯t have a better Patron,¡± he said, grinning. ¡°I guess you won¡¯t be joining us?¡± he asked. Others were slowly shaking their hands and heads, showing off that it was an obvious bad idea. Thion was simply too drunk.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Thion. Not today,¡± she said, smiling.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just an old drunk. Oh. I¡¯m Thion Keenbeard. I¡¯m a mid-tier platinum adventurer. I¡¯ve heard many stories about you, hero. I hope one day we¡¯ll talk about them,¡± he said, giving another awkward bow.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure we will,¡± I said, trying to give as sweet smile as possible.

    As we walked away, I couldn¡¯t help but release a long sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned. Hero, and nervous?¡± Aldrynte whispered.

    I looked at her, sighing once more. ¡°I¡¯m still only a human, in a new place, next to a dra¡­ beautiful woman, meeting other adventurers who only wish they could take my status. Damn straight, I¡¯m nervous.¡±

    Aldrynte chuckled. ¡°Want to sit here?¡± she said, head pointing towards a free table, away from others. Even the stage was clearly visible from that table.

    ¡°Not going even more up?¡±

    ¡°We could. But they are filled with important and great people. We¡¯ll be stopped many times by many. But honestly, I don¡¯t want to tire you too much. We can at least take a short rest, don¡¯t you agree?¡± she said.

    I looked at her, then looked at the table, and smiled. ¡°Yes please.¡±

    I walked to the chair, pulled it away and helped Aldrynte to take her seat, sitting at the other side. Of course, the chair was overly comfortable.

    ¡°Do they offer a place to sleep here as well?¡± I asked.

    ¡°They do, but not to everyone. You could definitely get one if you only asked. They might even give you one of their best for free.¡±

    ¡°For free?¡± I said, smirking.

    ¡°You staying here is already paying all the pills. You¡¯re famous. Believe it or not, but the stories about you are already spreading. Not many heroes have gone to face demons, just to come back without a single slash and telling that they are not evil.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s a good thing,¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Me neither. But since it¡¯s not in our control, there¡¯s no point to worry, is there?¡±

    I gave her a slight nod. ¡°Thank you. For taking me here and¡­ well, everything.¡±

    Aldrynte laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m not getting anything out of it,¡± she said.

    ¡°I guess you enjoy the attention that you¡¯re receiving right now?¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Oh, there will be many who will be begging me to introduce you to them later,¡± Aldrynte said, grinning. ¡°And I¡¯m your first patronage here. That¡¯s special,¡± she said.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t even given you a single coin,¡± I said.

    ¡°And I don¡¯t want any. Patron isn¡¯t always about the coin, Hero. It¡¯s about the image, it¡¯s all about who¡¯s my patron. I earn more than enough to feed myself and buy everything I want, even without any patrons.¡±

    I smirked. ¡°Interesting. You know that you¡¯re abusing your position right?¡± I said, winking.

    She smiled. ¡°But it¡¯s a win-win, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    I leaned back, looking at her. ¡°It¡¯s definitely a win-win,¡± I nodded. ¡°If I¡¯m patron, I¡¯ll see more of your face, right?¡±

    Aldrynte leaned forward, her slightly sharper tongue went over her lips. ¡°For sure.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a tease,¡± I said.

    Aldrynte laughed. ¡°I told you - I know that I¡¯m pretty.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s not all about prettiness. It¡¯s that you¡¯re interesting and funny. You¡¯re mysterious. And I love mystery.¡±

    She leaned back, touching the back of the chair. For the first time, it almost felt like she was blushing, or at least she was speechless. ¡°You certainly know how to talk,¡± she said.

    The time passed, and I began to understand how the stage system worked. It was a free stage. Most artists could go there for free, while others lesser known had to pay for even being there, hoping to get attention or to find their own patron. It was usually the artist¡¯s patron who paid all their future performances.

    There were occasional songs about performer¡¯s patron. But occasionally also non-related songs. Sometimes there were songs about past heroes, while others were just beautiful performances. Aldrynte couldn¡¯t help but giggle at some point.

    ¡°What?¡± I muttered, looking back at her.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t noticed yet, have you?¡±

    ¡°Noticed what?¡± I asked, looking at her.

    ¡°For a while now, the stage and the hall has been filled with more people or performers. They are trying to impress you. The talk that you¡¯re somewhere here have reached everyone¡¯s ears,¡± she said.

    To be fair, I did notice that, but I simply didn¡¯t care enough. ¡°I must be a very fresh hero for them not to create any new songs about me,¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Songwriting isn¡¯t that easy, silly. Especially the good ones,¡± Aldrynte said, leaning slightly back and looking at the current singer.

    But I there was something else bugging me, a question that I wanted to ask. ¡°Tell me, are you ever afraid of being who you are?¡± I asked, looking at the woman in front of me. She moved her gaze back to me, her pointy dragon eyes staring at mine.

    ¡°That came out of nowhere,¡± Aldrynte said. There was a slight silence, as a violin echoed through the hall, trying to get my attention. Sadly for the performer, all my attention was given to her, at least for tonight. ¡°All the time. Surprising, isn¡¯t it? Dragons are supposed to be fearless beings. But in the end, we are like everyone else. We also have emotions, feelings, fears.¡±

    I looked at her, examining her. My finger was softly tapping against the table. I smirked. ¡°A bit. But it makes me happier than surprised. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to please the council. They are asking too much from me,¡± I said out my thoughts, slowly moving my gaze away.

    ¡°Of course, not. Nobody ever will. This council is half dead. The only thing that¡¯s keeping this council together, this alliance together, is the contract.¡±

    ¡°Why won¡¯t they break the contract then?¡±

    ¡°They can¡¯t,¡± Aldrynte said as we looked at each other once more. ¡°They have tried in past. Dwarves, Elves, and even orcs - to be more precise. Only humans and dragons haven¡¯t tried to break it. Humans because they are quite happy what they got out of the contract.

    ¡°Their ancestors were smart. One does not simply break the contract without consequences,¡± she said, elbows leaning against the table, and her head rested against her hands.

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. What does the contracts say?¡±

    Aldrynte gave me her twisted smile. She enjoyed that. ¡°That¡¯s the scary part. Nobody knows. Nobody knows the contents of the contract breaking. When ancestors decided that part of the contract, they never told their descendants what happens when they break it. I can only assume that it was also part of the contract.

    ¡°But once they do break it, the fun part is that the punishment isn¡¯t instant. It starts small, getting worse every day. First, it¡¯s one unlucky day for their race. Then the unluck becomes a daily occurrence. Sickness spreads, accidents happen. At first, it seems like they are lucky, barely avoiding the damage, but then the seemingly huge luck begins to disappear. Then even bigger things begin to happen. Until it reaches a point where it¡¯s just not worth it.

    ¡°Dwarves were the race that reached furthest. Their refusal to follow the contract began after the wall requested some more precious gems and stones for the wall. But the dwarves didn¡¯t want to comply. After 49 days, they finally provided everything the wall had requested. Of course, they did after a mysterious earthquake happened in their kingdom, a quarter of dwarves died, and a hole appeared at the bottom of one of the treasury, eating up every single coin and gem, just to close up by the end of the earthquake. They haven¡¯t found the treasure till this very day. And they tried to find it.¡±

    I gasped. ¡°That sounds impossible,¡± I muttered.

    ¡°They thought the same. But after that, after losing a huge part of their population and treasury, dwarves have never tried to ignore the contract again. Of course, the ruler who ignored the contract is still called ¡®The Cursed Ruler¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve read about him,¡± I said, smirking. ¡°He promised a lot before he became the ruler, making him desirable choice. They say that after the earthquake, they forcefully removed him from the throne. But I never knew about treasury disappearance.¡±

    Aldrynte smirked. ¡°Most of it is a secret that was only reported to the council.¡±

    ¡°This might be a bit rude thing to ask, but how long have you been the dragon¡¯s representative?¡±

    ¡°Before me, there has been nine. That¡¯s all you get.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Fair enough,¡± I said. That¡¯s all I really wanted to know either way. ¡°And yet none of the nine didn¡¯t think of breaking the contract?¡±

    ¡°Thought? I bet they have. I have. But we are smarter than that. It¡¯s more about playing around the contract. For example, I don¡¯t have to be the representative for my entire life. At one point, I¡¯ll switch out and let the next one take over. It has more become a tradition of proving ourselves to be wise¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Well, I hope you won¡¯t switch yourself out that soon,¡± I said.

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°It would suck to lose such a pretty representative,¡± I muttered.

    She smiled. ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°I do please.¡±

    She laughed, once more. But before she could open her mouth, her eyes gazed past me. Someone was approaching. Perhaps the person she had asked about before.

    ¡°Elbert,¡± Aldrynte said. I peeked over my shoulder, examining the person she was looking at. A taller man approached. For my surprise, he didn¡¯t wear the fanciest clothes, but there was that aura that told me he was someone important. He had long brown, or maybe even slightly red, hair, but filled with occasional gray hair that showed the signs of a bit older age. He did have a black cane that he leaned against as he walked.

    ¡°Aldrynte!¡± the man said, walking to the empty side of the table. ¡°And you must be the hero everyone¡¯s talking about,¡± the man said, looking at me.

    I gave him a slight nod.

    ¡°Join us! You got a minute or two, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Elbert smiled. ¡°I can always make a minute or two to my daughter,¡± he said, pulling the chair back with his cane and taking a seat. Meanwhile, I could feel how sweat started to work itself up. It wasn¡¯t that hard to connect the dots. If he was Aldrynte¡¯s father, it only could mean one thing. My only question was, why did she call him first Elbert, not the father. Perhaps it was just a dragon¡¯s tradition. Or perhaps it was because she was more shouting than saying?

    ¡°How was the council?¡± Elbert asked.

    ¡°Annoying, as always. Things haven¡¯t changed much since you left,¡± Aldrynte said, grinning. ¡°I bet they are still more afraid of the fact that you¡¯re my father than I¡¯m a dragon,¡± she said, silently.

    Elbert began laughing, loudly. ¡°And you decided to bring our new hero here, already,¡± he said, looking at me.

    ¡°Well, he took a keen interest in me, as I took of him,¡± Aldrynte explained, looking at me. Her tongue went over her lips once more.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not food, alright?¡± I said quickly. Just the fact that I was sitting behind a table with two dragons got my adrenaline pumping.

    Elbert began laughing once more. ¡°She¡¯s pretty, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Stunningly pretty,¡± I admitted, cheeks going slightly red as well.

    ¡°I like honesty. It¡¯s interesting that we dragons have historically taken interest in heroes. I think because at least they¡¯ve proven themselves to be capable, at least compared to those in the council who earned their spot just because they won a birth lottery,¡± Elbert explained, raising his hand to a passing waitress. ¡°Finest wine, please,¡± he said, turning his gaze back at me. ¡°I still remember the previous hero. It was a pleasure to work with him. He always knew how to humor me. Too bad Aldrynte never showed any interest in him.¡±

    ¡°There he goes again. I was just a kid back then. It was over a hundred years ago, father,¡± Aldrynte said, cheeks slightly red. ¡°Now that he¡¯s just the owner of this establishment, he likes to do this nostalgia talk a lot,¡± Aldrynte told me, sighing.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting old,¡± Elbert said, laughing. ¡°Not that I will die soon. I still live at least thrice as long as you,¡± Elbert said, grinning.

    ¡°Thank you. I feel a lot better now,¡± I said, sarcastically. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that nearby people might overhear-¡±

    Elbert laughed once more, breaking my talk. I definitely saw where Aldrynte got her smile and laughter from. ¡°They won¡¯t. Slight magic and they might hear, but they won¡¯t understand. I like our new hero. You want a room here? I can give you one of the best rooms,¡± he said after a short pause. ¡°Almost every hero has been living here. So it only makes sense for you to live here as well.¡±

    It was a tempting offer. Too tempting. ¡°Maybe soon, but for now I have to decline,¡± I said, smiling.

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Why?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do my job if I have to see your daughter¡¯s beautiful smile every day,¡± I said. Aldrynte couldn¡¯t help but look away and blush, slightly.

    ¡°The best way to win my favor is to compliment my daughter. A right step, a correct way. Good job. I can give you a room next to hers,¡± Elbert whispered, winking one of his eyes as he leaned slightly forward.

    ¡°I can still hear you,¡± Aldrynte said, sighing, cheeks still slightly red.

    ¡°Seems great, but I prefer to get a simple room in adventurer¡¯s guild, for now,¡± I explained.

    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t you want to make alliances with platinum adventurers?¡± Aldrynte asked, looking at me. Elbert didn¡¯t say anything, almost as he already understood what I was going for.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. But maybe only five percent of adventurers are platinum. I can¡¯t play favorites here. And I don¡¯t want the other adventurers to think that I¡¯m not giving them any attention. I don¡¯t want to feel like an unreachable hero. I also think that platinum adventurers are hardest to convince to do something I need in the short run. And I really need adventurer¡¯s help. In the end, platinum adventurers will do exactly what they want. So if someone is interested in me, they¡¯ll find me, and they¡¯ll help me. I will see them here either way.¡±

    Elbert smirked. ¡°You certainly have brains. That¡¯s good. That¡¯s what we need. Well, you¡¯ll always have a place here. You only have to ask. Just because you might spend most of your time at adventurer¡¯s guild or elsewhere, doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t sleep here.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°And I thank you for that.¡±

    ¡°Father, can I talk to you later?¡± Aldrynte said as she looked at Elbert.

    ¡°Of course, always, my child,¡± Elbert responded, nodding.

    ¡°It¡¯s good timing. To be honest, I think I should go. The day is starting to reach its end, and I¡¯m very tired,¡± I said, trying to keep up my smile.

    ¡°I bet. Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll get used to it. They always have,¡± Elbert said, hand reaching out and giving me a strong pat on the back. For Elbert¡¯s look, he certainly was a lot stronger than expected.

    ¡°Thank you, Aldrynte, for the tour and¡­ everything. I¡¯ll be definitely back,¡± I said, standing up and throwing my last look at the stage. ¡°Feel free to tell people that I¡¯m your official patron if you want.¡±

    Aldrynte smiled. ¡°I just might do that.¡±

    I walked away. ¡°I¡¯m surprised. I never expected to see such interest from you-¡± I heard the last few words from Elbert, before the magic turned words into a mumble, soon disappearing altogether.

    <hr>

    There it was. It was yet another large building, made of normal wood -for once. A huge text of Adventurer¡¯s guild was decorating the front side. Occasional people entered and left the building. And there I was, leaning against the nearby wall, breathing the cold night¡¯s air. After a few more gasps, I walked towards the entrance, entering the guild.

    It was a straightforward design, as I had expected. Almost right after the door, there was a reception. At one side of it was a huge wall, filled with different quests, requests, notices and many other. At the other side was extended large dining room or a bar, filled with simple tables and chairs. There were many adventurers either eating or drinking - mostly drinking - and talking about their adventures. At the furthest side of the dining room was a stairway leading to upstairs, filled with corridors and rooms with beds.

    ¡°Hello. How can I help you?¡± a woman asked me, smiling.

    With my tired eyes, I stepped to the reception, looking at the woman, examining her for a moment. ¡°I¡¯d like a room.¡±

    There was a long pause. ¡°You¡¯re a new one here?¡± she asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s that obvious?¡± I asked, trying to keep up the smile.

    ¡°Yes. Usually, when adventurer asks something, they need to provide their badge. We usually do not serve non-adventurers,¡± she explained calmly. It felt a bit awkward since it was probably everywhere like that, yet I didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, pushing my hand into my pocket and removing my hero¡¯s badge, putting it on the table.

    The woman¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t make a huge deal out of this. Think of me as any other adventurer. I don¡¯t want to get everyone¡¯s attention or special privileges. For now, I only need some sleep,¡± I said.

    The woman gave me an understanding nod. ¡°We¡¯ll prepare the best room-¡±

    ¡°Give me the most basic one that most adventurer¡¯s get,¡± I interrupted her. ¡°Please?¡±

    The woman was surprised. ¡°Of course,¡± she said, leaning slightly down and grabbing a key, placing it on the counter in front of me.

    ¡°How much?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s on house. Always,¡± she said. ¡°One of the few Hero¡¯s privileges.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Thank you. Please do not disturb my room until I come down myself for the food,¡± I said just in case.

    ¡°Of course. Sleep well!¡± she said, examining me.

    I nodded, took the key and walked through the dining hall. As expected, not many noticed me. And those few who did didn¡¯t recognize me. The fact that I had removed my fanciest armor beforehand helped a lot. It was mostly my fancy armor that made me recognizable.

    As soon as I entered my own room, and locked it, I released a long sigh, letting myself fall onto the bed. It was still a bit more comfortable than I had hoped. That woman still gave me a bit better room. It was fine, but I had hoped to get a slight feeling of home. I missed that creaky bed frame and that uncomfortable pillow that my head used to rest on.

    I wondered if I ever saw my home again. But I was thankful for surviving one more day. It was a crazy day. I still couldn¡¯t process the fact that I was supposed to go and fight against the true demon king. How was I even supposed to beat him?

    But that was the future me¡¯s problem.

    And it didn¡¯t take long for the sleep to finally take me away. The dreams took over my consciousness, reminding me of one of those stories I thought up when I was only a kid.

 Chapter 5 - Part 1 (The beginning of Act 1)

    I closed the door behind myself. I had overslept too hard. But that was fine. Recently I haven¡¯t had any sleep at all, so it was fine. It¡¯s only natural to sleep a lot more when you¡¯re slightly sleep-deprived. It wasn¡¯t just because of the quiet place I had slept in, but because nobody has no idea where I was. For the first time since the whole thing began, I was alone. For the first time, I felt free.

    It didn¡¯t take long to walk through the guild¡¯s tavern, just to stop in front of the reception once more. For my surprise, nobody still paid any attention to me. I¡¯d expected everyone to know who I was by now.

    For my luck, the same woman was standing there, eyes on some kind of thick book. She casually glanced at me for a mere moment - as an instinct to eye a movement, perhaps -, looking back at me almost instantly as she realized who I was. ¡°Good morning,¡± she said, trying to smile. It was obvious that she was nervous. I was probably more nervous than her, but at least I could keep up my composure.

    ¡°I¡¯m impressed,¡± I began as I stopped in front of her. ¡°Nobody still knows I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell anyone. You seemed tired, and you asked me not to. So I didn¡¯t,¡± she said.

    ¡°And I thank you for that!¡± I said, giving her a sharper nod.

    ¡°So, how can I help you?¡± she asked. ¡°Or are you here to do a check-out?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°I have actually a favor to ask,¡± I whispered.

    ¡°Too early to ask favors from someone who you¡¯ve met for the first time, Hero,¡± she said, staring at me, eyes slightly squinted.

    I casually looked at a small sign on the reception, her name on it. ¡°Erica. I¡¯m sorry, I-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m kidding,¡± Erica said, sighing. ¡°A lot of people ask me favors. Even though they don¡¯t really ask a favor, per se,¡± she said, giving me a weak smile. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Thank you. You¡¯ve probably figured it out, but I¡¯ve never been really an adventurer. But it¡¯s more a handicap if anything. I need to work with adventurers, a lot. How do I start? Where do I start? I¡¯m a bit stuck. You work with them every day, do you have any tips?¡±

    Erica looked at me, smirking. She casually pushed her dark brown hair back, revealing her green eyes that I barely noticed before. She was pretty, for sure. I could see her mouth opening a few times, and closing, almost as she was thinking, or perhaps not even sure if she should help me in the first place.

    ¡°Hero-¡±

    ¡°Erica!¡± a shout interrupted her. ¡°Did you say ¡®Hero¡¯? Have you seen him? Are there any news about him?¡± a younger human male walked to him, excited. Two others followed, both female, except one of them was an elf.

    ¡°Relax,¡± Erica managed to say, barely.

    The elf walked closer. ¡°So, did you find someone? We really need the fourth one,¡± she said, looking at Erica, eyes squinted. ¡°We can¡¯t take the quest without the fourth one.¡±

    ¡°And you mentioned something about the hero?¡± the first one said.

    ¡°W-we should¡­¡± the final party member mumbled behind, nobody noticing her.

    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Erica began, almost shouting to get everyone''s attention, ¡°...I do have the fourth member,¡± she continued with a normal voice.

    ¡°Really?¡± The elf said.

    To be fair, I already saw what was happening. I looked at Erica, and Erica looked back at me, grinning.

    ¡°Let me introduce you,¡± she began, hands moving in slow motion towards me. It was a doomed attempt. The moment they¡¯ll find out that I was a hero, things would be different. ¡°Hiro!¡±

    ¡°Hiro?¡± the only guy in the party said.

    ¡°Yes. You misheard me before. He¡¯s Hiro, and he¡¯s your final party member,¡± Erica said, smiling.

    ¡°Erica, could I talk to you for a second?¡± I whispered.

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t. You asked my help, here¡¯s your help,¡± Erica said it out loud, everyone looking at me.

    ¡°That bad, huh?¡± the guy said.

    ¡°Hiro is a pretty new adventurer. And it¡¯s literally his first day. So be kind,¡± Erica said, smiling. For some reason, it was even slightly irritating, even though she was completely accurate. I probably was a lot worse than the others. ¡°He probably sucks at fighting, but he has brains,¡± she said, looking at me, eyes slightly squinted. I understood what she meant. It was probably a sign to not show my power too much and make it an easy mission. Jokes on her, I truly do suck, so it was good for me.

    ¡°Hiro, let me introduce others. This is Bill,¡± Erica said.

    ¡°Bill Cornfield, to be more exact. You can guess where I grew up,¡± he said, snorting. ¡°I¡¯m a warrior. I was born to hold a sword. And I¡¯ll become the next hero. Straight after our current one. Maybe I can become Hero¡¯s pupil. I can¡¯t wait to prove myself.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but notice how fast he talked. But Bill was surprisingly short, compared to the sword he had. He had to push the sword''s handle down all the time, so the hilt wouldn¡¯t touch the floor. He had darker brown hair. But he was certainly more skinny than an average adventurer. However, he didn¡¯t joke around when he told us where he was from - he did have those muscles.

    ¡°Yes-yes, Bill. This is Arryn,¡± Erica continued, looking towards the she-elf.

    ¡°Yo,¡± she said, raising her hand for a moment. Arryn had almost pure white hair and gray eyes. Her ears were a lot pointier than any other elves I had seen. Of course, she was also skinny like most elves. But there was one thing that was noticeable - she had a bow strapped tightly behind her. She was definitely ranger, and she had no signs of any other weapons besides that.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you have any knives?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I do,¡± she said. Like a flash, she had pulled out an arrow from the quiver, arrow¡¯s tip pointing my neck. It was truly impressive. ¡°I don¡¯t even know you, so watch your words,¡± she added, winking, and pulling arrow away from my neck to put it back into her quiver.

    ¡°Sorry. I think this is a wrong party-¡± I began, jokingly.

    ¡°I was making a joke,¡± she interrupted, eyes squinted. She knew it very well that she needed me. Of course, I didn¡¯t know why yet, but that didn¡¯t matter - not yet.

    ¡°It was very funny,¡± I said, face serious, trying to keep my every muscle skill.

    ¡°Ha-ha¡­ ha,¡± she said, also serious.

    ¡°And~,¡± Erica continued, finally looking at the final human girl behind everyone. ¡°Alice,¡± she said.

    ¡°H-hi! I-I¡¯m Alice. I-I¡¯m a wizard, I guess? I-I hope we¡¯ll get all along!¡± she said. Her every word had a change of emotions. First, it felt like she was more scared of us, but by the end, she was more forcing herself to be strong. Of course, it still felt like she was about to cry. She had yellow long hair. Her bangs hid most of her eyes, but as much as I could see, she had blue eyes. She wore more light clothing, but thick ones that hid almost everything she could possibly hide - besides her face.

    I nodded. ¡°Hi, Alice. It¡¯s nice to meet you too,¡± I said, smiling.

    ¡°Can we get the quest now?¡± Arryn said, stepping to the quest board, ripping one paper away and placing it on the table. ¡°Why it even requires 4 people in the first place? This is stupid!¡±

    ¡°Have you heard anything about the hero?¡± Bill asked, also stepping closed to Erica.

    ¡°Both of you, stop! It¡¯s a precaution. Especially since you¡¯re all literally beginners,¡± Erica said, sighing. ¡°But yes. You can all now take the quest. I¡¯m not more than confident that you can do it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the quest?¡± I asked, but it almost seemed like saying it to no-one.

    Only Alice seemed to notice my question. She took two awkward steps forward, looked at me and then looked at my feet. ¡°G-goblins.¡±

    Oh. The classical. It¡¯s always either goblins or slimes. But you only go to kill the slimes if there are nice girls in your party. Otherwise, it¡¯s goblins. I wouldn¡¯t mind slimes in this party.

    ¡°Nice,¡± I muttered. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was even able to beat goblins. But it still sounded like something fun. And perhaps it was a good idea to have my first real adventure fighting goblins, before taking on the Hero¡¯s job, which is everything that moves at the other side of the wall.

    ¡°Hey, noob. We can fill you in with details later. For now, let¡¯s go!¡± Arryn said, waving the quest¡¯s paper piece in the air. The paper was visibly filled with necessary information.

    ¡°Sure, give me a minute,¡± I said, staying behind and stepping towards Erica. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Come on. It¡¯s the first step to understanding adventurers. Plus it helps me to sleep at night, knowing that those total amateurs are with the hero.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Not because I was disappointed, but because she was wrong. Adding me to a party against mindless monsters who will not have a discussion with me, will not end well. They are in more danger if anything. But perhaps it was the perfect way to finally get my first adventure ongoing. Perhaps it was something that I really needed.

    ¡°Come on. You asked for a favor. Here it is. Do this for me? Please? I¡¯ve really started to like those three, and they¡¯re really trying and really good. They just need someone to make sure that they will finish something.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Fine,¡± I said. Of course, I did want to go with them. It felt more fun than terrifying. Plus it was my only chance to escape from being a hero. It was my chance to be a normal adventurer.

    ¡°Hiro. Are you coming?¡± Arryn shouted.

    ¡°Nice thinking about the name, by the way!¡± I said as I turned around and began walking towards the exit.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Erica said.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. It¡¯s better than being called Hero all the time.¡±

    It might¡¯ve felt like a small change - just an s to the end - but I couldn¡¯t help but feel happy about it. It was something different. I was Hiro - a normal noob adventurer.

    ¡°Why are we leaving this place?¡± Bill suddenly asked as I arrived.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know? We need to find a place where to sit down?¡± Arryn said, almost as it was obvious.

    Bill looked past me, right at the tavern part of the guild.

    ¡°No. This place is filthy, and¡­ and¡­ and-¡±

    ¡°...full of humans?¡± Bill ended the sentence. ¡°You need to get over yourself. This is the cheapest place in the whole city. Ignore the stares. Soon we¡¯ll get the stares because we¡¯re famous.¡± He walked towards the tavern, looking back at me and Alice.

    ¡°H-he¡¯s right,¡± Alice said, gave Arryn a weak smile and followed Bill.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said, smiling, and followed the other two. I had no idea why I was the one comforting Arrys, but it didn¡¯t matter.

    I could hear a slightly irritated mumbling, but she followed us soon after.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Bill said as we all were sitting behind one large table. ¡°Put it on the table, Arryn!¡± He looked around, finally raising his hand. ¡°Hey, hey! Four cheapest beers, please!¡±

    ¡°Three. I don¡¯t drink!¡± Arryn said.

    ¡°I-I¡¯ll pass as well! I-I can¡¯t drink right now. I-I¡¯m too nervous.¡±

    I looked at Bill, and Bill looked back at me. I could see his eyes begging me.

    ¡°So, two it is,¡± I said, giving him a weak smile.

    ¡°Two cheapest beers!¡± Bill said, proudly.

    ¡°Are you sure you want the cheapest? Aren¡¯t they bad?¡± I asked, just in case.

    ¡°Come on. I¡¯m not rich!¡±

    ¡°But this deserves celebration, you know? We shouldn¡¯t take the cheapest! I can put some money in!¡±

    Bill looked at me, eyes slightly squinted. ¡°Two normal beers,¡± he shouted, but still kept looking at me.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I honestly didn¡¯t want to get sick before my first adventure. My stomach was whirling without it already.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Arrys said sharply, pushing a scroll across the table, opening it. Thankfully since it was a natural thing that adventurers did in this tavern, there were larger metal pieces that we could take and place on the paper¡¯s edges to keep it opened. ¡°This, my friends, is our contract!¡± A large grin appeared on her face.

    ¡°Goblins, huh?¡± I said, trying to look experienced.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that your first encounter?¡± Bill asked me.

    ¡°Oh, for sure,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°But that was bound to happen, one day. And goblins are something that almost everyone know about.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Arryn said, patting my back with a force. It fucking hurt. I moaned, slightly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill Hiro before we get out of the guild, Arryn,¡± Bill said, smirking. Two beers were placed in front of us. Both me and Bill took sips. It was... an average beer. Just thinking what was the cheapest beer gave me chills.

    ¡°Oh my gosh, that¡¯s amazing!¡± Bill announced, taking another sharp sip.

    ¡°Calm down, alligator,¡± I said, laughing out loud.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Arryn said loudly, to get everyone¡¯s attention once more, ¡°we need to go to the village called Cornwall.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my hometown,¡± Bill said. ¡°Or used to be. Cornfield family name comes from there.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Let me guess. It¡¯s a village that grows corns near the wall?¡±

    ¡°Very original, am I right?¡± Bill said, grinning.

    ¡°They¡¯ve had some goblin problems recently. Two of their children were kidnapped.¡±

    That was the moment when my attention was placed fully on Arryn. ¡°When was this quest posted?¡±

    ¡°A week ago,¡± Arryn said.

    ¡°And it still isn¡¯t done? What the fuck is going on?¡±

    ¡°Calm down,¡± Bill muttered.

    ¡°Why are you calm? It¡¯s your village!¡±

    ¡°I grew up there as a child, yes, but most of my life I grew up in Kirkwall. I literally have no memories of this place,¡± Bill said, looking at me. ¡°So, what¡¯s the problem?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand? If a week has passed, it¡¯s very unlikely that those children can be saved. And maybe there has been even more kidnappings. Why hasn¡¯t anyone taken this quest before us?¡±

    ¡°W-we tried to get it as soon as-¡± Alice muttered.

    ¡°But why no-one else?¡± I interrupted, slightly annoyed.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s a fucking Kirkwall,¡± Bill stage whispered, groaning, and looking at me. ¡°It¡¯s full of gold and platinum adventurers. And the only thing they care about is the other side of the wall. Everyone else is on the other side of the island or near the capital. Nobody really cares about this side of the island, near the wall. First, there are very few of us, lower levels. And those who are up there, all that gold in their ass, they think that lesser ranking should kill goblins. And then there¡¯s the illusion that near wall areas should be protected¡­ because of the walls themselves.¡±

    It was my turn to groan. It sucked. It all sucked. I understood the higher ranking adventurers as well, but if there¡¯s a quest for goblins that require at least 4 lesser ranking party, the quest could be possibly dangerous. But it still didn¡¯t make any those higher ranking members blink an eye. They first prefer to not work than take a low-rank job like that. ¡°Dammit!¡± I muttered, hitting my hand against the table, just to hit the table¡¯s edge instead. That hurt.

    ¡°A-are you okay?¡± Alice asked, leaning slightly towards me. ¡°I-it¡¯s alright. I-I can heal you!¡±

    I smiled. ¡°Thank you, Alice. But I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m happy that at least someone is taking this on,¡± I said.

    ¡°No, thank you. We¡¯ve been trying to find fourth member for a week now,¡± Bill said, scratching his back.

    ¡°Okay. I believe that there aren¡¯t that many low ranking adventurers here, but I can¡¯t believe that there aren¡¯t like¡­ any?¡± There was a sudden silence in the table. Even I understood that something was wrong, or that I touched a touchy subject. ¡°Yeees~?¡±

    ¡°W-well. W-we have some bad nicknames, so nobody wants to join us. T-they say it¡¯s a death sentence,¡± Alice muttered, looking at me, tear at the edge of her eye.

    ¡°Such as?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Promise you won¡¯t run?¡± Bill said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can run, even if I wanted to,¡± I said, sighing, head pointing towards the contract.

    ¡°The Worst Party. The Losers. Zero Success Party. And those are only a few,¡± Bill said.

    Of course, the last one gave me the most information. It was a devastating moment. In some sense, I had hoped that I was in an okay party, and I could ride on their experience. I had zero experience in fighting, what-so-ever, and yet I ended up in the worst possible party in the whole town. My luck was great, as always.

    ¡°Look at the bright side,¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Bill said, taking a sip from his beer.

    ¡°You¡¯re ¡®Still Alive Party¡¯, as well,¡± I said, giving everyone a wink.

    There was another moment of silence, but it was soon broken as everyone began to laugh, quietly. The laugh began to grow, and soon we were all in tears. Many examined us. Some who recognized us began to laugh as well, pointing fingers at us. But it seemed that my party didn¡¯t care. The didn¡¯t seem to notice.

    ¡°So. Arryn, continue,¡± I said, pointing towards the contract.

    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± Arryn said, nodding. ¡°The contract is surprisingly simple. Find the goblins, kill them all, eliminate the threat. Plus save everyone that can be saved. That¡¯s all.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Which means what?¡± I said, looking at Alice.

    ¡°W-we need to go to Cornwall, and ask for more information?¡± Alice suggested. Even she was more pumped up.

    ¡°Exactly. However, before we go, I want to go through blacksmith and buy a weapon and some armor,¡± I said, sighing.

    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t have one?¡± Bill said, looking at me.

    I shook my head. ¡°I did, but¡­ not anymore. But it¡¯s fine. I have the money.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to go alone or¡­?¡±

    ¡°Actually yes. I¡¯ll meet you all at the edge of the town that leads towards Cornwall?¡± I suggested.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Bill said, nodding.

    ¡°You can have my other half of the drink,¡± I said, pushing a small copper coin on the table.

    ¡°Really? Neat!¡±

    I stood up, stretching myself. ¡°It¡¯ll take some time. I¡¯ll meet you in a few.¡±

    All of it was terrifying. It felt like yet another bullshittery that I was going through. I cursed my luck once more. But somewhere I couldn¡¯t help but feel excited. It was my first adventure¡­

    ***

    For the first time, I had everything that I could actually use. The leather armor was uncomfortable - for now - but I could wear it without feeling the muscle ache. It wasn¡¯t heavy. I had a sword that I actually could lift, and yes, that¡¯s was literally the problem with my previous sword - I could barely lift it. I had a shield that I could also lift. I had it currently placed on my back. And then there was a bow with some arrows as well. The collection was finished with a backpack filled with some other possible necessary items.

    ¡°You¡¯re really prepared,¡± Bill said as he finished examining me. ¡°You can use everything?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°To be fair, I want to try them out.¡± It came without saying that I had also prepared for the possibility that they¡¯ll find out who I¡¯m later, so I already thought out to be just pretending newbie to test out their skills and knowledge.

    Genius, am I right?

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Arryn said, frowning. ¡°You¡¯re worse than us!¡±

    ¡°A-Arryn!¡± Alice mumbled with her slightly stronger voice than usual.

    Arryn crossed her hands. ¡°You¡¯re overly protective. You like him?¡±

    Alice began to blush, visibly, pulling her hood over her face and looking away.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± Arryn said, sighing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be an ass,¡± I said, looking at her. ¡°You¡¯ll have a hard time in adventurer¡¯s guild if you continue like that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have a hard time regardless. Not only I¡¯m in the weakest team in the guild, but I¡¯m also an elf,¡± Arryn said, shrugging.

    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re in it, and only you can fix it. Also, it has nothing to do with your race, so get over it,¡± I said, walking past everyone towards Cornwall. Others followed. ¡°Just because they¡¯re an ass, doesn¡¯t mean you have to be one as well,¡± I said it out loud so Arryn would hear it.

    ¡°Sure-sure. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll teach you how the bow works,¡± she said, sighing. ¡°You could¡¯ve just asked.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Arryn,¡± I said, looking over my shoulder, really slowly.

    Bill giggled. ¡°It¡¯ll be half a day travel there. Let¡¯s get along, alright?¡± he said.

    ¡°Y-yes! Let¡¯s get along!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you some tricks with the sword and how to use it. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Bill said, pointing his thumb at me.

    ¡°A-and I¡¯ll check it out if you have a magical essence,¡± Alice said, looking away from everyone. She was probably going to wear her hood all the way to Cornwall.

    Arryn released a visible sigh. Everyone else couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

 Chapter 5 - Part 2

    ¡°Those fields,¡± Bill said, yawning. ¡°I remember those fields almost like yesterday.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting tired of them. We¡¯ve been walking for an hour, and still, all I see is one cornfield after another. How the hell are they going to harvest it all?¡±

    ¡°M-magic?¡± Alice whispered, glancing at us for once.

    ¡°I wish I could confirm or deny it,¡± Bill said, walking next to the corns, hand touching the passing corn¡¯s long leaves. ¡°There were many myths amongst children because adults never told us much.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± I asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be their future? Aren¡¯t you supposed to take over their reigns?¡±

    Bill shook his head. ¡°They are very strict about that. Only after you swear that you¡¯ll never leave and will take on their legacy, they will teach and show.¡±

    ¡°You never tried to sneak and peek?¡± Arryn asked.

    ¡°Oh, many times. And we never succeeded. It was like magic,¡± Bill said, sighing. ¡°But there¡¯s one thing that I think is weird, now that I think about it.¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I rarely remember seeing corn that was growing. They all were fully-grown. Always,¡± Bill muttered.

    ¡°That¡¯s very weird,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°Like magic. Maybe they do selective harvesting?¡± I suggested.

    ¡°Like harvest only when they¡¯re literally ready? Have you seen those fields? They¡¯re endless. Do you really think a small village like this can harvest it all?¡± Bill said, laughing.

    ¡°If you look carefully, even those around us aren¡¯t ready, though. Some of them are almost, and others are missing the ear of the corn,¡± Arryn said, walking more said, examining the corn as well.

    ¡°It¡¯s a mystery. And I love mysteries. We should figure it out!¡± I suggested.

    ¡°Hah. I couldn¡¯t figure it out when I lived there, so I doubt we can find anything out even now. Those bastards really keep their secret well,¡± Bill said, sighing.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± I muttered.

    In the end, it was a slight hill, always going more up than down. It was obvious that if rain was ever happening, the rain and the small sudden rivers would water all the corn. It was in some sense slightly genius location for the down and for the corn. Every time we looked back, we were slightly in awe of the view. It was the not-that-far wall that reminded where we were. We could even see a tiny Kirkwall from here. As soon as we reached the top of the hill, we saw roofs appearing, smoke rising from plenty of chimneys. We could already see past the village that there wasn¡¯t any corn, but forest. It seems that all those endless cornfields were built only on the downhill.

    Many of us noticed it was surprisingly quiet. Normally during that time, there were at least some people outside, walking around, keeping an eye on their crops. Right now, there wasn¡¯t even a soul. The only indicator that there were people still in the village was the smoke rising from chimneys themselves.

    ¡°That¡¯s odd,¡± I said.

    ¡°I agree,¡± Bill responded, nodding.

    ¡°W-what?¡± Alice said, looking at us.

    ¡°There¡¯s no-one outside,¡± Arryn muttered towards Alice.

    ¡°Ooh.¡±

    ¡°I hope it¡¯s not what I¡¯m thinking it is,¡± I said, groaning.

    ¡°It probably is,¡± Bill said. But for my surprise, he seemed surprisingly calm.

    As we entered the empty streets, Bill lead us towards the only tavern in the village. Oily Corn. An interesting name, coming from the fact that this village also produced oil from all the excessive corn. So, their only tavern got that name - mostly to advertise the oil itself. There are occasional traders who visit this village just to buy the oil and then sell it at a higher price.

    ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± Bill said. The tavern¡¯s chimney was smoking as well. It was probably a good sign. With a long sigh, he pushed the door open and entered the tavern first.

    There was the sound of a ringing bell, announcing our arrival. ¡°Welcome!¡± a shout came from the kitchen. For our relief, there were plenty of others around, sitting in the tavern, drinking. Perhaps it was only me who noticed something suspicious. But it could be nothing.

    As we stepped towards the counter, a dwarf walked out of the kitchen, clapping his hands together to get rid of the flour stuck to his hand.

    ¡°Hey, lads. What can I do for yar?¡± the Dwarf said. It was obvious that the other side of the counter was elevated, just so the dwarf would be on a comfortable level as well.

    They all eyed me. Even Bill, which was a bit more surprising. I¡¯d had hoped that he knew that dwarf.

    ¡°We are from Kirkwall. Adventurers. We are here to learn about your goblin problems. Where can we find the village¡¯s chief?¡±

    The room became quiet. Everyone stared at us. It was an uncomfortable feeling. But it wasn¡¯t a hostile stare, but quite the other way around - it was as it was about time.

    ¡°Finally,¡± the dwarf said, smiling. ¡°Well, I might not be chief, but chef, but ya found him. I¡¯m the current leader.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. I didn¡¯t know tavern¡¯s owner could be the village head,¡± Arryn couldn¡¯t help but say it out.

    ¡°Arryn!¡± Bill hissed.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite alright, lad. It¡¯s probably also surprising a dwarf like me is the owner of the tavern in the first place, am I right? Ha!¡± The dwarf said, pushing some ale in front of us. We all got ourselves seated at the other side of the counter. ¡°Well. I¡¯m a temporary leader. Our leader was taken away by goblins merely two days ago.¡±

    We all looked at the dwarf, surprised.

    ¡°Or well, it¡¯s more that he let himself being captured, in exchange of leaving us alone for a time being,¡± the dwarf said, sighing. ¡°Do you want some food, lads? I just finished some simple potatoes. I also have some our village special - heated corn with some fresh bread,¡± the dwarf said, trying to look more cheerful. ¡°Javum, by the way,¡± the dwarf said, smiling and reaching his hand to each of us.

    ¡°Ah. Hiro, Arryn, Bill, and Alice,¡± Bill quickly introduced all of us as he was first to shake Javum¡¯s hand. ¡°And we¡¯d like some food, thank you!¡±

    Javum nodded. ¡°Wait here just a second.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long for him to come back with a small pot. Filled with soft potatoes and carrots. There was another bowl with 4 fresh ears of corn. All those corns had sharper brown lines on them He began to fill our plates with different food one by one, finally pushing them in front of us.

    ¡°Is that corn¡­ grilled?¡± I said, looking at it.

    ¡°Aye. You have some good eyes,¡± the dwarf said, smiling. I couldn¡¯t help but take a bite. Immediately a smile appeared at the edge of my mouth. It was tasty.

    ¡°Can you tell us everything?¡± I finally said, looking at him, taking another bite. Everyone else had also dug in their food, visibly showing off their enjoyment. I only hope the food wasn¡¯t poisoned or something.

    ¡°Yes, I was about to,¡± Javum said, nodding once more. ¡°To be fair, if you hadn¡¯t come today, we would¡¯ve abandoned the village tomorrow morning and tried to escape towards Kirkwall.¡±

    Even though I tried to hide my feelings, I already knew what that meant. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if that quest was too hard for us. The way how others looked, it seemed that I wasn¡¯t the only one.

    It was obvious that it was something hard to talk about. Just the fact that Javum was cleaning already overly clean cup was saying more words than any of us could ask.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Javum said, sighing. ¡°It began two weeks ago. It used to be a time when we saw more goblins around this area, so we¡¯ve been more alert than usual. Goblins are small enough, so they can hide between cornfields pretty well. But we weren¡¯t careful enough. Perhaps it¡¯s the fact we¡¯ve gotten too bloody cocky. We¡¯ve always thought we were safe because of how well the country has protected us. And there were always adventurers who were ready to come and help us whenever it was necessary. It has been years since we¡¯ve seen anything dangerous. And since this is the closest village to the Kirkwall as well, it¡¯s only natural to feel safer than any other village. But for a while now, we¡¯ve barely got any help. They only help if there¡¯s nothing else to do.¡± Javum couldn¡¯t help put to put the cup loudly on the table. Every soul in the room was quiet. Many were sniffing, trying to keep themselves quiet.

    Javum began to fill the same cup with some beer, taking one sip himself. He needed that. ¡°Two of our children disappeared. We thought it was just children playing pranks. We thought that our kids were having a sleepover at some other parent¡¯s house. But we soon discovered that they were completely disappeared.

    ¡°We began to search them immediately, going through the cornfields, the forest. We needed to find something, anything. And we did. We found goblin¡¯s footprints. I haven¡¯t seen those rascals footprints for years, but I¡¯d still recognize those bastards¡¯ footprints. So, we sent our quest towards Kirkwall immediately. We thought someone would come and help us, fast.

    ¡°But nobody came. Nobody.¡±

    There was silence in the room. For quite a while. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± Alice said, looking up at the dwarf. ¡°M-may I ask you a question?¡±

    Javum looked at Alice for a short while. ¡°Aye. *Go ahead,¡± he said.

    ¡°Did you send someone to pressure the guild how important it was?¡± she asked. All three of us understood where she was going. If the situation was a big enough, the guild would be forced to increase importance and difficulty, or maybe even force someone to take on the quest.¡±

    ¡°Aye. We did,¡± Javum said, nodding. ¡°But every time we went there, we were just told they¡¯ll send someone as soon as they can.¡±

    ¡°I will-¡± Arryn barely managed to say before Bill took hold of her hand.

    Bill looked at Arryn, slightly leaning towards her. ¡°Stop. We are nobody. There¡¯s nothing we can do,¡± he whispered.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry for interrupting. P-please continue!¡± Alice said, slightly bowing.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Javum said, sighing. ¡°After the third day of waiting for help, and pressuring, everything changed. They began to assault our village, trying to get the other kids, women.¡±

    I looked around again. As I had noticed earlier, everyone in the room was male. It was normal for men to visit tavern more often. But there should¡¯ve been some women as well. My heartbeat accelerated. The lack of women only meant that the goblins were successful.

    ¡°Of course we fought back, at first, but we lost some of them one after another. That is until one of them came to us, and said that if we resist, they¡¯ll kill all of our prisoners,¡± Javum said.

    ¡°Goblins can¡¯t be that smart,¡± Bill whispered to me.

    ¡°They actually can. They¡¯re not that dumb. There can be a lot smarter goblins and other dumber ones. It¡¯s just that average goblin¡¯s intelligence is a lot lower compared to an average human,¡± I whispered to Bill, quietly.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Arryn muttered. ¡°We can hear you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Hiro is right. You were Hiro right?¡± the dwarf asked. I shared a sharp nod. ¡°That¡¯s what we thought too. There¡¯s no way they can be that smart. But then they told us their conditions. They¡¯ll stop attacking us, for now. But we can¡¯t ask help, not anymore. We can¡¯t stay outside. We just have to¡­ live. If we don¡¯t do what they ask, they¡¯ll kill all the prisoners. Most of our farmers can¡¯t lose their families, you understand?¡±

    ¡°What about us?¡± Bill asked.

    ¡°You need to leave as soon as you¡¯ve finished eating. Please understand. You¡¯re just a passerby. That¡¯s how they¡¯ll see you. Alright?¡± Javum said.

    ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± I said. ¡°I understand.¡±

    Javum nodded. ¡°Thank you. I can give you some extra food if you want?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯d appreciate that,¡± Bill said.

    Javum gave us a nod and left back to the kitchen, giving us a moment to talk.

    ¡°That¡¯s more than we can handle,¡± Arryn said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pussy out now,¡± Bill whispered.

    ¡°I-I think we should help them,¡± Alice whispered.

    ¡°You want to help everyone, Alice,¡± Bill said.

    Alice chuckled. ¡°T-that¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a compliment!¡± Bill said, frowning.

    I sighed. ¡°We should do our best first. We should try to get as much information as possible, and then decide. If it¡¯s too much, we can go back and report it as an emergency. If it¡¯s something we can still handle, we should do something about it. Either way, we need to get out of the village first.¡±

    ¡°Why? Why should we risk our lives?¡± Arryn asked.

    It was Alice who suddenly pushed her toe on Alice¡¯s foot. ¡°Ouch, what was that for?¡± she said, slightly surprised that Alice could do that.

    ¡°Because they have prisoners. And every day matters. Especially when we¡¯ve wasted a week already,¡± she whispered loudly. It was the first time I didn¡¯t hear her stutter, which made me smile. It made it feel like she wholeheartedly believed in what she said. ¡°I-idiot.¡± Except for that last part.

    ¡°Exactly. We need to be sure what¡¯s going on before we abandon it,¡± I said, sharing a half-smile.

    ¡°I gotta agree with those two,¡± Arryn said.

    ¡°You were the first who-¡± Bill began to protest, looking at Arryn. ¡°Sure. Fine. Let¡¯s do it,¡± he said, raising his hands up as a sign of surrender.

    We all were terrified. We all agreed that it was probably more than we could deal with. But something inside all of us pushed us forward. We needed this. All of us. The reasons were different, but the aim was the same.

    ¡°There ya go!¡± the dwarf said, pushing a small sack in front of us. ¡°It¡¯s filled with some potatoes, fried corn, and dried meat. It should keep you fed for a few days, at least.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± I said, trying to give him a smile. ¡°How many do you think there are?¡±

    There was a moment of silence. ¡°We believe there are more than twenty-five goblins out there. It¡¯s safer to walk towards the forest, I think. For some reason, they really keep an eye on Kirkwall part.¡±

    I couldn''t help but wonder why we weren¡¯t attacked as we arrived at the village. Perhaps we were lucky. Or maybe they didn¡¯t want us to give a chance to turn around and rush back to Kirkwall for help.

    Bill frowned. Arryn kept up her cold expression. Alice was frozen, hands shaking. Me? I felt nothing. Was it because I had to recently walked and met fire giants, which were supposed to be demons? Was it because I was the hero? I knew that goblins were more dangerous than demons - for me that is. Goblins won¡¯t talk. They¡¯ll attack first, and probably will never ask questions. But even so, something told me that we could do it. Or was it the need to do it? The need to prove myself as a hero. It could be the only time I was able to kill a monster.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said, standing up and grabbing the shack. ¡°Thank you, Javum.¡±

    ¡°May the Gods smile on you. And it¡¯s fine if you think it¡¯s too much. Just get help, please. I wish we had more to tell you or more time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it,¡± Bill said, raising his hand as we all left.

    ***

    It was terrifying. The thought of us walking, and possibly being watch gave me chills. All of us looked around, trying to find anything small and green hiding. Until I noticed it. They tried not to seem so obvious, but their eyes told me more than anything.

    I began to laugh, loudly, making all of them look at me, confused.

    ¡°What the fuck, bro?¡± Bill said.

    ¡°You¡¯re all too nervous. Even the dumbest goblin would understand,¡± I said as we all still stood in front of the tavern.

    ¡°W-what do we do?¡± Alice asked, looking at me.

    ¡°We¡¯ll walk away from Kirkwall, towards the forest. This way we have the biggest chance to escape. They can hide between corns a lot better than the forest. Plus, I¡¯d say they¡¯re probably more prepared at the Kirkwall side.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think that they¡¯re that smart?¡± Arryn asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to take any chances. Do you?¡± There was a moment of silence, agreement. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll stay left, Bill right. We both keep an eye out on our side. Arryn, try to look at both sides. Alice, try to look back, occasionally. Stay close to Bill. Go!¡±

    We both began walking away from Kirkwall, talking nonsense, just to look like we didn¡¯t know what was going on. We tried to show that we didn¡¯t pay any attention to any surroundings, even though it was a lie.

    ¡°150 feet, left side, 2 goblins, one on a tree with a bow; and right side, 130 feet and 170 feet away, two other goblins, one with shield and scimitar. Another, not sure, but they¡¯re on the ground and might be a mage,¡± Arryn said casually. I could feel how everyone¡¯s stepping slowed down slightly. We all felt it - adrenaline pumping into our system. All I could think of was the fact that might be the end of the legendary recent hero - slain by a goblin.

    ¡°Hiro?¡± Bill said after a short pause.

    It was a weird feeling. Even in a situation like that, I could think calmly. It didn¡¯t make any sense. Nobody should be able to stay rational. Not that long time ago I was a shut-in, slightly awkward boy. And here I was, different.

    ¡°Arryn, take care of the mage first. Always focus the mage first. Then the bowman. Bill, protect Alice from the right. I¡¯ll from the left. Alice. I don¡¯t know what spells you can cast, so try to either heal us or attack behind us. That¡¯s all.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t even a plan. It was prioritizing, nothing else. But even that was better than nothing. We couldn¡¯t fight in chaos. Not now.

    Nobody said anything, which meant they either agreed or just accepted the orders as they were. It was weird to think that they depended on me when it came to making plans or strategies. I was a new member, so why me?

    ¡°Hiro,¡± Bill said as we were approaching the area where we were most likely going to be assaulted. ¡°Use your shield. Leave sword fighting to me,¡± he said, giving me a smirk.

    ¡°You sure?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    I gave him a nod. ¡°The moment they come out, start attacking.¡±

    And we walked. One step after another. It felt like an eternity. One step after yet another. I could hear my accelerated breathing. And not just mine, theirs as well.

    They were only stupid goblins. Only four of them. Yet why did I feel so nervous? There could be many reasons. But I knew it wasn¡¯t just fear. Was it anticipation? Was it the knowledge that it was my first fight, and I might actually stand a chance? Or was I going to find out that I never stood a chance?

    A shouting echoed as two goblins ran out behind the tree¡¯s cover. Even I didn¡¯t understand how Arryn had seen them. It was a hard time alone to keep an eye on the point Arryn had pointed out where the goblins were supposed to be.

    Immediately I reached out my hand, taking hold of my shield, and pulling it out. There was this smaller goblin, holding a lot larger sword than mine, almost as he was having a hard time keeping it over his head, almost as he was about to drop it on his own head.

    But he didn¡¯t. The sword began to fall towards me, and all I could was push the shield towards the sword, hoping that it wouldn¡¯t break. All I could do was ready my legs for the impact.

    An arrow passed my head, but from behind me. Arryn had released an arrow. Normally one wouldn¡¯t even notice or see an arrow quickly passing by, but I saw it all.

    There it was, the impact. All the muscles in my legs screamed in harmony, asking me what was going on. But they were strong enough, helping me hold my ground.

    ¡°Argh. My shoulder. My fucking shoulder,¡± a shout reached us from afar, except the goblin wasn¡¯t speaking in common, but goblin. I understood goblin. It was a bit hazy, but I understood it. A long time ago, I had learned it, for fun.

    Two swords clashed at my left side, as Bill pushed the other goblin¡¯s sword away, crashing the goblin¡¯s sword against the shield. Immediately he made a sharp twist to slash the goblin¡¯s chest. The goblin fell down on his back, screaming, swearing in goblin, letting go of the sword and shield. But Bill didn¡¯t care. He kicked the goblin¡¯s sword further away with his leg and pushed the sword through their chest, just to silence the goblin¡¯s screams.

    Another arrow passed me, but this time at the other side of my head towards the tree with Bowman. An echoing sound followed, but not a hit. The arrow must¡¯ve hit the tree instead of the goblin bowman.

    ¡°No! Vrug!¡± the goblin at the other side of my shield shouted. I understood it, finally. We both were watching Bill. I could feel how the sword was lifted away from my shield, tiny steps below the shield turning towards Bill. I knew that Bill wasn¡¯t ready for this. His sword was still inside the other goblin¡¯s chest. So I pushed. I pushed as hard as I could. And I could feel it. The tiny goblin was surprised by my sudden push, as he lost balance fell. And I landed on top of him, shield pushing him even more down.

    Another arrow passed me, but this time over my body. No, it wasn¡¯t an arrow. It was something else, something blueish. I looked behind me, seeing Alice holding her wand out, tip slightly frozen.

    ¡°Ice shard?¡± I muttered.

    There was a sound of explosion afar, as the tree it had hit began to fall. Goblin on top of it jumped down, screaming the moment he hit the ground. That was probably goblin¡¯s legs that were a goner. The part of the tree that was being separated from each other and bending more time was full of frozen ice, keeping some of the bark barely together. But it fell more down, just to fall on top of that miserable goblin. ¡°Eek,¡± a goblin scream echoed before they got silenced.

    ¡°Nice shot,¡± Arryn said, taking another arrow and shooting away. I turned my head back towards the goblin that I had just pushed down, just to discover that he was not moving, not anymore. There was also a bond of blood slowly getting larger.

    ¡°Nice,¡± Bill said. He had managed to pull out the sword. So all he could do was run towards the archer that was now lying below the fallen tree. The other mage goblin was not moving either. Arryn had taken care of him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill him, not yet!¡± I shouted, standing up and looking around of us. There was nobody else. At least not anymore. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said as I looked behind myself, eyeing Arryn and Alice. They both nodded, so we followed Bill.

    Bill didn¡¯t move as we reached him. The Goblin below the tree was as dead as they could be. ¡°Damn,¡± Bill said, turning his face towards the final goblin that might be alive. The mage. It didn¡¯t take long for us to reach them.

    The final goblin was trying to pull himself away from us, seemingly still alive. They had just been so slow about it that it seemed from afar to be dead. There was only one arrow visible on his back, near heart, while the other was already pulled out, lying next to him.

    I took hold of the goblin and pulled him over on his back, holding my foot on his stomach to keep him still.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your hideout?¡± I said in my broken goblin. Both Bill and Arryn gazed at me, slightly surprised.

    ¡°You can speak goblin?¡± Bill asked.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± I hissed in common. ¡°Where¡¯s your hideout?¡± I repeated my question.

    The goblin began to laugh, but only for a moment. It seemed that laughing was rather painful. ¡°I¡¯d never tell you, scum,¡± the goblin responded.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to go through all of this?¡± I asked, trying to intimidate. ¡°Your friends are dead already. Do you want to follow their lead?¡± One thing I¡¯ve read about goblins is that they can be easily frightened when they¡¯re captured. Of course, that¡¯s if they¡¯re captured.

    The goblin chuckled once more, suddenly revealing a knife on his hand. I was already afraid of my foot. He was going to attack me, and that was going to hurt a lot. I knew that I wasn¡¯t fast enough to react either.

    A flash and the goblin stopped moving. But it wasn¡¯t any of us that killed him, but he had done it to himself, silencing himself with his own knife.

    ¡°What the fuck,¡± Bill muttered.

    ¡°D-dead goblin won¡¯t talk, after all. T-that¡¯s strange. G-goblins are very loyal creatures to their leader. B-but their usual instinct is to save themselves first,¡± Alice said.

    There were noises coming from afar. It seemed that the other goblins had been alerted. ¡°A-and it¡¯s not a mage,¡± Alice muttered, looking at me. ¡°I-it¡¯s a scout, a messenger. I-I hate to admit it, but these goblins really do know what they¡¯re doing.¡±

    We all looked at each other, one by one. But with a slight nod, we did a quick search on the bodies, just to find a piece of paper. Something was definitely written on it, so I quickly pushed it in my pocket. The moment sounds got too loud, we rushed into the forest, leaving the sounds behind.

    But there¡¯s was at least one good thing I could be happy about - my first battle didn¡¯t end with my death.

 Chapter 6 - part 1

    It felt like running for a while. It was Arryn who was leading the escape. We all hoped that she knew where we were going. After her was Bill, then Alice, and finally me.

    ¡°Alright, I think we¡¯re safe,¡± Arryn finally said as she stopped, breathing heavily. We all were.

    ¡°Bloody fucking hell,¡± Bill said out, taking few steps towards the nearby tree and vomited past it.

    For my surprise, Alice didn¡¯t show any signs of being tired. She just stood there, looking at all of us.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°N-no. I-I¡¯m fine. I-I¡¯ve always been pretty good at running. I-I run regularly,¡± she said, looking at me. ¡°E-even though it has been mostly running away,¡± she said a lot more silently, a smile still on her face.

    ¡°Nice,¡± I muttered. That was the day when I learned not to judge a book by its cover. Which was strange - I of all people should know that.

    It took us a good few minutes to finally calm down and get ourselves circled. It was also to make sure that there was nobody following us and we were truly alone.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s our plan? Get back to Kirkwall and ask for help?¡± Bill asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pussy out now,¡± Arryn said, giving Bill a smirk.

    Bill crossed his hands. ¡°Come on. I¡¯m taking your side now.¡±

    Alice looked at me. I could see in her eyes that she was begging me to step in. I frowned, visibly. ¡°Let¡¯s do like we talked before. Information first. Then let¡¯s decide. We know the general direction where they normally are. We just have to capture one of them and ask them, nicely, or just follow them until their hideout.¡±

    ¡°T-they are too smart, though,¡± Alice muttered. ¡°A-and that¡¯s unusual.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°Which can mean only one thing...¡± - everyone looked at me, expecting me to tell them the answer - ¡°Their leader is someone smart. He has given exact orders, and has enough intimidation to make goblins fear them more than death,¡± I said. As we talked, we didn¡¯t really look at each other. We all looked past each other, eyeing every direction, making sure that there was nobody around.

    ¡°G-give me a second!¡± Alice said, removing her backpack and searching for something within. She removed a book, opening it.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Bill asked.

    ¡°G-goblins 101,¡± she said, reading through the book. ¡°I-in the history, there have been many cases of goblins being or at least seeming to be a lot stronger and smarter than average. I-in all of those cases, their leader has never been a goblin, and not even a hobgoblin. U-usually it was some kind of other magical beasts. B-but there¡¯s one time when it was the worst,¡± she said, paging through the book. She finally stopped, releasing a sigh.

    ¡°And...?¡± Bill asked.

    ¡°I-it was human.¡±

    ¡°Human?¡± Bill muttered. ¡°How can human control those beings?¡±

    ¡°J-just because it says it was a human, once, we shouldn¡¯t assume that it could...¡± - Alice got silent as we all heard noises coming from afar.

    ¡°Hide,¡± Arryn said. Perhaps it was our luck or maybe Arryn had stopped here for that very reason, but we all followed Arryn to hide behind a nearby gully that was the size of a bit over half of my body. Roots were hanging above and behind our bodies while larger roots were spreading at the above of the gully itself.

    The noise got closer. No, not noise, but the talking. And I knew that language very well - goblin.

    ¡°We are wasting our time,¡± a slightly lower pitched goblin said. Their every step felt heavier than any other goblin.

    ¡°Hobgoblin,¡± Arryn whispered, eyes slightly widened. That alone got a chill to go through my body. Hobgoblins are like goblins, just a lot larger, and a lot stronger, and a lot smarter. They are basically a stronger version of Goblin. But they¡¯re also grown from simple goblins. They are more like a small chance. That¡¯s why when a nest grows larger, there are more hobgoblins involved as well. Or that¡¯s why goblin nests often grow around a rare hobgoblin. Many wild goblins are ready to join nest just to follow hobgoblin. They are often like our heroes.

    ¡°We need to find them so we can report to our master what we know. Right now we don¡¯t know enough. All we know is that four of our own are dead. Maybe they are backup? Maybe they were just passer-by¡¯s and they¡¯re long gone. But we should always assume the worst. Not every passer-by could kill four of our own.¡± A slightly quieter and higher pitched goblin responded. It was obvious that it was just a normal goblin. That part, however, wasn¡¯t a surprise. Hobgoblins always surround themselves with more intelligent goblins, and order the dumb to go out and do their deeds. Everyone looked at me, waiting for me to translate. I could only raise my finger and push it in front of my mouth to keep them silent.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re alive. Four of them can¡¯t do anything. Everything is going according to our master¡¯s plan. When the full moon is highest, it¡¯ll be done. Now go. Tell the master about this small incident. Everyone else, go and keep an eye on that village!¡±

    ¡°But-¡± the higher pitched goblin barely began.

    A loud echo traveled throughout the forest. We could only hear gasps of many other goblins. It was followed by the sound of something large pulled out of something sticky. ¡°Any questions?¡±

    Many footsteps traveled away, including the heavy steps. But something came closer to us.

    ¡°D-do we¡­?¡± Alice whispered.

    ¡°Just follow that goblin. He leads us to their base. But kill him before he gets to others, though. Can you do it, Arryn?¡±

    Arryn looked at me, worried.

    ¡°Arryn?¡± I stage whispered, putting my hand on her shoulder. ¡°You can do it. I believe in you!¡± I whispered. She gave me a slight nod.

    A shadow jumped over us, landing in front of us on his two feet. We all looked at the tiny goblin¡¯s back, still hearing the hobgoblin¡¯s steps. But the tiny goblin¡¯s clothing was lightweight. It was apparent that he was a messenger, and that¡¯s it. It was a thought out system, which made the whole situation even more unusual. Thankfully for us - and the fact that we all didn¡¯t even breath - the goblin didn¡¯t think of looking back and just kept running forward.

    ¡°Go!¡± I hissed, following the goblin as soon as he was a bit more further away.

    It was hard to keep the distance. We needed to be ready to shoot an arrow at the goblin any moment, but we also had to keep our footsteps light enough to not create any unwanted attention. Perhaps we got lucky that the goblin didn¡¯t try to spot us either. They weren¡¯t trained for anything else than running and delivering the messages. The sounds he made was possibly stronger than any of us, suppressing our sounds.

    The travel wasn¡¯t too long. But the speed was intense, which means that in normal speed, it would¡¯ve taken a lot longer time. As we traveled, we all began to breathe more heavily, except Alice¡­ again. I was thankful for carrying all that heavy armor before today¡¯s running, otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have made it that far.

    To be fair, none of us couldn¡¯t pay enough attention, before Arryn suddenly shot her arrow. It was a miss, hitting a tree in front of the goblin. We were lucky because the goblin did a huge mistake of stopping and looking back at us, eyes widening. Rookie mistake.

    ¡°Easy target,¡± Arryn muttered, letting already a new arrow go. A lifeless goblin¡¯s body landed on the roots, arrow on their head. ¡°Quickly, drag him back!¡±

    It was Bill who reached him first and pulled the body back. Perhaps I was lucky to notice that, but both of them had looked past the tree that arrow had hit very intensely. So I did one thing none of them hadn¡¯t expected me to do. I ran towards the tree.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Bill hissed as I ran past him. I didn¡¯t answer.

    As soon as I reached the tree, I took hold of an arrow and pulled it out.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Someone was coming towards me. Their every step was announced by the noise of leaves that he was stepping on. They were probably checking out the weird sound they had heard. But thankfully for us, they didn¡¯t try to hide their own presence. Quietly I got myself to lie down, trying to not make the same mistake as that someone. I pushed myself against a larger root that was next to me, hiding me from the other side of the tree.

    A goblin¡¯s foot landed on the root above me. He was scanning the area, including the place where the arrow had been landed. But because of the angle, he didn¡¯t see the hole itself the arrow had created. I could see the goblin¡¯s every head moment, since his head was directly above me, looking around. My hand was tightly around the arrow, as I was ready to stick the arrow up if the goblin did decide to look down. That¡¯s all it would take - look down, and see me.

    The goblin snorted. ¡°Told you it was nothing,¡± they said in a goblin, frowning. He turned around and began walking back. Every further step echoed more silently than the previous. All I could do was crawl away, crouch, and walk back to others as silently as possible.

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Arryn muttered.

    ¡°T-that was cool!¡± Alice said. ¡°Y-you saved us!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Alice. Want to go out with me?¡± I said, smiling.

    Alice turned red, making some quiet unrecognizable noises.

    ¡°Dangerous move. She might give us away,¡± Bill muttered.

    It was cute. First, she looked everyone else, finally deciding to confront me, looking deep into my eyes. It was even cuter because her cheeks were visibly red, and there were tears at the edge of her eyes. ¡°N-no. I-I¡¯m sorry. W-we only met today!¡± she said, quietly. ¡°A-and it¡¯s really inappropriate place and time. A-and-¡±

    I grinned.

    ¡°He¡¯s teasing you,¡± Bill said, smiling as well.

    ¡°O-oh. O-okay. Y-yeah, that makes sense,¡± she said, taking in deep breaths. Suddenly her eyes were squinting. ¡°You¡¯re mean!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t resist. But your loss.¡± It only made me look forward to the moment they find out that I¡¯m the hero. Of course, only if we survived this.

    ¡°I-idiot!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I repeated myself.

    ¡°Alright. So, we found out their hideout, now what? Report this place to Kirkwall?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°Sadly it¡¯ll be too late by then. When that hobgoblin talked before, he leaked something huge. Whatever they¡¯re planning, it¡¯ll happen when - and let me quote - the full moon is highest. It¡¯ll be done then. So, we¡¯re the only ones who can do something about it.¡±

    ¡°Alice,¡± Arryn suddenly whispered.

    ¡°Y-yeah?¡±

    ¡°You need to learn a spell that sends messages.¡±

    Alice¡¯s eyebrows lowered quite a lot. ¡°T-there''s no such spell! I-I can send a bird, though!¡±

    It was a sad known fact. There were no spells that could send a message directly to someone¡¯s mind unless it was some kind of a special creature. There are a few known ones, but super rare. Of course, it could also mean that such spell wasn¡¯t discovered yet.¡±

    ¡°Well, that would be a start,¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Y-you need to write a message, though,¡± Alice said, taking out her backpack and searching for a small piece of paper and a quill with ink.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Bill said. ¡°You¡¯ll figure out the plan.¡± He took the paper and quill and began writing.

    ¡°I-I¡¯ll also need some money later to pay for the gem,¡± Alice muttered.

    ¡°We¡¯ll all pitch in,¡± I said, nodding. Others followed my lead.

    ¡°T-thank you! Gems ain¡¯t cheap!¡±

    ¡°So, what¡¯s our plan?¡± Arryn said, looking me, instinctively.

    ¡°Wait. Why are you looking at me?¡± I muttered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You¡¯re the one with all the great ideas so far. And Erica said you¡¯re useless for any other stuff. So, talk.¡±

    I sighed, thinking. ¡°We can¡¯t count on help, so we need to get inside. There were only three goblin guards. Taking them out with surprise shouldn¡¯t be a problem. After that comes the difficult part since we have no idea what we are going against.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t burn them out either. They might have a lot of hostages inside,¡± Arryn noted.

    ¡°A-and their leader must be either hobgoblin or someone even more intelligent!¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Probably someone more intelligent. They are too organized. I¡¯d assume a human or someone similar.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Arryn said, nodding.

    I released a long sigh. ¡°We have three options,¡± I said, looking at each of them. Even Bill stopped writing a message for a moment and focused on me.

    ¡°We might try to take them out now, get inside and test our luck. But we have no idea what to expect, and what¡¯s going on. Other goblins we saw might return at any moment, and we¡¯ll have them on our back as well. But we¡¯ll have more time,¡± I explained, looking each other one at the time. ¡°But this means we can¡¯t make more proper tactics and plans.¡±

    ¡°T-the second?¡±

    ¡°We get back, wait for the sundown, prepare ourselves, think some basic things we could do for any encounter we¡¯ll have. Since whatever they are planning is happening after midnight, I think, it means they will be more prepared or preparing for whatever they are doing, giving us possibly more freedom to look around or save everyone. But that means we¡¯re risking of acting too late.¡± - I turned to look at Alice - ¡°How well goblins see in the dark?¡±

    ¡°A-a slightly better than us, but not that much either. H-hobgoblins see really well, though,¡± Alice explained.

    I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good enough. There are few of us, and many of them, so we¡¯ll have an advantage while sneaking around. Of course, that depends what¡¯s their hideout.¡±

    Arryn opened her mouth. ¡°As far as I managed to see before we backed off, it seems like some kind of ruins, not a cave.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± I said. ¡°That probably gives us room to move around.¡±

    ¡°And the third?¡± Bill asked.

    ¡°We retreat.¡±

    ¡°W-we can¡¯t do that!¡± Alice muttered.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Bill asked. ¡°Whatever this is, It¡¯s definitely a lot bigger than us.¡±

    ¡°I-isn¡¯t that your village, Bill? D-don¡¯t you care? P-people are counting on us!¡±

    There was a moment of silence. It was obvious that Bill was thinking whether he should say something or keep his mouth shut. ¡°I don¡¯t care about this village. It¡¯s full of assholes and bullies. And all they do is their secrets. There¡¯s a reason why me and my family left here.¡±

    ¡°Backstory thickens,¡± I said, smiling.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Bill muttered. ¡°We don¡¯t have to take the third option. It¡¯s not like I hate them. As an adventurer, I need to be ready to help anyone, even if I don¡¯t like it. But for me, third is also an option.¡±

    ¡°So, let¡¯s vote,¡± I said. ¡°Arryn.¡± I looked at her.

    ¡°Wait for the night, check the place out then. We can still retreat at any point. Plus, I can see in the dark very well, so I¡¯ll be your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Alice?¡± I said, gaze moving to her.

    ¡°I-I agree with Arryn,¡± she said, nodding. ¡°W-we can¡¯t run away. W-we¡¯ve run away too many times already. A-at least let¡¯s try to save the prisoners!¡±

    I looked at Bill.

    ¡°I think we should go, but it doesn¡¯t matter what I think anymore, right?¡±

    ¡°It does. Now we know what you¡¯re thinking. Plus it¡¯s still an option we might take. I personally agree with Arryn and Alice. So it¡¯s decided. Let¡¯s get back for now. Let¡¯s go back to the gully?¡±

    They all gave me a sharp nod, as we sneaked away

    As we had walked for a short time, Bill finally walked to Alice. ¡°I got the letter,¡± he said, showing a small scroll.

    Alice nodded. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell anyone,¡± she muttered, looking at all of us.

    Her hand went into her hair, searching for something. Soon she pulled out a hairpin. Then she began searching something from her backpack, taking out a small green looking gem piece, putting it on top of the hairpin. She put her other hand on top of the hairpin and gem and pushed both of her hands together, almost as there was no longer anything between her hands.

    We all had stopped to look at her.

    She began pulling her hands away from each other almost as they were glued together and she had a hard time doing that. And as there was a distance, something black was stretching out between both her hands.

    Arryn was the first one to gasp. ¡°I have never seen that magic.¡±

    I had heard of that magic as well. It was described in many books, so it was only obvious that this was it.

    As her hands were five or so inches away, the blackness - almost like a shadow - began to take shape, turning into a crow. As there was a shape, Alice removed her top hand easily, forehead slightly sweaty.

    The black shape looked like a crow, acted like a crow, but there was no voice or visual details besides the shape itself. It was truly impressive.

    ¡°Shadow magic,¡± Arryn said, smiling. ¡°You can cast two types of magic?¡±

    ¡°P-please don¡¯t tell anyone,¡± Alice said immediately.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Arryn asked. ¡°Just the fact alone that you can cast two magical elements is super rare.¡±

    I coughed, quietly. ¡°Shadow magic is often seen as a curse, bad omen, ill will or just evil. There¡¯s a reason that there¡¯s another more popular name for it - the void magic, or the cursed magic. It¡¯s mostly you elves who call it shadow magic.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that like super rare?¡± Bill asked.

    ¡°I-it is,¡± Alice said, nodding, connecting the scroll on black crow¡¯s leg. She moved her mouth near the crow¡¯s ear and whispered something. Like a real crow, it widened its wings and burst into flight towards Kirkwall. ¡°B-but I prefer not to use it, if possible,¡± she said, finally putting her hairpin back in her hair. ¡°It¡¯s hard magic, and expensive.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting catalyst, though,¡± Bill muttered.

    Alice shook her head. ¡°I¡¯d say a lucky one.¡±

    We continued walking, finally reaching the gully. It was the perfect place to hide for now.

    As we had put our equipment down, Bill turned towards me. ¡°So, Hiro. Let me teach you how to swing that sword!¡± he said.

    I wasn¡¯t prepared for that. ¡°Sure,¡± I said, going towards the shield that I had placed down. ¡°I¡¯ll be back. You two should think about tonight. Maybe there are some good ideas you can brainstorm.¡±

    ¡°Sure?¡± Arryn said, looking at Bill. She took a few steps toward me. ¡°I don¡¯t know you well, but Bill seems to be okay with you. Please look out for him. I¡¯m a bit worried,¡± she whispered.

    I gave her a nod. ¡°It¡¯s really up to him what he tells me.¡±

    She sighed. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± she said. After a sharp pat on my shoulder, she turned around and walked back to Alice.

    ¡°Bill?¡± I said, turning around and looking at him.

    ¡°Hiro,¡± Bill responded, a wide smile appearing on his face.

 Chapter 6 - part 2

    We didn¡¯t go far. After all, we wanted to be seen by the others, so we could react if anything happened. Of course, when Bill told me how to use a sword and shield properly, it was nothing new. I¡¯ve read all about that before, and I possibly might have known more than Bill did. But in the end, it was only a matter of practice, which I obviously lacked. And we¡¯re talking about missing the countless hours of practice. So, the swinging we did now felt like nothing. And I could see that even Bill noticed that.

    It was very frustrating.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Bill said after a while, sheathing his own sword. ¡°Let¡¯s stop this.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I said, pushing the sword into the dirt and leaning on the handle. I could feel how my body was slightly shivering from the excessive training. But I needed to try harder. I needed more.

    ¡°Can you use magic?¡± Bill asked, looking at me.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡± I said.

    ¡°You should talk to Alice. She might help. And if you can¡¯t use any magic, you should give up.¡±

    Harsh. It was a bit hilarious that it was Bill who told me something that I¡¯ve known for a long time.

    ¡°Why?¡± I said.

    Bill looked at me, thinking about how to tell me the following lines. I knew what was coming. ¡°Even the best swordmen need magic to become something great. They fuse their magic into their blade or shield to make themselves more powerful. If you can¡¯t do that, no matter how much you¡¯ll train, you can only kill goblins as the very best. Unless...¡± There was silence. Occasional few distant birds broke it for mere seconds.

    ¡°...unless?¡± I muttered.

    ¡°...unless you¡¯re a rich fuck and you can buy a powerful magic weapon. If you can do that, you¡¯ll be also fine. They can carry your ass pretty well. Of course, it means that if you ever lose your blade or shield, you¡¯re useless, and you will die. You¡¯ll probably never make it to the platinum either.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Before platinum, your rankings depend on how well you do with quests and everything else. But to get to the platinum, they actually test you. If you¡¯re entirely dependent on your magical weapons, you won¡¯t make it.¡± Bill released a long sigh. ¡°For now, I don¡¯t want to drain any more of your energy. We need you later.¡±

    I looked at him and began laughing. He was surprised by my reaction. ¡°Was my sword fighting that bad?¡±

    Bill shook his head. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m even impressed, I expected a lot less. But what we are doing here is pointless.¡± I was surprised. I didn¡¯t expect him to compliment me.

    I finally raised my sword, sheathing it as well. It was nice to finally own a weapon that I could sheathe without any effort. ¡°Why can¡¯t you teach me yourself how to infuse magic into the sword?¡± I asked.

    Bill chuckled. ¡°Because to do that, you first need to be able to use magic. Plus, I can¡¯t do it myself, yet. I don¡¯t mean that I can¡¯t do it at all¡­ it¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t done it successfully, not yet. I¡¯m still learning,¡± he mumbled.

    I grinned. ¡°You¡¯re making it sound like it''s a really hard thing to do,¡± I said.

    Bill looked at me, face more serious than ever before. ¡°Well. There¡¯s around sixty percent chance that you¡¯re without magic. And then twenty percent that you have so little that it¡¯s almost pointless.¡±

    ¡°That small? No wonder there aren¡¯t that many magic users,¡± I muttered. ¡°But it makes sense. No wonder so many adventurers depend on magic swords.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Not everyone can become that great, even if they want to. Most were born lucky. There are few exceptions, of course. But I wouldn¡¯t count on it.¡±

    ¡°Yet we have so few goblin slayers. All of those not-so-great adventurers could still put themselves into a good use,¡± I muttered, thinking.

    Bill shook his head. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen the devastation when one discovers that they¡¯ll never be good enough. The moment they¡¯ll realize they never earn a name. Their life will be one risk after another, depending entirely on their magical gear. It¡¯s better to abandon that foolish dream and try your luck elsewhere, don¡¯t you think? Anywhere, really.¡± As he spoke, every word was intense. Almost as¡­

    ¡°You lied, didn¡¯t you?¡± I said, looking at him. ¡°You¡¯re magicless. Yet here you are. You refuse to give up...¡±

    Bill stared at me, breathing heavily, gasping for words.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I think-¡±

    ¡°You think that I should give up as well?¡± Bill interrupted me, staring at me.

    ¡°No. Bill-¡±

    ¡°You think I should be like others? Do you think I should be like those villagers? They are weak! They can¡¯t even protect their own village against goblins. Goblins!¡± Bill said, hissing. He had a really hard time not shouting. Even Arryn and Alice were looking at us, worryingly. ¡°You think that-¡±

    ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± I stage whispered. ¡°I was going to say you should never give up. That you should keep doing what you love. That you should keep trying and finding ways how you can be the adventurer. Even if it means going from one magical item to another. It¡¯s your story. And nobody¡­ n o b o d y¡­ should tell you otherwise. Get the strongest legendary magical weapons if you have to. Becoming the best shouldn¡¯t be easy!¡±

    Look who¡¯s talking, I thought

    Bill smirked. ¡°You think that I can become a great adventurer? Even if¡­¡±

    There was a moment of silence. He stared at my smiling face. ¡°Yes,¡± I said. ¡°Adventuring isn¡¯t all about fighting. There¡¯s more than swords and shields. There are many things that only you can do while others cannot. There are many adventurers in Kirkwall, yet you are here, helping this village.¡±

    Bill frowned, staring at his own hands. They were dirty, even slightly bloody from that one goblin. But they were his hands. He decided how to move them.

    ¡°You know,¡± I muttered, picking up my shield that was lying on the ground. ¡°The new hero became the hero without ever being an adventurer.¡± Bill looked up at me.

    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Bill whispered.

    I took one step closer to Bill, patting his shoulder. ¡°He created his own path to the top, ignoring all the systems humans have created,¡± I continued.

    ¡°I always wondered why,¡± Bill said.

    I smirked. ¡°You should get good and ask him.¡±

    ¡°Prove myself before asking the question, huh?¡± Bill said, smiling. ¡°I like that.¡±

    ¡°Come,¡± I waved my hand, walking back towards Arryn and Alice. ¡°I need to check this magic thing out you were talking about.¡±

    Bill gave me a sharp nod and followed. He seemed slightly inspired. And we needed that.

    ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t dire yourself out before the main event,¡± Arryn said, looking at us, slightly squinting her eyes.

    ¡°Relax. We had merely a warm-up,¡± Bill said, finally sitting next to Arryn and searching for some food from the bag they had gotten from the tavern owner. ¡°Oh my,¡± he suddenly muttered.

    ¡°What?¡± Arryn said, looking at Bill.

    ¡°The owner¡­ there¡¯s some quality wine in the bag!¡±

    Arryn hit Bill¡¯s side softly. ¡°Now is no time for drinking, you idiot,¡± she said.

    ¡°What? I never said I was going to drink it now. We just have to be gentle with the bag to not break it!¡±

    I chuckled. ¡°We will probably leave our stuff behind anyway. Anything we don¡¯t need, we¡¯ll leave behind. Except for a tiny bit of food. Just in case,¡± I said, looking at Bill. It was funny to see almost as his hopes and dreams were scattering in front of my eyes. ¡°We won¡¯t die. Relax. It won¡¯t be your last meal¡­ or drink.¡±

    Bill sighed. ¡°But just one sip? The night is cold?¡±

    Alice had been grinning the entire time. ¡°C-come on. O-one sip won¡¯t hurt? I-I¡¯d take one as well.¡±

    ¡°Well, there is a lot of time before we¡¯re going,¡± Arryn said after a short pause, giving a slight cough.

    They all now looked at me, as I was their father who had to give them a blessing. Or perhaps it was supposed to be an unanimous vote?

    ¡°No pressure, right? Sure,¡± I said after a short pause. ¡°Maybe it gives us a little bit of courage as well.¡± To be fair, I also wanted a sip of it. ¡°But just a sip!¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    We all took the larger wine bottle, taking sips one by one. And we all were impressed by how good quality it was. It made me wonder why the dwarf had given it to us in the first place. Maybe just for that moment. Or maybe if we had died and the goblins had searched our bodies, he could say that we were traders passing by.

    But for now, none of it mattered. At least there was something to look forward to, once we were successful and back.

    ¡°Alice,¡± I said as we all have had our sip.

    ¡°Y-yeah?¡±

    ¡°I heard from Bill that you could tell me if I can use magic? And maybe even what magic?¡±

    Alice gave a sharp stare towards Bill, immediately.

    ¡°Y-you know that you can literally go to any guild and ask it for free?¡± she said.

    I knew it very well. But I couldn¡¯t do it. They were all watching me. And every move like that could prove that I was a fake hero. It could make my year into a miserable year. And I needed people to believe in this lie. I needed them to work with me.

    So this moment might be the only chance to learn about my magic early on. Yes, they could also spread that I¡¯m the fake hero, but right now I have an excuse. I could tell them it was a simple examination if they were capable enough to go after this danger. I also had Erica, hopefully, ready to have my back.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I said, looking at Alice. ¡°But I¡¯d want to find out before I might die. And it¡¯s interesting. Come on! Please?¡±

    Alice''s eyebrows rose. ¡°W-why do you think I can even-¡±

    ¡°Because you told me,¡± Bill interfered, looking at her and gazing at me. ¡°You told me that you found out your magical essence and everything before you even became an adventurer. And all by yourself.¡± It was obvious that Alice wasn¡¯t that impressed as she kept staring at Bill. Maybe it was supposed to be a secret? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, alright? If you can¡¯t or don¡¯t have materials, or just don¡¯t want to, just say no.¡±

    Alice released a sigh. ¡°I can do it. But not here. And not with you two,¡± she hissed.

    ¡°She¡¯s really angry,¡± Bill whispered to me. ¡°It better be worth it!¡±

    I laughed. ¡°Sure. I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯ll protect you!¡±

    ¡°I-I doubt that.¡± Alice sighed, stood up and stretched herself. ¡°C-come,¡± she said with her ordinary voice, walking away. I followed.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Arryn asked as we had taken barely a few steps.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said, raising my hand as a goodbye. To be fair, I was half lying. Goblins could be everywhere, but I just had to take the risk to find out about my magical¡­ stuff.

    It didn¡¯t take long until we stopped in front of a small pool of water. I was even surprised that such pool existed.

    ¡°S-so. T-there¡¯s a reason why I wanted to do it alone with you,¡± Alice said, looking at me. She was acting slightly differently, almost as whatever she was going to say was truly hard or embarrassing. Maybe it was that slight blush on her cheeks that had slowly appeared once more. Or maybe it was her body language. She did blush a lot, though.

    ¡°So?¡± I muttered.

    ¡°W-well. W-we both need to get naked and then go into that pool,¡± she said, looking at me and the pool.

    ¡°W-what? R-really?¡± I muttered, looking at her, eyes slightly widened. To be honest, I was more excited than anything else.

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± she said.

    ¡°A-and then?¡± I asked.

    Alice blushed even more. ¡°W-we have to kiss and¡­ W-we¡¯ll get to it when the time comes.¡±

    She removed her backpack and placed it against a nearby rock. She removed her hood and began to lift her clothes up slightly, stopping midway. ¡°I-it¡¯s embarrassing if you¡¯re staring at me like that. C-can you turn around and do it too?¡±

    ¡°O-of-course!¡± I said, gulping. I turned a sharp half circle, heart racing. I was thinking about what was about to happen. It was going to be my first kiss. I removed my clothes, slowly, one by one. First the armor, then the top, finally my pants. Only when I had my underpants left, I heard something.

    A giggle.

    At first, I thought I was imagining this, but as I heard a second quiet giggle, I realized what was going on.

    I turned around, hands crossed, looking at still fully clothed Alice, sitting on a rock, staring at me.

    ¡°Oops,¡± she muttered, not hiding her giggle anymore.

    ¡°You¡­ Wow. I didn¡¯t see that coming. Especially from you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you,¡± she said, trying to make a slightly lower pitched sound. Her one leg was placed over the other. She felt pretty comfortable - unlike me, almost naked.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m happy that you didn¡¯t do that in front of the other two,¡± I said, eyes slightly squinted, hands still crossed. ¡°Or maybe they had enough heart to stop you.¡±

    ¡°T-they wouldn¡¯t. T-trust me. P-plus, I¡¯m not that mean,¡± she said, grinning. ¡°B-but I couldn¡¯t resist that one. T-tell me, was it the blushing?¡±

    I looked at her, stunned. ¡°You... I¡¯m speechless.¡± There was a moment of silence. ¡°It definitely was blushing.¡±

    She kept grinning. ¡°Y-you ain¡¯t the first one who thinks I¡¯m just an innocent always blushing girl who can do a bit of magic. B-but the fact that you¡¯re trying to be nice and still haven¡¯t asked about my stutter is cute,¡± she said, looking at me. I was surprised. She found me cute? How did we reverse the situation like that?

    ¡°Can I clothe myself?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Y-yes. Y-you may.¡±

    Immediately, I began putting my pants on. It wasn¡¯t that I was embarrassed, but it was pretty cold outside. Especially since night-time was creeping closer.

    ¡°So. Why are you stuttering?¡± I asked the big question.

    ¡°I-It¡¯s like blushing - I can¡¯t help it, or not fully. I-it kind of only happens at the beginning of sentences. Y-you may have noticed that.¡±

    I looked at her, keeping my mouth shut. I would¡¯ve normally told her it was fine, or that I found parts of it cute. But the last thing she needed was getting compliments after she had pranked me. ¡°Have you tried not doing it?¡± I asked the big annoying question.

    ¡°Yes and no,¡± she said without stuttering. ¡°If I try really hard and focus, I can. But¡­ it¡¯s really exhausting.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°You ain¡¯t convinced?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡± I barely began before noticing her stare.

    ¡°It¡¯s as if drunk was trying really hard to look sober. And he wasn¡¯t drunk enough to not be able to pretend, I guess?¡± Alice said.

    ¡°I¡­ see. An interesting example,¡± I said, finally putting my armor back on.

    She smirked. ¡°I-it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, was the magic thing all a lie?¡± I asked, looking at her.

    ¡°N-no,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°W-we really needed to come here for that.¡±

    She began searching for something from her bag, finally removing a smaller bowl from it. She walked to the nearby pool and filled it with water. She then stepped back to the very rock she had sat on, placing the bowl of water on it at the center. Finally, she walked to the nearby small tree, taking a few inch-sized leaves from it.

    As she reached back to the bowl, she placed one of the leaves at the very center of the bowl. She then took a small pouch from her bag, taking a few white-looking crystal pieces from it and throwing them into the water. They looked like rock salt. But the way how fast it dissolved suggested otherwise.

    ¡°W-we are lucky. N-no wind,¡± she said, sighing.

    I stepped closer to the bowl, looking at it and in it. I was excited. I never knew anything of it. Even the adventure books didn¡¯t tell of it. If there were other ways, they were lies thought for entertainment. But normally, it was always the adventurer guild¡¯s method, not this.

    ¡°Is it like a secret art or something?¡± I finally asked, not being able to hold back my excitement and curiosity.

    ¡°B-basically. P-please don¡¯t tell anyone. I-It''s a family secret, I guess?¡±

    She sighed, looked at the leaf, and finally looked at me.

    ¡°Y-you need to push your magic essence in that leaf. O-once you do that, it¡¯ll reveal everything.¡±

    I looked at her, confused. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°I-if you have magical essence, you¡¯ll manage,¡± Alice said, slightly annoyed how I was wasting time.

    ¡°Alice,¡± I said, also annoyed. ¡°I¡¯ve never done this before. How-¡±

    ¡°Just freaking do it!¡± Alice hissed.

    ¡°Fine, fine~!¡± I said, frowning. I took my finger and placed it gently on the leaf. I sighed and closed my eyes. I didn¡¯t feel anything. There was no magical surge or anything else like that. I felt the leaf against my fingertip, and that¡¯s all. All that I could really do was to scream in my own mind for it to work. All I could do was to focus on that touch against the leaf.

    After a while, I opened my eyes, annoyed. I removed my finger and looked at the leaf and the water. ¡°Great,¡± I said. ¡°Am I magicless?¡± I was obviously annoyed. But Alice was just smiling. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°L-look again,¡± she said.

    I leaned forward, looking at the leaf, carefully. Something was different. I got even closer - like really close - looking at it really carefully.

    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± I said as I noticed it. ¡°It¡¯s glowing.¡±

    Alice nodded. ¡°Y-yes,¡± she said. ¡°A-and it¡¯s the first.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the first?¡±.

    ¡°N-nobody has ever registered an element like that,¡± she said. ¡°A-at least nobody known or official. Y-you should definitely go to the guild and let them evaluate you properly. Y-you should register the element and reap the rewards.¡±

    I grinned. ¡°So what is it?¡±

    Alice sighed. ¡°T-the best I can say is¡­ a light element?¡±

    ¡°A light element?¡± I poked at the leaf a few more times to see if it was still working. As I looked at Alice, she seemed a bit worried. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I-It¡¯s just that¡­ it¡¯s very faint. W-which means one of the two things,¡± she said, looking at me seriously.

    ¡°Go on,¡± I said after a short pause.

    ¡°E-either you somehow managed to barely insert any magical essence in it, or¡­ your pool or magical essence is very weak.¡±

    I chucked. Of course it was. The endless amount of luck I carry always shows. ¡°And what do you think?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I-It¡¯s always better to assume the later,¡± she said.

    She sighed, looked around once to make sure that nobody was peeking, and removed my leaf, putting a new one in its place. She placed her finger on top of the leaf. Immediately, the whole bowl¡¯s water - together with the leaf - froze up, and the leaf began to release a dark shadow as steam.

    I realized what she meant. My light was barely visible, probably even pathetic compared to that. ¡°I see,¡± I said, sighing.

    ¡°B-but don¡¯t give up. Y-you can still use it. M-maybe as a sword power? I-It''s pretty unexplored land. Y-you don¡¯t need much essence to boost your weapon!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Alice,¡± I muttered, walking next to her. I took hold of her hand - which surprised her slightly - and opened it, examining the leaf she was holding. It was still emitting some light, making her skin slightly green and yellow. It was a very special leaf for me. It was the leaf that told me that I had magic in me.

    ¡°H-Hiro?¡± Alice muttered.

    I smirked. I was still the hero, and I had to keep up my light. Fitting power for who I am. I closed her hand gently, my own two hands around her fist. ¡°Keep it. I bet I have very powerful magic,¡± I said, smiling. Alice blushed, slightly. Mostly because I was still holding onto her hand. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± As I let her hand go, I walked towards the camp. ¡°Come on. We still need to work on the plan.¡±

    Alice¡¯s eyes followed my steps for a few moments. She didn¡¯t come to me immediately. After all, she had to put the bowl back into her backpack. But her stare that followed me was different. Or at least I felt like it was different as I looked over my shoulder. ¡°You coming?¡±

    A slight smile appeared at the edge of her mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll wait,¡± she muttered. She emptied the bowl from the frozen water, putting it back into her backpack, and running next to me.

    ¡°I-I guess with your power, we are both now slightly special,¡± she said.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re now quite opposites. Darkness and light,¡± I said, grinning.

    ¡°Or perhaps we can¡¯t exist without the other. Isn¡¯t that romantic?¡±

    ¡°Want me to drop my pants again?¡±

    ¡°Noooo,¡± she said, giggling.

    We both continued walking back towards the other two.

 Chapter 7 - part 1

    The plan wasn¡¯t that great or amazing, but it was something. Perhaps it was the only real plan they could think of. There was only one entrance. While it seemed to be like ruins of some sort, it didn¡¯t take long to realize that whatever they were guarding was the only path to the deeper underground. The ruins on the ground had absolutely nothing.

    So, our first step was to remove the two easy goblin guards and get through the entrance. It was more suspicious that there were only two goblin guards. It made me question whether they were foolish enough, it didn¡¯t matter, or they were damn sure that nobody would find or get to this place that easily.

    That might be the main advantage of fighting against goblins - they were often stupid. But I had to keep in mind that their master was someone smarter, and I shouldn¡¯t underestimate my opponent.

    Of course, the plan was simple; to be fast, quick, and silent. So we left one goblin to Arryn, while we would prepare for the second goblin if Arryn wasn¡¯t fast enough.

    ¡°Alice, ready?¡± I muttered, as all of us - except Bill - hid behind the very same roots I hid myself not that long ago. Alica gave me a sharp nod. I could feel my heart racing. This could be my last night. We could easily fuck anything up and be dead before the next light. Our only real hope was that adventurer¡¯s guild was sending backup by now. Otherwise, we were on our own.

    ¡°Go.¡±

    Alicia pushed her stick against the ground, sighing deeply, and closing her eyes. A small line of cold began to travel towards the two goblins. But since it was dark, the line was rather thin, barely visible. But those two goblins certainly didn¡¯t see that coming.

    ¡°In three,¡± Alice muttered.

    Arryn pulled out her arrow, preparing it. Now that I saw her doing it, she did it nicely, like she had done it millions of times. Almost as there was no room for any errors. Every second mattered.

    The moment the third second passed, Arryn let the arrow go. It was a moment when goblins realized that their feet were frozen in place, so they couldn¡¯t move. The arrow hit the smaller goblin. Their body went limp, which was weird - they couldn¡¯t really fall because of the frozen feet.

    Immediately Arryn went for the second arrow. Meanwhile, Bill stepped out from the shadow, not far from the entrance, raising his sword to slash towards the only alive goblin. The goblin was surprised, opening his mouth to shout. But before he could, the second arrow hit his throat, silencing him. Bill¡¯s sword landed straight into the goblin¡¯s heart, catching the dead body¡¯s fall immediately afterward.

    ¡°You¡¯re badass,¡± I muttered at Arryn.

    ¡°I told you that Bill was unnecessary,¡± Arryn responded, giving me a wink, standing up at the same time.

    ¡°That was my target, alright?¡± Bill whispered as we approached.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Arryn said, only giving him a wink as well.

    ¡°Dammit. Now I can¡¯t help but think it was all her,¡± Bill murmured.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You did good,¡± I said, giving Bill a quick pat. ¡°You finished him off before he could do anything else.¡±

    Arryn recovered her two arrows, and Bill cleaned up his sword. The easiest part was done. The harder part was about to begin. The unknown.

    ¡°So, I¡¯ll go ahead, as we planned. You stay slightly behind,¡± Arryn said, as Bill was lighting up the torch. The original plan was to just follow Arryn blindly. But it would¡¯ve been stupid. We can¡¯t see anything, and we can¡¯t just follow in pitch-black.

    As Arryn was about to go forward, I blocked her path. ¡°Arryn!¡± I said.

    ¡°Are you gonna ask me out now too?¡± Arryn muttered, smirking.

    ¡°What? No. Noo~. That¡¯s mean. Just wanted to say good luck and don¡¯t do anything stupid. We are straight behind you.¡±

    Arryn smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m an elf. It¡¯s in my blood. I was born from being careful.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I am worried,¡± I said. Arryn raised her eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± I added.

    Arryn kept staring at me for a moment. Then she began to smile. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± She walked past me, crouching a moment before she was about to disappear into the darkness. And then she was gone.

    We didn¡¯t wait for too long. Perhaps thirty seconds. As we all shared a look, we entered the ruins ourselves. Bill first, me second, and Alice behind us.

    It was an interesting experience. As we first entered, it was mostly a square hallway, surrounded by red bricks. But it was always slightly descending and curving away from the original ruins. Suddenly there was a stairway going down in a circle. There was no empty central part to look down or get any idea how deep it was. I wondered why there was such a place in the first place, or why it wasn¡¯t discovered before. Was it recently made? Was it well hidden and by whom? So many questions, yet no answers.

    As we had followed a singular tunnel for a good ten minutes or so, the stairway came to an end and a tunnel continued for a mere minute. We finally reached a dead end.

    ¡°Dead end? Great!¡± Bill said, annoyed.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± I said. Alice looked at me, understanding what I meant.

    ¡°What?¡± Bill asked.

    Alice sighed. ¡°H-he has been always the dumb one in our group,¡± she said.

    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m here!¡±

    ¡°A-and sometimes he¡¯s randomly ingenious,¡± Alice whispered so only I could hear. I chuckled.

    ¡°Bill. Arryn was scouting ahead of us,¡± I reminded him.

    Bill¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Shit. Right. Why there¡¯s a dead end then? And why there¡¯s no Arryn?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± I said, pointing my both hands at both walls. ¡°It means that either Arryn was caught in a secret trap on the way here, or she¡¯s at the other side of that dead end.¡±

    ¡°Ah shit,¡± Bill muttered.

    ¡°Unless Arryn left a message to us with paint, we have to check every stone. Maybe there¡¯s a hidden button to reopen the path.¡±

    ¡°What? Why-¡±

    ¡°J-just do it!¡± Alice hissed.

    ¡°Fine!¡± Bill said.

    We slowly began to examine the wall. There were no messages. But after a while, someone suddenly pushed something into the wall.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°I-I got it!¡± Alice said. We could hear how old gears worked for a very short moment, and the wall started to be pulled aside, opening the path. A wave of air immediately touched our faces, pushing our hair towards the exit.

    Both me and Alice released a sigh of relief.

    ¡°What now?¡± Bill asked.

    I sighed. ¡°What¡¯s a trap and what is it used for?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bill muttered.

    We took a step forward, noticing writings visible on the wall, telling us that Arryn is okay and that she moved forward. But we should mind the disarmed traps, or avoid them.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m worried,¡± Alice muttered.

    I nodded. ¡°This can be pretty bad.¡± I barely had to look towards Bill before releasing a sigh. ¡°The trap wasn¡¯t really a deadly trap. It only trapped Arryn inside, not outside. This means that this trap wasn¡¯t designed to keep someone or something out, but to keep it in.¡±

    Bill frowned. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that whatever Goblins were guarding, and whatever they¡¯re doing when the moon is highest¡­ can be something really bad?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°It also might mean that villagers weren¡¯t brought in for¡­¡±

    ¡°...f-for?¡± Bill asked, gulping, and looking at us. Alice looked disgusted, annoyed.

    I sighed. ¡°Well, you need to learn about it sooner or later as an adventurer. If you really want to become an adventurer, that is,¡± I said. To be honest, even all those adventurer books that I had read were sugarcoating this fact. Bill gave me a sharp nod that he was ready. ¡°For procreation,¡± I said.

    Bill stopped, looking at both of us. ¡°Really?¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Funnily enough, it¡¯s not necessary. Goblin can procreate with each other easily. But the way how the goblin genes work is¡­ goblin is always more dominant gene. So even half-goblin is still a goblin. But offspring will get the other races stronger genes. As an example, it can be the intelligence or strength. While many adventurers don¡¯t realize, many have fought against half-goblin, that seems like a normal goblin but stronger. And some half-goblins are so strong that they become a leader or even catastrophe. After all, goblins want to spread and grow as fast as possible.¡±

    Bill puked on the spot, looking behind us. He was disgusted. He finally realized why all the women might¡¯ve been kidnapped, and men were left alone. He finally understood why it was so. Or perhaps he knew it, he just refused to believe that. I understood it very well. I still didn¡¯t want to believe that I was now the hero.

    ¡°Tell me more,¡± Bill said after a short pause, continuing walking.

    ¡°Bill-¡±

    ¡°Do it. You¡¯re right. I need to know this stuff if I want to be an adventurer. No matter how disgusting or cruel it is.¡±

    I sighed. As I peeked at Alice, she nodded. She seemed to know all of it already. She did have a book about goblins after all. It might be the biggest mistake that many adventurers make - not learning and reading about what they are about to go hunt and kill.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing much else to add. Goblins are like weeds that need to be dealt with before they grow too large. At first, they grow very slowly. But once they¡¯ve become something, it¡¯s a lot harder to stop them. There¡¯s a reason why there¡¯s a Land of Goblins, or at least there¡¯s supposed to be. You must be a fool to go there without preparation.¡±

    ¡°I-isn¡¯t it a myth?¡± Alice asked, looking at me. ¡°T-they say that there¡¯s one, but is there really one?¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I want to believe that every rumor or myth has a reason or cause for it to exist. In every rumor, there¡¯s at least some truth in it.¡±

    ¡°I heard that the previous hero gathered dozens of adventurers to go and destroy all the goblins over there. But he ended up finding nothing. Yet one week after he left, a nearby village was attacked by an army of goblins,¡± Bill muttered.

    ¡°O-Of course the previous hero dismissed such rumors and said that he has not done anything like that, nor there is such thing as Land of Goblins,¡± Alice muttered.

    Somewhere deep in my mind, I wrote down a note that it¡¯s something I might want to ask from a certain dragon. While it might¡¯ve not mattered, it was something that I was simply intrigued by.

    A shadow appeared in front of us. Immediately, we all prepared our weapons for whoever it was.

    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Arryn whispered, walking towards us. We all sighed and put our weapons away.

    It was Bill who was first to ask. ¡°So?¡± he muttered.

    ¡°This was a super weird tunnel. Just one endless tunnel leading to this giant room. I¡¯ve been disarming traps endlessly left and right. I finally reached this massive room that¡¯s straight ahead.¡±

    There was a moment of silence, once more. ¡°And?¡± I asked.

    Arryn sighed. ¡°It has side floors filled with corridors. At the very bottom, it¡¯s filled with goblins, I think. I didn¡¯t risk going any further. At least not alone.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°I guess that¡¯s where we should go next. Remember our priority number one - find the hostages.¡±

    Everyone nodded. We walked forward, sneaking more and more as we began to reach the light at the end of the tunnel. Even Bill had extinguished his torch at one point.

    As we entered the corridor, it was filled with torches, making sure that everything was visible. It was like a circular chamber, edges filled with corridors, which also had staircases going up and down.

    As I crossed the corridor quietly, there was a fence at the other side that I could peek over. I could finally see what was at the bottom of the chamber. We all were on the very top floor. It was an overall surprisingly large chamber. All the side fences and walls were filled with overgrowth. But at the very bottom, I could see that it was filled with goblin heads, or at least which seemed to be goblin heads. But they were all silent, and a singular voice echoed throughout the chamber. A voice that seemed to be their leader. And it definitely belonged to a human.

    ¡°He¡¯s giving a speech,¡± I muttered. ¡°In Goblin.¡±

    They all looked at me.

    ¡°So?¡± Arryn asked. ¡°Translate.¡±

    ¡°Let me focus.¡± And as I listened, I began whispering translation of a speech. But we certainly were lucky to get here just in time to hear this.

    ¡°...for a long time. But it is truly our time. Those foolish humans have no idea what is about to come. Or perhaps more importantly - what they are about to lose. They have no idea that their era is about to change. And there¡¯s no better time for it than now, now when they defeated the demon king, and think that they¡¯re safe. Now when they are cocky and lowered their defenses.

    ¡°It is time to change this world and begin the age of goblin. And trust me, you can do anything once we own the world. But I cannot do it alone. We cannot do it alone. We aren¡¯t definitely not enough. But that¡¯s alright. In an hour, we¡¯ll finally get our hands on the one thing we¡¯ve been trying to get, and that will turn the table for us! We¡¯ll finally get The Elder¡¯s Heart!¡±

    All the bottom floor began shouting, raising their weapons, and screaming. We could hear how lower gallery¡¯s goblins were shouting the object name, which told us there were goblins below us, just not on the very top of the balcony. Three of my companions were confused. It was obvious that they had never heard that term before. But I had. I knew about The Elder Heart. And I could only thank my luck of learning as much history as possible, which includes things that are not that known.

    ¡°This is bad,¡± I said, looking at the other three. ¡°This is really bad!¡±

    ¡°Out of ten, how bad?¡± Bill asked.

    ¡°Nine bad, at least,¡± I answered.

    Arryn sighed. ¡°You need to tell us more than that,¡± she said.

    The chamber went silent again, as goblins finally stopped their cheering. ¡°Later,¡± I said hastily. ¡°Let¡¯s go more down. I¡¯ll listen and translate as we go!¡±

    We began to move.

    ¡°It took us a long time to find this place. The villagers hid it really well, trying to make sure that nobody knew about this place. But I knew they were hiding something. I knew that something was off. And my hunches were right. I¡¯ve finally found it. It¡¯s only a matter of time!¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Bill suddenly said. We all stopped mid-stairway. ¡°I know this voice!¡± We continued walking down, as we finally reached near the fence again, around the center gallery. We could finally see and hear everything a lot better.

    ¡°Oh no,¡± Bill muttered. ¡°I know him. He¡¯s my childhood friend, Thomas.¡± Bill stared at Thomas, eyes saddening.

    We all looked at Bill, slightly confused.

    ¡°Y-your childhood friend is impressive. H-he has managed to build a goblin army under his command,¡± she said.

    ¡°I left when I was young. He stayed behind. I never expected¡­ this,¡± Bill continued.

    ¡°Who would,¡± I said, peeking down. ¡°There are hundreds of them.¡±

    Arryn sighed. ¡°Makes things easy. We need to find prisoners, get them out, set the place on fire or something, and destroy the entrance.

    ¡°Fire won¡¯t do anything,¡± Bill said.

    ¡°But it will drain the oxygen,¡± Arryn said, smiling.

    Bill stared at her. ¡°Wow. Remind me never to make you angry.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve reminded you that all the time. You¡¯re just too dumb to get it,¡± Arryn said, grinning.

    ¡°Shut up you two, get a room,¡± I said. But Arryn had the general good ideal. I was more worried that was even locking them in there might be not enough. What if they didn¡¯t need to leave to achieve their needs. Maybe they didn¡¯t even need prisoners? If the item was what I thought it was, it really wouldn¡¯t matter.

    ¡°So prepare yourself. In one hour, we shall get it. Things will change. Cornwall will be only our test to show them our might!¡± Thomas said, raising yet another shower of cheer.

    I only wish my first adventure wasn¡¯t that fucked up.

 Chapter 7 - part 2

    Perhaps it was a good thing that my first adventure happened to be a huge one. If I couldn¡¯t manage that, how could I manage the next one? There were still so many things I had to do, so I couldn¡¯t die here, not now.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I said, peeking over the fence once more. Thomas was still there, continuing his speech, saying how good everyone was, just to boost their motivation, mood, and morale. But we didn¡¯t have time for that.

    ¡°We need to go,¡± I said, starting to sneak down one more level. ¡°We need to find the prisoners, release them, and then we can continue whatever we¡¯re gonna do,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Well, we have no idea where the prisoners are,¡± Bill muttered out the obvious.

    It really was the main problem. I also couldn¡¯t figure it out. Did we really have to try our luck and just start going through all the rooms where no goblins were patrolling? It didn¡¯t make any sense to hide humans near the exit.

    ¡°Any thoughts?¡± I asked, looking at the others.

    ¡°S-since their leader is not a goblin, the general knowledge doesn¡¯t help either,¡± Alice muttered.

    Arryn sighed. ¡°So, do we just check all the rooms?¡±

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t separate ourselves, either,¡± I said, peeking over the fence once more, examining all the doors on the opposite side near the bottom floor. All the doors were surrounded by Goblins, listening to the speech.

    A small smirk appeared on my face.

    ¡°What?¡± Arryn asked, noticing it.

    ¡°They are somewhere above. The bottom floor is a mine. They were mining, trying to find the Elder Heart. It¡¯s full of pickaxes and such.¡±

    Bill shook his head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. Wouldn¡¯t they force prisoners to work?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°Then they would¡¯ve kidnapped men, not women. It¡¯s very likely that they are used for something else. For example - cooking? But since a human is in charge, you don¡¯t want to have food anywhere near¡­ that,¡± I explained, pointing down with my head.

    Arryn sighed. ¡°That¡¯s a weird way to use prisoners.¡±

    ¡°As I said, their leader isn¡¯t a goblin,¡± I repeated, looking at Arryn just for a moment. ¡°Women aren¡¯t real miners.¡± I looked at Arryn and Alice. ¡°No offense. And I don¡¯t think your friend is that dumb. ¡±

    ¡°None taken,¡± both of them whispered to me at the same time.

    ¡°So, check the top floors?¡± Bill asked. I shook my head. ¡°Let¡¯s check all floors from here to top as we go. We can split up here, though.¡±

    We all nodded.

    ¡°Go!¡± I said.

    We split up into two directions, making a full circle to each floor, going from door to door, and opening each of them slowly so we wouldn¡¯t make too much noise. As expected, they were full of beds, rocks, or just used for storage. It made sense though - this place was full of goblins, with only one purpose. Just seeing those rooms made me realize how long they must¡¯ve been mining here.

    All the puzzle pieces began to take their place. I began to understand the large image of what was going on. I thought the answers to most of the questions I had. And if I really was correct, this was bad. This whole situation was bad.

    As we were 2nd floor from the top, I opened slowly yet another door, just to discover three goblins standing there, spears in their hands, looking at inside. I raised my hand backward but didn¡¯t look away. I kept looking past goblins and saw at least twenty women there, sitting at the edge of the bed, waiting. But waiting for what? I could see the fear in their eyes. Maybe they knew what was coming? Or perhaps it was the unknown they feared?

    One of the kids noticed that the door was opened. As she first gazed at me, dumbfounded, she couldn¡¯t help but keep staring at me. It was a mistake, as one of the goblins noticed the girl¡¯s stare.

    ¡°Huh?¡± he muttered, turning around.

    I frowned. I was against three goblins alone. There was no way I could beat them. Should I quickly close the door and hope they wouldn¡¯t notice? No, they would notice. It was either do or die.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take left,¡± Arryn whispered into my left ear.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take right,¡± Bill added to the other.

    ¡°I¡¯ll freeze their feet,¡± Alice whispered at the very end.

    I smiled. We had become a team.

    ¡°Go!¡±

    The left goblin turned around, just to see an arrow reaching his face, hitting and piercing deep within his eye socket and probably even the brain.

    Bill and I dashed forward, pushing the sword towards the remaining two throats. They were easy kills. Three dead bodies finally tried to land down, ready to create some noise. But their legs and knees didn¡¯t allow that. They were frozen in place. We caught them and gently laid them down.

    As I looked up, I could see all the mothers pushing their hands on their kid''s mouth to keep them silent. They were smart and realized what was going on.

    ¡°Are there more of you?¡± I asked.

    ¡°The room next to us,¡± one of the women whispered to me. It was the next room I was going to check.

    ¡°Go straight to the stairs, quietly, search for the long tunnel and just run. It will lead you outside. But don¡¯t go back to the village, run north-west from the entrance till you find a safe place to hide. You might see our belongings - that¡¯s the best spot. The hobgoblin is still keeping an eye on the village, so don¡¯t go back home, not without us. Leave one woman at the entrance - or at least for a short time - to lead the others who are going to follow you soon!¡±

    I took hold of goblin¡¯s spears and gave them women. ¡°Just in case. I hope you won¡¯t need them. Give them to your best. Now, go!¡±

    They all began to leave the room, sneak-running towards the stairs.

    We sneaked to the next door, opening it slowly as well, peeking inside. But as I opened the door, I could see large battleaxe falling towards me.

    It was Arryn who was fast enough to react, pulling me away from the door, axe barely missing my face and hitting the stone floor instead.

    Alice immediately pushed her wand against the floor, freezing the battleaxe in place - just for a moment.

    But that wasn¡¯t all of them. As the door was pushed open, two goblins rushed out with their spears. One of them was immediately hit by Arryn¡¯s arrow. But not anywhere critical - just their shoulder. The goblin released a loud howl. Immediately the talk at the bottom floor stopped.

    The other goblin began to walk towards me, spear ready to pierce me. But suddenly, one of the women that had been inside locked her hands around goblin¡¯s neck, clinging to him desperately.

    ¡°You fucking piece of shit. I¡¯ll fuck you to death!¡± the goblin swore in Goblin. I immediately took hold of my sword, pushing it through the goblin¡¯s eye, deep into his brain.

    Meanwhile, it was Bill who was pushing his own sword at the slightly larger goblin. By now, the goblin had abandoned his battleaxe, holding a smaller axe in his hand. A clashing sound echoed throughout the chamber. Even Bill was surprised by how well the goblin managed to parry his hits.

    Another arrow went past us, hitting the larger goblin¡¯s chest. The Goblin took a step back, roaring. But Bill slid down towards him, slashing his sword through the goblin¡¯s knees. A legless goblin fell down on the ground, screaming and cursing.

    The third goblin roared, rushing forward, spear¡¯s tip pushing inside Bill¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Fuuuck,¡± Bill shouted, raising his own shield against the spear¡¯s wooden handle, forcing the spear away from his shoulder.

    A piece of magical ice burst into the third goblin¡¯s head with a force, pushing the dead body inside the room, in front of all the remaining women.

    ¡°Fuck you,¡± Bill shouted as he pushed his own sword inside the larger goblin, ending his pain.

    ¡°They are coming, go go go! Run upstairs, find the tunnel, run through it, follow the others! Go!¡± I shouted.

    They all began to run out of the room towards the stairs, but we went first. I took hold of one of the spears, throwing the other towards Bill who caught it. We were thinking the same thing. We walked towards the stairways as well, except we didn¡¯t go up, but stopped at the top of the stairs that was going down, pointing the spear tips further down, waiting for the noise to finally reach us.

    I could finally hear Alice breathing, heavily. She was probably starting to run out of magical essence. Arryn casually took out three arrows, one tip still bloody from the previous goblin, pointing them down the stairs.

    ¡°We are so fucked, aren¡¯t we?¡± Bill asked.

    Arryn sighed. ¡°We definitely are!¡±

    ¡°We still have the strategies that we prepared,¡± I muttered.

    Bill laughed. ¡°Against hundreds? Well, at least we can keep them down there while we escape! If we don¡¯t fuck up!¡±

    It was a very tempting offer. I really wanted to do that as well. ¡°We can¡¯t,¡± I whispered.

    ¡°What?¡± Bill said.

    ¡°We can¡¯t let them get The Elder Heart. It¡¯s too dangerous,¡± I said.

    ¡°If we stay, we¡¯ll just die and let them have it anyway. At least we can let the adventurer guild know about it. Or maybe the hero can do something about it?¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    I bit my lip. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t escape. It would be a disgrace for me to leave as a hero. ¡°You three can leave, I¡¯ll hold them back. You¡¯re right. You deserve to live.¡±

    Alice sighed. ¡°W-what are you saying? W-we are a team. I-I¡¯ll stay if you stay. I-If it¡¯s as bad as you say, how can we leave?¡±

    Arryn grinned. ¡°I can¡¯t let you die, noobie,¡± she said.

    ¡°Fuck you. Fuck you. And especially, fuck you,¡± Bill said as he looked all of us one by one, finally, his sight gazing at me. ¡°At least tell me what the fuck that elder heart thing is!¡±

    ¡°No time,¡± I said as shadows appeared at the bottom of the stairs, goblins finally doing the turn, but stopping straight away, looking at us. They began to laugh.

    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck,¡± Bill kept muttering.

    ¡°Shut up, you¡¯re making me nervous!¡± Arryn hissed.

    But the goblins didn¡¯t come up the stairway. They just waited. We could hear how the last of the women finally reached the tunnel, hopefully running away. We had finished the original plan - save the prisoners.

    Finally, the goblins made room for a human figure, who stepped at the very front but just in a way that he could hide behind the nearby wall if it was necessary.

    ¡°Well, well, well. If it isn¡¯t Bill,¡± Thomas said, examining his old lost friend.

    ¡°Your security seriously sucks!¡± Bill said, smiling. ¡°They¡¯re all gone,¡± he added to be more clear.

    ¡°Well, that will definitely anger all my minions here, who were waiting for their rewards,¡± Thomas said grinning. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. With those numbers, they¡¯ll catch them after we are done here.¡±

    It was probably true. With these numbers, it would be troublesome.

    ¡°But it¡¯s pretty ironic, don¡¯t you think? Of all the people, you¡¯re the one here to stop me. Don¡¯t you hate the villagers? You despised them when you left this place,¡± Thomas said, leaning against the wall, hand slowly scratching his chin.

    ¡°Well, when one becomes adventurer, one might change,¡± Bill said, proudly. ¡°What about you? I didn¡¯t think you would become so evil.¡±

    ¡°Well, when one becomes the bad guy, one might change,¡± Thomas said, grinning.

    Bill gazed at me for a moment. ¡°Should we run now? We bought enough time!¡±

    Thomas began to laugh, immediately. ¡°You think you¡¯re buying time? I¡¯m letting them go,¡± he said.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty stupid idea to tell us about your plans. You¡¯re the one buying time, aren¡¯t you?¡± I said.

    ¡°You¡¯re merely four low-level adventurers. The fact that Bill is with you proves it. For a moment, I was worried, you know? But now it¡¯s all chill. No worries.¡±

    I chuckled. ¡°Really now? What if I told you that I know everything, including your plan?¡±

    Thomas laughed. ¡°I doubt that. You know nothing. But give it a try. Humor me.¡±

    ¡°The Elder Heart,¡± I said. Thomas¡¯s smile disappeared.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Bill hissed.

    ¡°Buying us time. We are also waiting for backup, remember?¡± I whispered back. ¡°And that idiot is giving us free information.¡±

    I faced Thomas once more. ¡°Oh, I forgot to mention, I speak Goblin,¡± I said in Goblin.

    Thomas sighed. ¡°You got me worried there,¡± he said, crossing his hands. ¡°Just because you learned the object name, doesn¡¯t mean-¡±

    ¡°But I do,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°Maybe not as much as you do, but I have a general gist of it all. I have to admit, you¡¯ve been really careful about it. But those two kids really did fuck up your whole plan, didn¡¯t they?¡±

    Thomas frowned. ¡°You¡¯re a smart one, ain¡¯t ya?¡±

    ¡°You secretly mined and worked for it. You didn¡¯t even think anyone would find out. But then those two village kids found this place. So you silenced them. Are they even alive?¡± I said.

    He looked at me, saying nothing. But I could see from his face that he wasn¡¯t pleased. ¡°I see. Hopefully, they had a painless death. You probably planned to plant the kids somewhere, making it look like an accident. But your goblins were careless, and villagers found the footprints first. The hive brain can be smart, but that doesn¡¯t mean their minions are.¡±

    There was yet another silence. ¡°Go on. I want to see how much you got it right,¡± Thomas said.

    ¡°So, you decided to kidnap all the women to force the village to stay quiet about everything, always keeping an eye on the village as well. So, for Kirkwall, it seemed just a small goblin problem. Especially if the help requests stopped coming in.

    ¡°But you never needed it to be perfect. You just needed a bit more time, didn¡¯t you? That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t have heavy guards at the front as well. You put every hand to work, just to increase the mining speed at least a little bit.¡±

    Thomas began to clap. ¡°Bravo. You¡¯re quite a detective. I¡¯d give you candy, but I don¡¯t have any,¡± he said, grinning. ¡°Yet here we are. Hundreds of goblins at my side. And four of you. You can now make your grand heroic exit here before you die.¡±

    ¡°And even if we escape, we¡¯ll give you just enough time to finish mining, right?¡± I muttered.

    He grinned.

    ¡°Well. For once, you¡¯re stupid that you confirmed my theories,¡± I said.

    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Thomas shouted. ¡°And whatcha gonna do about it?¡±

    I smiled. ¡°Geez. Why all the evil guys are so damn cocky? Have you ever read any books? It always ends in one way - the good guys win, and the bad guys die. This won¡¯t be any different, Thomas.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the cocky one!¡± Thomas said, slightly annoyed. ¡°You¡¯ve perhaps read too many books, not understanding what''s the reality and what¡¯s your imagination,¡± he said, almost shouting the last part.

    ¡°Well. Catch us, if you can!¡± As I said that, few goblins began to take a few steps up the stairs. I immediately took hold of one of the two bottles that I had readied up just before all of this, hiding them behind my back, and threw it against the stairs, splashing liquid everywhere. I began to grab the other one, but before that, Arryn began to whisper some words.

    ¡°May the steel turn red and blaze on fire,¡± she muttered. As she finished those words, all three arrow tips turned slightly red, fire igniting around them. Of course, I knew she could do that. We had shared that information beforehand.

    As she released the arrow, two of them flew towards the two goblins in front, while the third one hit the liquid on the stairs, bursting the stairs into a fire.

    ¡°Damn,¡± I whispered. ¡°That¡¯s hot.¡±

    Thomas immediately took many steps back. ¡°Get them!¡± he shouted, walking further back. ¡°Kill them all!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, run,¡± Bill shouted, as I was throwing another bottle where Thomas was a mere moments ago. I had thought of doing that first, but I couldn¡¯t risk them running up the stairs nor Arryn missing. As the bottle broke in the middle of many goblins, they all burst into flames. The oil did a good job.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do the plan C!¡± I said.

    They all gazed at me. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Bill asked.

    I nodded. ¡°We can¡¯t have let him have it.¡±

    Arryn sighed, taking a slightly heavier arrow from his quiver. At the same time, Bill took out a lot of rope from his backpack. Immediately, Arryn began to tie the rope around the arrow and getting ready to shoot it. Of course, we were further away from the stairs, so nobody knew what we were doing.

    ¡°Run while you can!¡± Thomas shouted as he laughed, laughter slowly going down the stairs. ¡±I win!¡±

    We all smirked. ¡°Now I want to do this,¡± Bill said.

    Arryn took a step near the fence as Alice took hold of the rope as well. We only had to make sure that we held onto the rope. She took a deep breath and took aim, focusing just one wooden spot where the arrow could clearly hit. It was some kind of wooden wall that was built to hold the tools. But it was the only visible choice.

    She released the arrow. A moment later, we heard arrow hitting the wood. Probably other goblins didn¡¯t hear as they were still screaming and fighting against the fire.

    ¡°Alice!¡± I whispered after I had tied the rope to the fence. Alice pushed her wand against it as well. She closed her eyes and focused. The whole rope began to turn colder, and colder and colder. Then we saw ice appear. But most importantly, the whole arrow that was connected to the wood got more and more surrounded by ice, making sure that it wouldn¡¯t come off that easily.

    ¡°Go!¡± she whispered. Immediately Arryn jumped off, putting her bow above the rope, sliding down. Bill followed immediately after, putting the spear handle above the frozen ice rope. Alice followed, using the spear I had handed her. And then it was finally me left, holding the simple axe that I had taken from the larger goblin.

    One of the goblins finally rushed out of the burning flames, looking at me. Immediately he rushed towards me, screaming. I sighed and threw the axe at the goblin, hitting his chest and making him fall down.

    ¡°Please die!¡± I said, hoping that he wouldn¡¯t tell the others where we were. Hopefully, the fire was finishing the job. I slid down as well, using my sword and its sheath as help. Every second I could hear the ice break behind and in front of me. I could see Alice down there, strengthening the ice, slightly. It definitely wouldn¡¯t carry all four of us for a long time. But we didn''t need it to do it for long. Just us four.

    There was another louder crack in front of me. The ice, together with rope, had finally broken into two. That meant there was no longer a nice slide down, but almost immediately end. I could hear how the ice rope behind me broke.

    I only wish I could be the hero who could do some epic landings, but I am not one of them. I was just happy that it was near the very end of the slide. So all I did was brace myself, as I moment later rolled from one side to another over and over and over again, finally hitting the wooden wall as the final stop. My every bone hurt, immediately. But I was still fine. My adrenaline was too strong. And it was still a good landing. It could¡¯ve been much worse.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Bill asked as he grabbed my sword nearby, running to me and helping me up, finally handing me the sword. I could see how blood slowly dripped from his other hand¡¯s fingers. The shoulder injury was still there.

    We finally looked around. We were now at the bottom of the chamber. It was the pit where the work was done. Every corner was filled with different pickaxes or just rock and dirt. And there were plenty of goblins looking at us. Of course, not all of them had come to stop us. But that was still fine.

    After all, after seeing the pit up close, I knew I was right.

    Those goblins were different. They weren¡¯t fighters. They were only miners - nothing else. They looked more scared if anything and many of them took several steps back. They were never ordered to fight. The only thing they had probably ever heard was to mine more and more and more.

    I walked to the nearest goblin, pulling out my sword and stopping the edge still far away from the goblin.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the last mining point?¡± I said in Goblin, quietly, looking at him. ¡°Tell me, and I will let you live. I will help you! You may yet see the light at the end of the tunnel!¡±

    The goblin looked at me, and around. Many others inspected us, wondering what was going on. I could see Thomas still far away, walking down the stairs. Even he hadn¡¯t noticed what we had done, yet. Different sounds echoed throughout the chamber, creating disturbance and noise.

    ¡°Help me to help you!¡± I said, looking at him. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    The goblin looked at me. ¡°Miner 73,¡± he muttered.

    I felt disgusted. Even though they were goblins, Thomas hadn¡¯t bothered to give them proper names. Names were important in goblin culture. It gave their life a meaning. ¡°Your name is now Ging.¡±

    ¡°Ging?¡± the goblin muttered, looking at me, or at us.

    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a good idea?¡± Bill muttered. Arryn and Alice immediately shook their heads, whispering something to Bill.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the spot?¡± I asked once more.

    The goblin looked once more at the other goblins. They were now slowly nodding. Ging raised his finger, pointing at one very specific tunnel not far from us, but stopped immediately after.

    ¡°Hey! What the fuck!¡± a shout came from the third floor as Thomas was looking down at us.

    I grinned. ¡°Gather everyone. Find a room somewhere. Hide!¡± I told Ging in Goblin, facing others straight after. ¡°Go!¡±

    We all began running towards the pointed corridor. Perhaps it was a trap, but there wasn¡¯t much of a choice.

    ¡°I hope you know what you¡¯re doing,¡± Arryn muttered.

    ¡°So do I!¡± I mumbled to myself.

    ¡°Hey, you. Kiss my ass!¡± Bill shouted as we entered the pathway.

    ¡°Wow. You told him!¡± Arryn said, grinning.

    It was only Alice who was barely keeping up with us. I had to even slow down, making sure we wouldn¡¯t lose her. It was funny how she had been all fine when we had run long distances beforehand. But now she was tired, gasping for air and really struggling.

    ¡°Is it really that bad? How much magical essence you have left?¡± I muttered.

    Alice looked at me. ¡°I-I¡¯m still fine. B-but it¡¯s starting to take a toll on me,¡± she said. She had used her power many times today, so it only made sense. ¡°I-I¡¯m ashamed that my pool is so tiny,¡± she said.

    But as she said that, she stumbled, hitting the ground. Even I wasn¡¯t ready to catch her. I immediately stopped, rushed a few steps back, and picked her up like a princess.

    ¡°Eeeeh? Y-you don¡¯t-¡±

    ¡°Shut up. We don¡¯t have time for this. Rest!¡± I whispered, following the other two. Alice¡¯s head rested on my shoulder, eyes slightly closing. She was still breathing heavily, but she did as I asked. I may be useless, but this was the least I could do.

    Well. Here¡¯s a pro tip. You should never complain about women weight. But being a weak guy myself, it was still fucking hard. Carrying someone, their equipment - and I swear her bag was full of everything - and my own, while trying to be really fast, is really hard. And while doing that, I had to smile just because I was the hero. They¡¯ll find it out sooner or later.

    ¡°T-thank you,¡± she muttered as we got deeper into the tunnel.

    I smiled. ¡°No. Thank you. Now rest!¡±

 Chapter 7 - part 3

    It was a long tunnel. Longer than I had expected. But it was all lit by nearby small torches, making sure that there¡¯s at least dim light everywhere. First we ran, but finally, we walked. We needed to save as much energy as possible. Plus, we couldn¡¯t hear anyone behind us. They were probably gathering the fighters to send after us. And taking into account that those fighters were still trying to get through our created firewall, we probably did have the time.

    ¡°I have a question,¡± Bill began, looking at me and Alice. ¡°And since you two are our party brains, please, tell me, how the hell Thomas knows where to search this elder''s brain?¡±

    ¡°The Elder Heart,¡± I said immediately, looking at him.

    ¡°Yeah, whatever. Can you explain?¡± he asked.

    ¡°B-but he doesn¡¯t know,¡± Alice muttered, head slightly raised for a moment, looking at Bill. ¡°I-I can-¡±

    ¡°Just stay still, rest, and drink this,¡± I said, stopping. ¡°Bill, take a potion from the left side-pocket on my backpack and give it to her. Please?¡±

    Bill sighed, walked behind my back and did so. But as he took out the potion, he released a slight gasp, giving a blue potion to Alice.

    ¡°I-is that essence recovery potion?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yeah, so?¡±

    ¡°T-they¡¯re like super expensive. W-why do you have one?¡± Alice asked. I just continued walking forward. ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer. I wanted to be prepared. For anything. I thought I was going to be a huge wizard, you know?¡±

    Arryn chuckled. ¡°Maybe not a wizard. But you ain¡¯t half bad, you know?¡±

    ¡°Anyway, you were saying, Alice?¡± Bill said, slightly squinting at me and Arryn.

    Alice opened the bottle and gulped the potion down. It wasn¡¯t a potion that gave her magical essence per se, but it did boost the recovery speed a lot. ¡°H-he only had some ideas or general location. T-that¡¯s why he had mined to every direction at the very end.¡±

    ¡°How does he know that he has finally hit the right spot?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know, Bill. These are just our assumptions. There were definitely a lot of problems he had to solve as well,¡± I said, looking down at Alice, who was once again snoozing off against my shoulder. ¡°To be honest, Thomas is quite amazing.¡±

    Bill opened his mouth a few times but closed it soon after. ¡°Name me one problem,¡± he said, finally, looking at me. ¡°Just for fun?¡±

    I sighed. ¡°How do you get this place full of oxygen? This whole place is connected to outside with a single tunnel,¡± I said.

    ¡°Probably someone can do air magic,¡± Alice said, coughing few times.

    ¡°You¡¯re sweating a lot,¡± Arryn said, suddenly, taking a few steps towards Bill. ¡°Your shoulder!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Bill said.

    ¡°Like in the hell you are!¡± She walked next to him and began to remove clothes on his shoulder, revealing a wound that was still slowly bleeding. ¡°What the hell, Bill? This is dangerous! It¡¯s a pretty deep wound as well! You would¡¯ve bled to death!¡±

    She immediately took out an arrow and began to whisper something. The tip of the arrow turned into smoldering red. Bill¡¯s face turned pale.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re about to do, and I-¡±

    A moan echoed throughout the chamber as the wound finally stopped bleeding. ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯ll be a sexy scar. Story to remember. A nice battle-scar.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but giggle, slightly.

    ¡°Hiro!¡± Bill hissed, pulling his shirt over the injury. ¡°Fucking fuck. I fucking hate this place. I fucking hate this adventure. I fucking hate this all.¡±

    Everyone else smirked once more. We did smirk and smile a lot. But this was the only thing that kept us alive, stopping us to become desperate. We knew that soon there were maybe hundreds of goblins following us. We knew that if the goblin lied, we were fucked. All of those past moments could¡¯ve been our last moments. But none of that didn¡¯t matter. We just had to smile and push forward. This was our party - the smiling adventurers. Not that long time ago, we were probably called the weakest party in Kirkwall. Yet there we were, alive, and still struggling.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Do you think the guild will send help?¡± Bill asked, looking ahead of us. We could finally hear noises ahead. It wasn''t pickaxing noises, but more like they were using a spade, shoveling dirt away.

    ¡°They will...¡± I said, finally letting Alice down, who immediately pushed herself against now seeming dirt wall, supported by wooden pillars. ¡°...I know that!¡±

    They had to send help. After all, the receptionist knew that it was the hero who allowed such a message to be sent. And that meant, it was very serious business.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let the hope die, huh?¡± Arryn whispered, looking at us.

    ¡°W-what? Y-yeah! Yeah!¡± I said, for a moment confused. ¡°Hopes and dreams,¡± I said, giving her a fake smile.

    I opened my backpack, searching for the final two oil bottles, giving them to Bill.

    ¡°What are these for?¡± Bill asked the ultimate question that I was already expecting.

    ¡°Oil the wooden pillars up as much with as little you can, and start making a trail towards us.

    Arryn quickly took a few steps towards me. ¡°You want to burn the pillars and trap us in?¡±

    ¡°Or keep them out,¡± I said, sighing. ¡°You see, there are two options. The first is that we let them catch us and we are fucked. The second is we burn it, we stop them, force them to get spades, to dig the path once more and get to us. So, if we don¡¯t figure things out on the other side, they¡¯ll save us.¡± Of course, the last part was more sarcastic if anything. ¡°But otherwise, we¡¯ll figure things out.¡±

    Arryn sighed. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we talk to those goblins first? Before we trap them in with us?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I said to make the trail. Just get to it!¡± As I said my peace, I continued walking the path, seeing few goblins digging, and having a small talk. They didn¡¯t even seem to see me coming.

    ¡°Hello there,¡± I said in Goblin, raising my hands already, to show that I wasn¡¯t planning to attack them. All the Goblins pointed their spades at me, immediately.

    ¡°Human? But not master. Still speaks our language. What¡¯s going on?¡± one of them said, looking at me.

    ¡°Yeah, Thomas said that you might be saying that. Listen. There are some problems in the main chambers. Every goblin is needed. We are here to keep an eye on this place and maybe do some¡­ things. To speed it up,¡± I said.

    All of the goblins looked at us suspiciously.

    ¡°Master said that we need to finish this last part as soon as possible!¡± the goblin continued.

    ¡°Come on. I¡¯m new, so I¡¯m nice. Don¡¯t make me say it twice,¡± I said, keeping up my beautiful fake smile. None of them still moved. ¡°Fucking move!¡± I shouted.

    All the goblins immediately began to move away.

    ¡°Leave your spades!¡± I said, making them all drop their spades and continue walking further away. As they all had walked past the oiled up pillars, suspiciously looking at my companions, I walked few steps closer to them, nodding at Arryn.

    ¡°Stop,¡± I shouted, getting their attention one last time. ¡°Tell what I just told you to Thomas as an excuse. Then find a place to hide if you want to live. Good luck!¡± The goblins were utterly confused. But as Arryn placed her firey arrow against the oil, the fire began to spread, blazing the pillars and the ground on fire. Goblins immediately took many steps back as they realized what was really going on. I only hoped that they appreciated the fact that we decided not to kill them and gave them a chance to survive. I could see how Bill and Arryn didn¡¯t like my approach, but at least they didn¡¯t protest.

    We began walking away, quickly. Only Alice stayed behind, looking at the fire.

    ¡°The moment it collapses, put the fire out on our side. We need every bit of air as possible. Alright?¡± I said to Alice. She gave me a long nod, finally crouching down.

    The tunnel wasn¡¯t that long from the burning point to where goblins were digging. But we immediately picked up a spade and continued the goblin¡¯s work.

    ¡°So, depending on our luck, we either finish goblin¡¯s work before they reach us, or we are fucked?¡± Bill muttered.

    There was a moment of silence. ¡°Pretty much,¡± I finally said. ¡°There¡¯s also a hope that the fire will spread further behind our back, as well.¡±

    ¡°Or we might¡¯ve just now killed ourselves,¡± Arryn whispered.

    We dug for a short while, that is until we heard a collapse not that far behind of us. A moment later, Alice - who was breathing heavily - came back to us, ready to pick up a spade as well.

    ¡°Rest,¡± I said immediately. ¡°You need to rest. That¡¯s the best way for you to recover your magical essence.¡± The other two nodded as well. Alice didn¡¯t even try to fight, seating herself against the nearby wall.

    ¡°We have a moment now,¡± Bill said after a few minutes of silence - besides the digging sounds, of course.¡°What¡¯s up with the Elder Heart?¡± he asked.

    I knew it would come up. I just had forgotten about it. ¡°Before I¡¯ll tell you the story, let me remind you that it¡¯s just a legend. A story that happened even before the great wall. Some think it¡¯s a myth. Others think it¡¯s hidden away for a reason. But there are very few stories and songs left about it. Well, mostly songs. But there is one story, and I am very lucky that I got to read it.¡±

    ¡°How did you get to read it?¡± Bill asked.

    I shrugged. ¡°I found it in my father¡¯s study.¡±

    ¡°Y-you have a father?¡± Alice asked.

    ¡°I had a father,¡± I responded.

    ¡°O-oh. I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I said, only focusing on the dirt. ¡°But I think there¡¯s some truth behind this legend.¡±

    And perhaps it helps me to learn about my father, I thought.

 Chapter 8 - I only wish this one had better grammar...

    A long time ago - soon after humanity got their first hero, but before they managed to build the Great Wall - there was a legend. Back then, very few managed to travel past the Great Wall construction areas. It was Barren Lands, where only the greatest adventurers would or could go.

    Back then, the fact that the first hero managed to slay the very first named great evil was considered a miraculous event itself. It was one of the greatest celebrations, and it was the biggest step towards building the wall. After all, all the demons began to return to their homelands to make a claim to the opened Demon King¡¯s seat. As a side mention, they were truly surprised just to see a huge wall when they tried to return.

    But after the hero - or perhaps I should call him by his real name Hin Qia - had defeated the Great Demon and the Great Wall construction had begun, rumors began to spread. Mostly because a lot more adventurers began to travel to the other side of the wall, cleaning and fighting nearby demons to keep the construction site safe.

    According to stories, the Barren Lands have always been like that: full of dead, or ashen, or coal trees. The crop doesn¡¯t want to grow there or it¡¯s a real struggle to do so. It took us a long time to find ways how to do that at our outposts. And to make it worse, on bad days, it could start raining volcano¡¯s hot ash. It¡¯s still a mystery how beings who live in the Barren Lands manage to feed themselves. But we haven¡¯t really had our chance to ask them either.

    But yet there were stories of an oasis. A small part of the land that was supposed to be filled with grown exotic plants, grass, food, water and everything else. It was so bizarre story, that most adventurers didn¡¯t believe in that. Many higher-ranking adventurers went to search for it, just to find nothing but misery.

    That is until Hin decided to go and find it, taking only his best party with him.

    And this is where the story becomes difficult. While some bard songs still talk about the oasis, there¡¯s only one story that talks about what actually happened. It was told supposedly by Hin¡¯s traveling bard companion. He only revealed that story after Hin had died, and he was on a deathbed. And since it wasn¡¯t told directly to the public, but to his children, adventurers thought that they just tried to reap some attention with his name. So, not many believed the story - after all, he was already considered senile, and most of his stories about Hin were exaggerated; he was the first hero, after all. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing, of course. That was the point of bards.

    The bard - who only liked to be called Ceo''ge, and I believe that was just to stand out from the rest of the bards - was a bard who mostly told stories. He wrote poems or songs very rarely - but became later legends. Many of his stories are still known as legends. Some are told more frequently than others. But this one never got far.

    I wish I could tell you the original script, but I¡¯ll try to tell you the best of my ability.

    You see, Hin spent quite a long time to find the Oasis of Barren Lands. Many of his companions told to abandon the idea, and most did so themselves, calling him delusional and the oasis itself as a waste of time. But Hin kept searching. Eventually, he found it. And when he did, there were only three left: him, Ceo¡¯ge, and his best friend - or soon to be his wife - Ren.

    Perhaps the fact that both of them were monks who had all the patience in the world helped a lot. Ceo¡¯ge said that he wanted to abandon the search many times, but the fact that he was the bard chosen by the hero himself, he wouldn¡¯t stop following no matter what. It was the biggest honor.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    But when Ceo¡¯ge saw the oasis, he couldn¡¯t help but write a haiku about the oasis. Funnily enough, the haiku survived but is often referenced as something truly scary. Almost as a quiet before the story.

    <hr>

    In the Barren Lands

    The greenest grass of them all

    Quiet everywhere

    <hr>

    He said that none of them had ever seen as a beautiful and peaceful place as that. It was an alien world, out of nowhere. And it was unsurprising how hard it was to find it until they suddenly saw it all at once. After all, it was hidden in a small valley, and it began as soon as it began to descend.

    But they all saw it. It was very visible even from the edge. Maybe others didn¡¯t differentiate it from other trees, but they did. Or perhaps they couldn¡¯t see it? Or maybe they did, but refused to talk about it? Nobody knows.

    At the center of the valley, there was a very thick tree, but with no branches or leaves. The top side looked like the roots grew upwards, not into the ground. Perhaps the best way to explain it would be that the tree was reversed, upside down. The closer they got to it, the more apparent it got.

    And as they got really close, they noticed how the tree¡¯s bark was more like large scales covering its entire body, protecting it from any harm. But there was one more thing.

    A face.

    It was looking at them, staring, but not saying a word. Its eyes were made out of wood, and the pupils were darker than coal. Like any other face, it had a nose and a mouth. Its lips were slightly opened, so they could see that there was a hole behind it.

    Finally, Hin said his first words. ¡°What are you?¡±

    And as they hoped for silence, they got an answer with a really low voice. Even though they saw a face, they still didn¡¯t expect to see a talking tree.

    ¡°Hin. We finally meet. I¡¯m many things. But for you, you can call me an elder.¡±

    Hin told his companions to leave, and they talked. And talked. What they talked about, we do not know, but they did it for a long time. It seemed as he asked questions, and then the tree told him long answers.

    And finally, Hin decided that the tree was too dangerous. It knew too much - many answers which we shouldn¡¯t ever get answers to. And the secrets he had found out, he decided to take them to the grave. So, he pushed his hand into the tree¡¯s mouth and pulled out a heart.

    The Elder Heart, he called it.

    He hid it away, and never talked about it again. He told Ceo¡¯ge to talk of an oasis as it was a myth - a hopeful story about hungry and lost adventurers in Barren Lands.

    And he was almost successful.

    There was a moment when Ceo¡¯ge finally told the story to his children, just before he died. ¡°My children, I wish I could go there once more, touch the grass one last time. I wish I could lie down on that descent that was more comfortable than my best bed, and enjoy the sky. I wish I could take one last sip from that pure water - so pure that it had an indescribable taste. But I cannot do so, as he hid my paradise away. One thing I could never forgive him. I only wish I could speak of it to everyone, my last story. The story that I¡¯m cursed to keep quiet about.¡±

    But in my opinion, maybe because he got old and senile, he could tell the story. Or perhaps it was the curse that killed him - not that it mattered. It was forbidden, yet forgotten story.

    Of course, many searched for such an item, but nobody ever found anything about it. But if the stories are true, and one could get an answer to any question, it would be too dangerous if it would fall into the wrong hands.

 Chapter 9 - part 1

    There was a moment of silence. Everyone was thinking, trying to understand what I just had told them. To be fair, until today, I had just thought of it as a story as well. But if this was the truth, it made me question many things. There were many more stories that my father had gathered, stored, or had hidden away. Of course, I found most of them and read them all. But most of them were felt like fantasy stories, or thought out entertainment. But if they were true, or had some truth in them, this world was scary. And more importantly, it made me question my family or my father.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be true, right? How in the hell do you even know any of this?¡± Bill was the first to open his mouth, looking at Alice and Arryn, seeking some kind of support.

    ¡°I-I¡¯ve heard about Ceo¡¯ge,¡± Alice said, eyes closed, head resting against the wall. ¡°A-and everyone knows about the legacy of Hin and Ren. T-the first hero couple, starting one of the greatest bloodlines that exist in Kirkwall till this very day.¡±

    ¡°Akagi Family,¡± Arryn said, pushing spade deep into the dirt with a lot more force than usual. ¡°Or well, nowadays more known as Red Tree Family. Provides everyone the most expensive and finest red bark you can find.¡±

    ¡°Hilarious,¡± Bill said as he began to chuckle. ¡°Life can be so¡­ surprising? If this is a true story, and the family happens to deal in trees¡­ Hin had a great sense of humor. What a nice coincidence.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s even coincidence,¡± Arryn muttered. ¡°Not that anything we think matters. We won¡¯t be able to talk to them, not even in a million years,¡± she said.

    I chuckled. Funnily enough, I could, and quite easily. Being the hero and all.

    I pushed my own spade at the very top once more, just to accidentally scatter the dirt towards us, but also backward, creating a slight opening. Everyone looked at the opening, immediately.

    ¡°Fucking nice,¡± Bill said, grinning. ¡°We might not die after all.¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Arryn muttered.

    We all began to spade the dirt away from the top, immediately, trying to expand the opening, just so we could squeeze ourselves through.

    We could occasionally hear some noises or shouts coming at the other end of the tunnel, but until now there was no signal that the others would be anywhere close to digging the collapse out. It seemed that we won that lottery.

    ¡°Alright, I think the hole is big enough. Who goes first?¡± Bill asked, looking at all of us.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Arryn said. As we all stared at her, just for a moment, she sighed. ¡°I can see in the dark? And I¡¯m an elf, which makes me very skinny? Hello?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, understandable, go,¡± Bill said, nodding.

    As Arryn pushed herself through the hole. We continued making it larger, or at least tried. As she was at the other side, there was a moment of silence.

    ¡°Well?¡± Bill stage whispered.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ safe, I guess?¡± an answer returned from the opening.

    I sighed and got myself near the hole next, looking at Bill. ¡°Give me torch after I get through, okay?¡±

    Bill nodded. And I pushed myself through the opening immediately after. Thankfully there was Arryn waiting at the other side, helping me land on my two feet. As expected, I could see nothing. But as torch followed up, and I pulled it through the hole as well, a new section became visible. Sadly, there wasn¡¯t much to see, really. It was yet another tight tunnel. But compared to the ones we had come from, this wasn¡¯t recently made, and some of the roots were occasionally pushing through. It was surprising that this tunnel existed. It felt like something different, like something ancient. It felt magical. And it was filled with fresh air.

    ¡°This is interesting,¡± I said, looking at both sides where our new tunnels led. ¡°So, now we just have to hope that we are going the right way?¡± I said, sighing.

    ¡°That¡¯s easy,¡± she said.

    Bill just got through the hole, looking everywhere as well. ¡°Holy shit,¡± he said, grinning. ¡°We hit the jackpot. Now we just need to destroy the tunnel behind us!¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°With what?¡± Arryn asked. ¡°We are out of everything, really, and it¡¯s too dangerous to do it manually.¡±

    ¡°I-I can create an ice block?¡± Alice muttered as she got herself through.

    ¡°It will melt too much before they even reach it. We¡¯ll keep your magical essence for the time when we actually need it,¡± I said. I finally turned to Arryn. ¡°What did you mean by that¡¯s easy?¡±

    Arryn smiled and pointed at the torch. We all looked at it.

    ¡°Of course,¡± I muttered, smiling. ¡°Of course. You¡¯re a genius,¡± I said nodding.

    ¡°What?¡± Bill was the one to ask - as expected. Not that any of us minded.

    ¡°The torch is dancing like crazy, you idiot,¡± Arryn said.

    I raised the torch, just to see it dancing towards the other way. As I moved it down, it began to dance in the opposite direction.

    ¡°So, the rule is simple, Billy. Heat goes up, cold goes down,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Never call me Billy again,¡± Bill said, looking at me, eyes squinted.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°So. Okay. Fresh cold air comes in from the entrance, and hot air goes out from the ceiling?¡± Bill asked.

    Alice looked at us, slightly worried. ¡°W-which makes me question, what¡¯s heating the air up so fast that it¡¯s moving with such intensity?¡±

    ¡°Excellent question,¡± I said, starting to walk - according to the logic - more inwards. ¡°There¡¯s only one way to find out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go last,¡± Arryn said immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll cover our tracks for a while, as well. And just keep an eye out.¡±

    With a nod, she departed from us.

    ¡°Damn, she¡¯s good,¡± I muttered. ¡°Why are you considered the worst team in Kirkwall? I don¡¯t understand. You¡¯re all pretty good. Why others can¡¯t see that?¡±

    Alice and Bill chuckled. ¡°Because we rarely finish the quest we got. But not because we couldn¡¯t finish it, but because we chose not to.¡±

    ¡°How come?¡± I asked the question.

    ¡°You know that people are often the ones who need to pay part of the price, while guild pays the other half, right? Except if it comes to the other side of the wall, of course. But in Kirkwall, the prices have gone too much up. Mostly because there aren¡¯t enough adventurers to help simple folk out. So, us finishing a quest would be devastating to those who requested the quest in the first place,¡± Bill said, sighing. ¡°So, we often decide not to finish the quest, or take only a partial reward. We don¡¯t want to help villagers, just to devastate their money or resources afterward.¡±

    I sighed.  ¡°That¡¯s a pretty heroic thing to do,¡± I muttered. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t adventurers be those ego-centric maniacs who only look at the money?¡±

    Bill laughed. ¡°If that was the condition, I would never become an adventurer. In the end, it¡¯s up to us to decide what to do. And for some reason, it has stuck with all of us, including Arryn. Someone has to do them.¡±

    Alice took a few quick steps next to me, looking at me seriously. ¡°I-I-If you w-want, y-you can j-join us!¡± I was stunned for a moment. Alice immediately looked away from me, towards the ground. ¡°D-don¡¯t answer n-now. T-think about it f-first, a-a-alright?¡± And she stopped for a moment, continuing walking behind us once more.

    As I looked at Bill, he was grinning.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Bill leaned towards me. ¡°Alice has never asked anyone to join the team. I¡¯m pretty sure that she likes you,¡± he whispered.

    But the moment was broken by the running steps towards us. Of course, it was Arryn who caught up. I could see what she was about to tell us from her eyes alone. ¡°They¡¯re through. But they don¡¯t know which way we¡¯ve gone, I think. But they have the resources to split up. We should hurry up.¡±

    Alice stopped. ¡°I¡¯ll make multiple ice walls here. It will stop them for a short time.¡± She looked at all of us, determined.

    ¡°Are you sure, Alice?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay with him,¡± Bill said, nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure she¡¯s alright. You go forward.¡±

    Alice sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll stay too. Someone needs to shoot arrows while you drag Alice towards safety,¡± she said, smiling.

    ¡°Oh come on, you¡¯re not gonna send a newcomer ahead into the unknown?¡±

    ¡°You suck at fighting, even though you did better than I expected. So just go, find out what we are fighting for or against, and come back. We¡¯ll also retreat when necessary. We¡¯re just buying you some time, after all. You seem to know most about this shit either way,¡± Bill said, giving me a pat on the shoulder. It hurt.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I said, sighing. ¡°Don¡¯t create walls immediately. Freeze the ground. Make them a hard time to walk forward. Then create walls a bit later, so they have a hard time mining or destroying it as well,¡± I told Alice.

    ¡°Great idea,¡± Alice said, nodding. ¡°Thank you for the potion, Hiro. I¡¯m alright now.¡±

    ¡°You guys are weird,¡± I stage whispered, and started to jog. Meanwhile, Alice was taking out her wooden stick, or like she wanted to call it - a wand, ready to use her magic.

    Who in the hell would send the new guy alone to the unknown, ready to sacrifice themselves? But perhaps this was the true charm of this party. And it stung slightly, that it was me, the hero, who was leaving them behind, not the other way around.

    I only wish my adventure would¡¯ve begun with all of them at my side. But every moment that passed, it made me sadder to think that it was going to end soon, one way or another.

 Chapter 9 - part 2

    It felt like a long tunnel, but not really. It didn¡¯t really go down either - or if it did, barely. But it did have a small turn. And as I ran, suddenly, the dirt was gone. Once more, I was surrounded by only the stone. But then I saw something glowing ahead. I could only take a few more steps forward before I had to stop.

    My eyes were widened. I had never seen anything like this before. The tunnel continued, except it was fully overgrown by short grass. But it definitely wasn¡¯t anything like the grass I knew. It was glowing green, spreading its light everywhere around itself. I could see some of the roots trying to follow the stone floor, just to stop soon after. Only thing I could do at that point was to extinguish the torch - I didn¡¯t need it anymore.

    ¡°Alright, focus!¡± I told myself, stepping towards the grass. It felt like I was about to enter an alien world. Yet I didn¡¯t feel anything like fear. It was inviting if anything. And then I finally did it - foot landing on that grass. My mind was going nuts. Were the roots going to grapple my leg, and drag me somewhere? What was going to happen?

    But nothing did happen. I just stood there, like an idiot. I began to walk forward, slightly hastened. I needed to remember my mission, my goal. But I didn¡¯t need to do many steps before seeing a massive cavern in front of me. It was much more than I had imagined. It was a lot more.

    <hr>

    In the Barren Lands

    The greenest grass of them all

    Quiet everywhere

    <hr>

    That poem echoed in my mind, almost as I was imagining Ceo¡¯ge writing those words down on his deathbed.

    It was everything like that. It had been in suffocating tunnels, yet I was suddenly somewhere amazing. And it was truly quiet. I couldn¡¯t help but embrace the moment. One could say that it¡¯s impossible to describe all of it. It¡¯s truly hard to find the words.

    But¡­ I¡¯ll try.

    Every corner of the chamber was slightly glowing, some plants more than others. The ground was filled with the same bright green grass. But I could see occasionally flowers stretching out, every petal also glowing, fighting off the dominating green color. At the side of the wall, there were different kinds of plants that were climbing the wall to reach the ceiling. And some of them did it slightly beyond, almost like trying to reach something, desperately. I could recognize some plants, while some others stayed a mystery.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    But there were grape vines right next to me, next to the entrance. The ceiling was pitch-black, but there were small lights glowing up there, almost as the cavern¡¯s ceiling was filled with stars.

    And then there was the not-that-massive tree, which was growing at the very center of the cavern. The descriptions Ceo¡¯ge had written were true. It was as a tree was placed upside down, and the roots were touching or at least trying to touch the ceiling. And those few that did, they were almost like trying to drill through the stone with a minimum amount of success.

    And there were flying sparkles, mostly where the tree¡¯s roots were. I wasn¡¯t sure what they were, but they felt like some kind of bugs, flying around, without any sound. Perhaps they were bugs who had found their way into the cavern, and thus became part of this magic show.

    I couldn¡¯t help but pick one of the grapes, tasting it. The moment I did so, I gasped for air. It wasn¡¯t even close to any grape I had ever tasted before. My mind began to imagine taking a moment to make all of that grape into wine. I imagined how expensive that wine could be. I would be rich in no time.

    Greed.

    I felt it in me, trying to get out. I could feel it telling me that I had found it, my treasure. And from now on, it belonged to me. No-one else deserved this. It was mine!

    Yet I forced myself to take a few steps back from the grapes, reminding myself why I was there in the first place.

    I began to walk towards the center of the cavern. I could now see that too. The face. And it was watching me. Just¡­ looking. It was creepy. In some sense, I wanted to run away. I was not ready to face whatever Hin had faced. But would anyone be ready, ever?

    I stopped.

    I could not just see, but feel it looking at me. With every step, its eyes were moving with me. But yet it said nothing, even after I had stopped. Maybe the interest was mutual. If the stories were right, the last person he might¡¯ve seen was Hin himself. Maybe the tree was lonely, or shocked? Maybe it didn¡¯t want to scare me off?

    I need to choose my words very carefully, I thought. The first words might matter a lot. But I needed to talk. My friends were merely buying me some time. They were still there, fighting. So I finally gathered my strength and opened my mouth. It was time.

 Chapter 9 - part 3

    ¡°Hello,¡± I said, looking at it, seriously.

    The face on the tree blinked once, examining me.

    ¡°Hello,¡± it responded. Yet again it felt like something from the story. Except the voice was even deeper than I had imagined. It was¡­ unimaginably low. Yet I could understand every word that it said. ¡°I would welcome you by your name. But I cannot do that,¡± it continued, looking at me.

    I was confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I muttered, taking a step back.

    ¡°You stink of a curse. Nobody, besides the one, should never say your real name. Perhaps once the one says it, the curse will be finally lifted.¡±

    I felt hopeless. He already gave me an answer to a question that I hadn¡¯t asked, even though I had always wondered it. And I began to realize what he meant. It only made sense. ¡°And who¡¯s the one?¡± I asked the question.

    ¡°Who knows? I don¡¯t. I can only smell the curse. It¡¯s a pretty strong curse.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you all-knowing-tree or something?¡± I asked, smirking. ¡°But you do know my name?¡±

    There was this weird chuckle that echoed throughout the chamber. It was a very deep, yet weird chuckle. ¡°Me, and all-knowing-tree? Please. How should I know your name? I only know that I shouldn¡¯t ask it. It could be a catastrophe if you forced me to listen to it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. How?¡±

    There was another chuckle. ¡°I assume that you¡¯ve always been disturbed if you wanted to tell your name, right? But let me tell you. Even if you force someone to listen to your name, or watch you write the name down, they can still become deaf or blind. Or in the worst case, they can still die. Don¡¯t test curses. They always win.¡±

    I began to understand things. But quickly shook my head. ¡°But still. You should know many secrets that we shouldn¡¯t get answers to?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± the tree said. ¡°Is that what that bastard told the others?¡± the tree asked. And for the first time, all the roots above its head began to move slightly. But not in a weird way. It was as he was stretching. ¡°I¡¯m nothing like that,¡± the tree finally said. ¡°Well, I used to be great, a long time ago. I used to be more than great. Yet now I¡¯m nothing but a memory of my former self, trying to survive in this prison. It¡¯s quite a pain to try to circulate the air to get some fresh one deep down here. Or try to gather water or whatever else I can from outside, without having any control over¡­ anything.¡±

    ¡°Did Hin do that to you? Trap here?¡±

    ¡°Who else? The others were right. You, humans, are full of mistakes, problems. I should¡¯ve never tried to help you, protect you. But in the end, I was deceived by Hin¡¯s words. If I had been myself, I would¡¯ve never let that happen. But then I wouldn¡¯t have been there either.¡±

    ¡°You like to talk in the mysteries. What are you?¡± I asked, crouching time to examine its face slightly better.

    ¡°You mean who am I?¡± it said. There was a moment of silence as it thought about what to tell me. ¡°I was a god, once,¡± it finally said. A chill went through my body, followed by shivers. I felt fear. Many stories or studies in my father¡¯s study reminded themselves. There were talks of Gods, but nobody had ever met one.

    Perhaps this was why Hin had hidden this one. Maybe people weren¡¯t ready for something like that.

    ¡°God of Harvest, to be more exact. But when you humans did poorly, and I tried to help you by breaking the no-interference agreement, the other Gods stripped me from the power and threw me down on earth, rooting me in one place for punishment. They only left me enough power to survive. But in the end, it was all pointless. All I could do-No. All I can do is¡­ this.¡± As his roots began to move around in a circle for a mere moment.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    I began to chuckle. The chuckle finally turned into a burst of laughter. The tree didn¡¯t even bother asking me why I was doing that. ¡°It¡¯s funny,¡± I said, finally seating myself. ¡°I¡¯m nobody. I have never been anybody. Yet somehow I become a hero. Then I get a mission to kill the real most powerful demon king ever. And now I¡¯m sitting in front of a former god. Do I need to kill a god next?¡±

    ¡°Can you do that?¡± the tree asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think so. But destiny really likes to fuck with me,¡± I said, laughing. ¡°Is the world in danger?¡±

    The tree didn¡¯t answer. ¡°There you go. I¡¯m fucking nobody, who can¡¯t even say out his name because he¡¯s cursed. But yet I get the most fucked up quests and requests. Why does this keep happening to me? Is this part of this stupid curse?¡±

    The tree looked at me. ¡°Perhaps it is. Perhaps it¡¯s a blessing. Maybe you¡¯re truly unlucky. I can¡¯t tell. But I guess the only thing you can do, is moving forward. At least you¡¯re not rooted in one place.¡±

    ¡°Can you at least help me out of here? My companions are holding yet another bunch of greedy humans back and might arrive soon. They are after you and your heart.¡± As I said all of that, I stood up and began doing circles in the spot, examining the room. ¡°There¡¯s no other exit either, which means they¡¯ll push in and kill us all.¡±

    ¡°But there is,¡± the tree said.

    ¡°W-what?¡± I responded immediately, looking at the tree.

    ¡°This room had only one design in mind. Greed. My roots have to reach Hin¡¯s garden. It¡¯s a place where I grow my wood.¡±

    There was yet another pause. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°This is hilarious,¡± I said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that Bill was actually fucking right. You¡¯re growing red trees out there?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to describe them. I did it after Hin had planted me here and I didn¡¯t know it was a prison. Not yet. He did promise me something that he never delivered.¡±

    ¡°And what was that?¡±

    ¡°He would plant me somewhere where the dirt was beautiful, not corrupted like back there. Someplace where I could grow the fruit and be finally free. I know those lands exist. I used to take care of them. I only wish I could grow there and finally take my long deserved rest.¡±

    I looked at the tree, sighing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But he did keep the promise,¡± I said.

    ¡°What?¡± the tree muttered.

    ¡°You¡¯re in an area where the dirt is beautiful, and there¡¯s no corruption. You¡¯re just trapped within a stone are, so you wouldn¡¯t ever bear¡­ whatever fruit you were talking about.¡±

    The tree¡¯s face began to change. There were signs of anger. But almost immediately, all the signs disappeared. ¡°He got me there. It explains quite a bit. And perhaps that¡¯s better. It means that all of those curses I sent flying were pointless.¡±

    ¡°Hin wasn¡¯t an idiot,¡± I muttered. ¡°But apparently he wasn¡¯t as great Hero he seemed to be. You said there¡¯s a way out?¡± I asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s another hole that my roots have grown into, reaching to another place, garden perhaps. That¡¯s where my trees grow. There is a small hole I¡¯ve managed to get through within the long tunnel. I began growing corn there, hoping that somebody would take notice of ever-ending corn, eventually, and would investigate and find me. But so far, nothing.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Humans are greedy bastards, aren¡¯t they? But like you said. Why can¡¯t you stop growing them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also cursed. I cannot stop what I¡¯ve started. I need to put my energy somewhere.¡±

    ¡°So, your roots fill that so-called tunnel? So there¡¯s no exit after all.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but there is a way. You just have to remove my heart once more. Once I die, the roots will die. Everything will die, really. The trees, the corn, the roots, this room. But the path will open, and very fast.¡±

    I looked at him, confused. ¡°Why are you telling me this? Why are you willing to die to save me?¡±

    ¡°What choice do I have? Wait forever? This would benefit us both. And perhaps you¡¯ll find enough mercy to plant me somewhere... better. I¡¯ll even take that corrupted ground over this place. Or perhaps you¡¯ll become the next Hin, abusing me and my curse. But at least, I will be freed from this torment, and I can grow once more, redesign my prison.¡±

    I kept staring at him. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ speechless.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m Ahean,¡± he said.

    ¡°Wait¡­ I-¡±

    There was a moment of silence before a smile appeared on Ahean¡¯s face.

    ¡°Now I finally understand why they say goddamnit.¡± I chuckled.

    There were finally sounds echoing to cavern from the only exit. Running footsteps shouts.

    ¡°If I were you, I¡¯d hurry,¡± Ahean said.

    ¡°And how I do that?¡± I muttered. ¡°Push my hand into your mouth and pull out your heart?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    I frowned, pushing my hand into his mouth. I almost expected to feel something slimy, but there was nothing. And I could feel something soft in there. I grasped it and began to pull it away. Surprisingly enough, it didn¡¯t take too much effort to pull it out. Perhaps because Ahean didn¡¯t resist any of it.

    But it wasn¡¯t anything like the heart. It was a seed.

    An elder seed.

    Of course, not everything was literal in the Elder¡¯s Scrolls.

 Chapter 9 - part 4

    I removed my backpack, pushing the seed into the safest, yet deepest parts of it. As I got my backpack back where it belonged, I finally raised my head to look around. I was in utter darkness. I was confused, just for a moment, after all, I could see nothing. But that¡¯s when it hit me - nothing glowed anymore.

    I took out my torch once more, igniting the tip, making the room lit up by the bare-minimum dim light. Everything was still in its place. The grass, the trees, the vines. But I could see how they were all dying, almost like a grape was losing all of its water.

    Surprisingly enough, the tree¡¯s face was still there, but its eyes were closed, and mouth was shut. Ahean was dead - or at least whatever body they had inhabited.

    Torchlight appeared from the tunnel, as three bodies rushed into the chamber, slightly confused by the fact that I was simply standing at the very center.

    ¡°Hiro!¡± Bill hissed.

    I immediately rushed to them, noticing how Alice¡¯s arm was around Bill¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°I-I can do it one last time,¡± she muttered.

    ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t!¡± Bill muttered.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡±

    Arryn and Bill looked around the room, examining it. But nothing was as wonderful as it had been when I had arrived. If anything, everything was visibly dying. Arryn probably saw it more than Bill. I felt bad that they hadn¡¯t experienced it. But perhaps it was better that they didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Dead end?¡± Bill muttered, looking at me. His face was hopeless ¡°Hello? Anything?¡±

    I smirked. ¡°There¡¯s a way out. A very difficult one. But there¡¯s one! I just need to find it!¡±

    I began to walk around the room, examining the dead, occasionally falling plants and vines. At the same time, Alice pushed her wand against the entrance¡¯s wall. A thick ice wall began to create itself between the corridor and the cavern. One last wall. Alice suddenly coughed, blood hitting her hand and the floor in front of her.

    ¡°Alice, you¡¯re at your absolute limit. Stop it! That¡¯s enough!¡± Arryn said, kneeling before her.

    ¡°I-It¡¯s fine,¡± she muttered, giving us yet another smile.

    ¡°You should really stop!¡± I shouted as I pulled vines aside. There indeed was a hole - multiple roots entering there. But all the roots were all dried up, as they were a mere small string. ¡°This is our way out!¡±

    Bill rushed to me, pushing the vines aside as well. ¡°This room is weird. Everything is dying. And then there¡¯s a hole in a stone wall. I want some explanation, Hiro.¡±

    ¡°I wish I could,¡± I said. ¡°But I don¡¯t think we have that much time. But this will lead directly outside¡­ somewhere.¡± To be honest, I didn¡¯t want to tell them where exactly.

    Bill examined the hole, crouching down. ¡°It¡¯s a fucking tiny hole.¡±

    ¡°We got to take our chances!¡±

    ¡°How do you think Alice will climb it?¡± Bill asked, looking at me. ¡°There¡¯s no way she has enough energy to do so. And we can¡¯t carry her either.

    I looked at him, thinking for a moment. I immediately removed my backpack, taking out some rope. I didn¡¯t need to say anything before he understood. ¡°I-¡± But he didn¡¯t continue.

    ¡°This is our only chance. I got what we came here for. Now it¡¯s just escaping,¡± I whispered. ¡°There¡¯s still some dirt and those dried up roots to make traveling simpler.¡±

    ¡°You got the Elder Heart?¡± Bill whispered.

    I nodded.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Bill said, nodding as well. He took the rope, walked to Alice and began to tie it around her. ¡°So, I¡¯ll go first, and-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first!¡± Arryn said.

    ¡°What? Why?¡± Bill responded.

    ¡°You¡¯re still injured, Bill. Plus, I¡¯m the one with arrows. I¡¯m strong enough. I¡¯ll go ahead, pull Alice. You can push. Plus I can scout ahead where to go. It¡¯ll be too dark for you guys. You just follow the rope-line.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think-¡±

    ¡°Bill. We don¡¯t have time. Please! Do this for me!¡± Arryn said, taking the rope from Bill and began to tie it around herself.

    There was a moment of clarity in Bill¡¯s eyes. ¡°Fine.¡±

    Arryn walked to me, as Bill helped Alice up. She was muttering something to Bill. We could already assume what that was.

    Arryn stopped in front of me. ¡°Listen. Come last, and make sure Bill is fine. Alright?¡± she said, walking towards the hole. ¡°Don¡¯t let me down!¡± And before I could respond, she already entered the tunnel, following it carefully.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do this to me,¡± I mumbled to myself. I immediately walked to help Alice towards the hole. ¡°We¡¯ll help you all the way, alright?¡± I said.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine. I-I¡¯m not dying. J-just out of energy. I-I can still crawl and pull myself forward,¡± she said, walking into the hole, crawling in it, still leaving more rope behind. But it was obvious that it was mostly rope that helped her to move forward. I couldn¡¯t help but respect Arryn.

    ¡°Your turn,¡± I said, as I looked at Bill.

    ¡°No. Go ahead. Leave me,¡± Bill said after a short time.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°They will find this hole, and they will catch up. They are goblins, so they are small. I¡¯ll stay here, and pretend I have the heart. I¡¯ll buy you enough time to get out of this tunnel and maybe close it slightly. Get out of here and get help. And tell Alice and Arryn that I¡¯m sorry. Arryn will probably be mad at you! But she¡¯ll understand. Eventually.¡±

    I looked at him, eyes widened. ¡°Are you an idiot? Just go! I¡¯m not gonna leave you down here. It¡¯ll take them some time to find this hole behind vines. First, they¡¯ll examine the tree, and then they might look for other exists.¡±

    ¡°No they won¡¯t,¡± Bill said. ¡°Even I could figure it out within seconds that whatever was down here is gone, and probably with you. This place is dying, Hiro. But if one of us stays here¡­ No¡­ If I stay behind, they¡¯ll think I have it. And Thomas knows me. He believes me, that I would be stupid enough.¡±

    ¡°Why would you even want to do that?¡± I asked.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°Because I¡¯m nobody. I¡¯ve never been anybody. I¡¯m the guy who can only hold up his sword and swing it, but I¡¯ll never be great. But those two are special. I love them. They are my party. They have a huge future ahead. Arryn is an amazing archer. And Alice is an amazing sorcerer. They just need some time to work on their¡­ not so great parts. But in the end, it was me who was holding them back. But the least I can do is to make sure they do have a future. And since you have something those two are lacking, you can help them. You have brains. You¡¯ll be more useful than me. So go. Leave me. Maybe they¡¯ll just capture me. Maybe I¡¯ll die. But at least I won¡¯t have any regrets.¡±

    No, I thought. That bastard. That silly brave bastard.

    I began to chuckle. ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°If anyone stays, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m the hero, after all.¡±

    I¡¯m ashamed of myself. I¡¯m not worth it.

    Bill stared at me, confused. ¡°Come on, you can think better lie than-¡±

    I took out the fancy badge. It had always been in that one very special pocket. With a sigh, I showed it to Bill. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I deceived you. But you were never in any danger with me here. So leave. I can easily hold them back,¡± I lied.

    Bill stared at me, stunned. ¡°You¡¯re the hero?¡±

    I nodded, once more.

    I am a lie. But at least you do have a family. I am only a lie.

    ¡°And what kind of hero would I be if I let our future generations sacrifice their lives, while I am around?¡±

    Please, Bill. Don¡¯t do this. You¡¯re still great. Just the fact that you thought of this proves it.

    ¡°If I became a hero, Bill, you can become much more.¡±

    Please, Bill. Just go. You should never follow someone like me. You deserve more.

    ¡°Trust me, Bill. I¡¯m great. I¡¯m amazing. So just leave everything to me. Trust your hero, the one you¡¯ve followed and wanted to meet. Let me handle this.¡±

    I¡¯m the worst. I am cursed. So leave, and let me die. Let me be of some use. Please, Bill.

    ¡°So, go into that damn hole. I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±

    But you¡¯re right, Bill. They¡¯ll find the hole soon. But it¡¯s not your job to be the distraction. You can still be part of that great party. You can become something huge. And you¡¯ll grow. Let me stay here.

    ¡°They need you, Bill. Go to them. You still have many adventures ahead.¡±

    I might be a lie. But I am still the hero. So let me do this. Let me pretend to be the hero. Let me do this one last thing.

    Bill looked at me, mouth slightly opened, eyes widened. ¡°Oh my god!¡± he muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve always been your biggest fan. All those stories about you on the other side of the wall. You becoming a hero despite never being an adventurer. It was you!¡± he said, taking a step forward and hugging me. ¡°And you¡¯re a damn good actor. None of us thought you might be the hero himself,¡± he said, laughing.

    I was surprised. I didn¡¯t see that coming. He hugged me for a good five seconds, before letting me go. ¡°Thank you for granting my last wish,¡± he said, smiling. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to meet and hug a hero.¡±

    ¡°W-what? Your last wish?¡± I said, confused. Suddenly I felt a pull, making me fall down on my back, dragging me away from Bill. ¡°What the fuck?¡± I said as I began to look around, in panic.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fight back,¡± Bill quickly said. ¡°You don¡¯t want to pull Alice and Arryn down from where they are, right? It could be too dangerous.¡±

    I realized what was happening. I began to search the rope he had tied around me somewhere. But I could not find it. Suddenly I was near the tunnel¡¯s entrance. I was also surprised that Arryn had that much strength. Or perhaps I was just that weak. And I couldn¡¯t resist either, not after hearing Bill¡¯s words.

    ¡°Bill, what the fuck?¡± I said as my head was pulled slightly into the tunnel. Again I was stopped for a moment. Arryn must¡¯ve been confused why it was suddenly a lot harder to move forward. But the dried up roots made it a lot easier to slide. That¡¯s when I realized that the rope was tied to my backpack. If only I could get the backpack-

    My hands were grabbed and were forcefully tied together, even if I tried to resist. ¡°No can do,¡± Bill said from the other side. I could feel how something was pushed inside my palm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t tie them too hard. You¡¯ll soon be able to get them removed. But then it¡¯ll be too late. You won''t be able to go back. Not anymore. Only forward,¡± Bill said with his half laugher, pushing me deeper into the cave, even if I tried to resist.

    Soon after, I was yet again pulled even deeper tunnel. I didn¡¯t understand when or where did he grab the rope? Or, perhaps, he hid it well? ¡°Bill. Don¡¯t be stupid!¡± I said.

    ¡°Quiet now,¡± Bill¡¯s whisper echoed to me, as he pushed vines in front of the entrance, hiding last of the dim torchlight away.

    And there was only darkness.

    I could hear many sounds while trying to get my hands untied. But my voice was frozen.

    ¡°Bill!¡± an echo finally reached me. It was a barely recognizable voice, belonging to the only other human in that whole place. ¡°Did you really think you could escape from me? Where are the others?¡±

    ¡°Hello, Thomas. They all went the other way to get some help,¡± Bill responded, laughing. But I guess I fucked up by not following them. ¡°No, Thomas. Don¡¯t take any further steps. Do you know what¡¯s in this bag? And you know what will happen if I stick my sword into it? Here¡¯s a hint. Something will stop beating.¡±

    No Bill. You bastard, I thought. Tears soaring down my cheeks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty now. You have no way out. And you can¡¯t be alone. All those ice walls¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you really think that our mage could create so many blockers for you? Low adventurers like us aren¡¯t capable of that. But it was a good diversion. I can do magic now, Thomas.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°There are many things¡­ most importantly¡­ out of here¡­ but let me¡­¡±

    The words became unclear, merely echoes. And no matter how much I tried to understand, I couldn¡¯t. I finally removed the rope around my hands. Immediately I turned around, searching a way to get my backpack off. Bill¡¯s words echoing in my mind. He was right. I knew it was pointless. It was too late.

    Hero, my ass, I thought. I can¡¯t even save the lowest ranking adventurers. I¡¯m a catastrophe. A real lie.

    But I couldn¡¯t let his sacrifice be in vain. So I turned around, pushed my elbows against the ground - the dirt and roots - and began to push myself forward. I didn¡¯t think or feel anything. I could barely see anything. It was a pitch black tunnel. But even that wasn¡¯t as dark as my mind.

    Light tried to escape from somewhere. A very dim light. As I tried to find the source, I ended up looking at my hand. The light came from inside my palm.

    I opened it, slowly. On my palm was lying hero¡¯s badge, lit up, spreading its light everywhere in front of me.

    My tears landed on the badge, cleaning it from the dirt.

    Of course. Of course, my power had to awaken right now, I thought. Of course, it just had to happen In the darkest dungeon, at the darkest moment, when I felt hopeless.

    Is this some kind of joke?

    But I remembered something. A memory. Followed by another. All those moments I had spent with that party. Even if they had been only a mere few days. And I remembered more. I remembered the council, Aldrynte, her father.

    I had always been lonely. Stuck in that house. Only thing accompanying me were those stories, those books, and my own imagination.

    Yet here I was, doing something. I had become someone. And someone had to take on this baggage. Someone had to be that ass when it was necessary. Someone had to live with this pain. And I was about to place it all on Bill. In some sense, death felt like an easier way out than continuing this path.

    But the truth was that my only failure right now was not respecting Bill¡¯s decision, his determination, his resolve.

    I looked at the hero¡¯s badge, tears finally stopping. There was still much I had to do. There were still many things I could do. And most importantly, Bill wasn¡¯t dead yet. And he might not be dead. He might just become a prisoner. A trading card, perhaps?

    So I looked ahead and began to push myself forward. When I had to climb up, I climbed up. When I caught up with Alice, I began to help her, push her, carry her at climbs. Even if I felt like my fingers wanted to bleed, I had to push forward.

    This was my resolve as a hero.

    And I only wish that at the very end of this tunnel, there was some light.

 Chapter 10 - Part 1

    A quiet sound of us moving forward echoed throughout the tunnel. It was our way to make sure that we weren¡¯t detected, and we could always hear what was happening behind us. If any other echoes reached us, we would know, and we would start rushing. But until then, we preserved our energy and kept moving forward with the dim light my hero badge spread.

    But it was hard. Not the climb, but knowing the truth. The other two didn¡¯t know anything yet, but I did. And even though I tried to figure out how to explain all of it, I couldn¡¯t. Of course, the truth was the easiest, but even that could become a lie. At least once they knew who I was. And they will know. It wasn¡¯t a small adventure where I could keep secrets anymore. Especially once it was over.

    So, my choices were either a lie that was a believable truth or the truth that would become a lie. I didn¡¯t know.

    Why did I have to lie in the first place? Oh, of course. So the people would take me seriously. So that all those huge and strong adventurers wouldn¡¯t push me down. So that society would listen to me. I might have the title, but is it worth anything if I¡¯m only a weakling? There were a few cases where the hero wasn¡¯t as strong as the others before him, and it was visibly different story.

    ¡°No,¡± a quiet whisper came from ahead, belonging to Arryn.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a dead end,¡± she said.

    ¡°Is the dirt like really soft?¡± I asked.

    There was yet another moment of waiting. All I could do was talk and wait. For once, I wasn¡¯t in control. I only had to follow as Arryn solved the problems ahead of us.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°That means we are almost at the very top. It must be the fallen dirt around the roots. I¡¯ll give you a spade. Start pulling the dirt down the tunnel. Me and Alice¡­ and Bill will get on a side, letting it slide past us,¡± I whispered, already feeling disgusted from everything.

    But I grabbed the small goblin-sized spade in my backpack that I had picked up before - you know, just in case - and gave it to Alice, who in turn gave it to Arryn. We were underground, so it only made sense to take one spade with me. Both me and Alice pushed ourselves against one side of the tunnel. And then it was yet again waiting, dirt falling past of me. We had to occasionally push the dirt down ourselves, but it wasn¡¯t a huge problem.

    It was waiting, and waiting, and waiting. I could feel how I desperately wanted air and wanted to get out of there. But it all was on Arryn¡¯s hand now. All I could do was trust in her.

    ¡°H-He¡¯s gone, isn¡¯t he?¡± Alice whispered at me. I hadn¡¯t expected that.

    ¡°W-what?¡± I murmured.

    ¡°A-Arryn might not see it, but I can see beyond your body. T-there¡¯s nobody there.¡±

    I chuckled. ¡°Alice, I-¡±

    ¡°I-it¡¯s fine. I-I can take it,¡± she murmured. I didn¡¯t say anything. I couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I-I see,¡± she whispered. There was yet another moment of silence. ¡°A-at least you¡¯re able to manifest your new-found powers,¡± she said, trying to lighten the mood.

    ¡°I got it,¡± Arryn announced, now just pushing some larger amount of dirt past us, which of course occasionally landed on us as well. Then she began to climb, once more, through the newly made hole. Alice followed her lead. And soon I also saw the small hole Arryn had dug. As I pushed myself through, I could feel Arryn taking hold of my hand and helping me through.

    Ah, fresh air, I thought. I immediately tried to clean my face from all that dirt Arryn had pushed down on us. I could see that we were standing in a small hole - almost like a crater. Luckily for us, there was a thick mist around us. I walked up the hole to have a better view of our surroundings.

    It was like a graveyard. All the trees were either fallen, on top or against each other. But they all seemed to be rotting away, slowly but surely. The view was truly creepy because the mist hid anything further than sixty feet away.

    I took a few steps closer to the nearby tree, examining it. The bark was red, but slightly brown because of the rot already doing its work.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Hiro?¡± Arryn muttered as she looked through the hole. ¡°Bill ain¡¯t there!¡± she said, gazing at me and the hole, finally stopping at me.

    It was the moment of truth. It was the moment I had been most afraid of. Both Alice and Arryn looked at me. Alice was probably thinking if she should say anything. But she couldn¡¯t say anything either, and she shouldn¡¯t.

    ¡°We stayed behind. As I told him to go, he suddenly hit me, tied the rope on my backpack. You probably remember when it was hard to pull Alice forward, right? It probably felt like dragging someone. That was me. When I realized what he had done, he was already alone with Thomas, buying us some time. Or it seems a lot of time. It would¡¯ve been stupid to go back and waste his sacrifice. So¡­ I... continued forward. I planned to tell you the moment we got this far. I¡¯m... I¡¯m so sorry...¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but feel how few tears began to gather at the edge of my eyes. It was a truthful lie, perhaps? Not the full truth - but sometimes we don¡¯t need to know the full details.

    Arryn stepped up, walking to me. I was expecting a hit, perhaps. I was prepared for anything. But as she arrived, she walked past me, straight behind me. She examined my backpack and rope. Then she began walking back towards the hole.

    ¡°Arryn?¡± I muttered, surprised.

    ¡°Only Bill does that type of knot. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±

    She began to push the dirt down the hole and finally began to push the dirt to close the hole, at least.

    Alice was sitting on another tree¡¯s trunk, looking at us, breathing heavily. She was still out of magical essence, but it seems she was doing better. The fresh air helped, probably.

    And the situation wasn¡¯t that much better. We didn¡¯t know how many goblins were climbing up the tunnel at this very moment. That small thing Arryn was doing would hold them down there only for that long.

    ¡°What you¡¯re doing isn¡¯t necessary,¡± a deeper voice echoed, as a male figure appeared out of the fog - together with many-many others. ¡°And for intruders, you¡¯re quite loud.¡± Whoever that man was, he had a cane. And whoever this man was with, were with armors and weapons.

    Arryn sighed and threw the spade away, not even trying to pick a fight.

    This situation was different. These weren¡¯t goblins, but humans.

    I sighed. If all my theories were correct, I had a general idea where we were. And it could be either really bad or really good.

    ¡°Akagi, I assume?¡± I said out loud, staying still and looking at the figure.

    Finally, the merely black figure became something describable. The figure belonged to a bit older man, Asian. He had a long black cloak, but the bottom side was red, with red trees stretching out towards the top. Below the cloak, he had a long white rope, together with a wide red belt around his waist. He leaned on his cane, which from a closer look was more like a red-colored tree-branch. Perhaps it was made from one of the very same trees that were now dead around us.

    But we all knew who he was. He made it very clear. Of course, his companions were well armored, and all of them had a katana and a long spear. In fact, they all had spears out and pointing them at us.

    ¡°That¡¯s also not necessary,¡± the old man said, raising his right hand. All the guards raised their spears. ¡°So, you know who I am,¡± the old man said, smiling, ¡°and interestingly enough, I also know who you are,¡± he said, keeping up his neutral smile. ¡°This makes it really intriguing. I knew we would meet one day, but not like this.¡±

    Arryn and Alice threw stare at me.

    ¡°Oh, they don¡¯t know?¡± Akagi said, keeping up his smile. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the surprise and explanation to you when you think the time is right. You are going to tell them, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± I said.

    ¡°I assume that you are behind¡­ this?¡± the man said, raising his hands up, obviously hinting at all those dead trees.

    ¡°No,¡± I said. And this time, I wasn¡¯t really lying. ¡°It¡¯s those hundreds of goblins that might be following us from the tunnel the elf was trying to close,¡± I said, sighing.

    ¡°Well. They cannot harm you here. Not anymore. No goblin will put their foot on my land,¡± the old man said, eyes flashing for a moment. He looked at the nearby man, who was wearing a slightly fancier armor. ¡°Make sure that nobody comes out from that tunnel.¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± the man responded. Most of the guards began to walk towards the hole, past us.

    ¡°Well, normally I would ask to come in, but since you¡¯re already on my land, I guess that won¡¯t do. But I do offer some hospitality. You all could use a bath, some clean clothes, and probably some help - if you wish to talk about it.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long before I slightly bowed. ¡°Me and my companions would really appreciate that. But perhaps we could first talk about that help? The matter is urgent,¡± I said.

    ¡°That is understandable,¡± the old man said. ¡°I also find this matter rather urgent. It¡¯s not every day when I hear that all of my trees have fallen and are rotting.¡±

    I gulped. I had to keep my backpack close to me at all times.

    ¡°So we can talk as we walk to my mansion,¡± the old man said. We all began to walk towards the mansion, me next to the old man, Arryn and Alice behind me. I could feel their suspicious stares at me.

    ¡°I¡¯m deeply sorry if that offends you. I know of Akagi family, but I¡¯m not sure I know who you are. I¡¯m still¡­¡± - I gazed at Arryn and Alice, and then continued with a slight whisper - ¡°...taking the reins of my new title,¡± I said.

    The man looked at me. It was obvious that he was slightly unhappy that I didn¡¯t know his name, yet. But a smile appeared, nevertheless, on his face. ¡°Of course. Lu Akagi,¡± the man introduced himself.

 Chapter 10 - Part 2

    As we walked towards the supposed to be a mansion, I noticed how there were plenty of workers looking around, examining the dead trees. For them, it was a mystery, and something magical. But even more importantly, taking care of those trees had always been their job.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity,¡± Lu said, probably noticing my look. ¡°I might have to fire most of them. But I¡¯ll try to save as many of them as I can. Thankfully we have enough business elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°Regarding the help,¡± I began, looking at Lu. I noticed how the way he talked, and the way he walked was beautiful, yet silent, not telling me much. I wasn¡¯t sure if he hid his emotions well, or there were no emotions to hide. There was no sign of anger what-so-ever, which was weird taking into account that he had just lost¡­ a lot.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Lu finally responded. I had lost my focus.

    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure where I am but are we near Cornwall?¡± I asked.

    Lu looked at me. ¡°You¡¯re not that far off, yes.¡±

    ¡°Cornwall is right now being watched by a hobgoblin and a few of his underlings. And not far from there, in the forest, is also a tunnel that leads to a mine. In there, there are hundreds of goblins. They had only one purpose¡­ to find something.¡±

    ¡°Please, I know very well what you¡¯re talking about. I also know where you came from. No need to hide the information about the Elder Heart,¡± Lu said, looking forward.

    I coughed. ¡°Yes. Well, they found it. But we got trapped in the room as we were trying to stop them. So we escaped via the tunnel where all the roots were shrunk up. It was our only way out.¡±

    ¡°Smart.¡± Lu looked at me once more. ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t lie to me,¡± ¡ª he leaned closer to me, and whispered ¡ª ¡°Hero.¡± A slight smirk appeared on his face. ¡°I assume it¡¯s in your backpack right now? If they had it, you wouldn¡¯t even be walking towards the Mansion.¡±

    There was a long moment of silence. My brain had crashed. That man knew more than I had anticipated. He was obviously experienced, which was shown at his age.

    There was a slight chuckle. ¡°But do not worry. I will not take it from you. If anything, I¡¯m happy that it¡¯s safe. There would be nothing worse than it landing into the wrong hands.¡±

    I was confused. ¡°You¡¯re not gonna try to kill me and take it back?¡±

    ¡°And why would I do that?¡± Lu said, looking back at me.

    ¡°Because of the redwood? It¡¯s literally what got you all of your wealth?¡±

    Lu shook his head. ¡°No. It was my ancestor who got wealth because of that. But he never did it only for the gain. Hin Akagi, our ancestor, never told us where he had placed it. He only told us about it and warned that there will be a time when we lose our wood. He told us not to depend on it. And when we do lose all those trees, we should let them go.¡±

    We finally walked out from all those fallen trees, approaching the mansion, which was still quite far, but visible even in that fog. ¡°The time has finally come. For a long time now, we have been earning our main income from many other things. And we still have a large stock of redwood waiting. I expect the price to go up now, though.¡± As we reached the front of the mansion, he stopped and looked at us. ¡°My servants will take care of you now, please follow them,¡± he said as some of them came out of the house. ¡°They are our honored guests. Take care of them, will you?¡±

    As he said that, the servants bowed, and Alice and Arryn left with then. But both of them gave me a long stare beforehand. They had many questions. All I could do was smile.

    ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s necessary to lie, but you should expect some of them to come and bite you back. I only hope that this isn¡¯t one of those times,¡± Lu said, giving me a slight smile. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll send some of my guards to the town, making sure that villagers are safe. But I¡¯m not sure I can do much about their hideout. I¡¯ll tell them to keep their eyes opened, but it¡¯s really something that only adventurers guild can deal with. But I¡¯ll make sure that it¡¯ll be their top priority.¡±

    ¡°Actually,¡± I quickly said, before he would continue his talk, ¡°we sent a shadow raven to the guild, together with a letter. Maybe they already sent some help?¡± If they didn¡¯t, there was going to be hell to pay, when I get back to Kirkwall.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell my people to check,¡± Lu said, nodding. ¡°But for now, you should go, rest, and bathe yourself. We¡¯ll continue the talk over breakfast. And by then, I expect that the other two would know who you are. It¡¯s quite uncomfortable to keep it as a secret since the matters are now rather¡­ urgent. And I do not want to keep them in the dark.¡±

    ¡°Please do hurry. One of us got captured. Or at least I hope he just got captured,¡± I muttered, showing off a part of me, not the hero. In the end, I was still the 20-year-old boy.

    ¡°Now-now. Nothing will change within thirty minutes or so. We¡¯ll keep an eye out on the forest. Do you think you can pinpoint the entrance¡¯s location?¡±

    ¡°Do you know about the ruins in the forest? Some old temple or something?¡±

    Lu began to scratch his beard. ¡°I might not, but they might,¡± he said as he took a look at his nearby guard.

    ¡°That¡¯s where the entrance is at,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Very well. One more thing,¡± Lu said, looking at me now with much more serious look. ¡°We¡¯ll deliver you a chest that can be safely locked. I want you to put the Elder Heart in it for safety. You can keep the chest, of course. It¡¯s a lot better than keeping it in your backpack. If you do not trust me - which you shouldn¡¯t - you can swap it out into another one, when you get back into the Kirkwall.¡±

    ¡°How do I know that the chest is not enhanced?¡± I just asked my main question. ¡°Not trying to offend you, of course. It¡¯s just that you¡¯d have a huge interest in it.¡±

    ¡°Unless you or one of your companions can detect if something is magical, you can¡¯t. You just have to have faith in me,¡± he said.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    I looked at him suspiciously, eyes slightly squinted.

    Lu began to laugh once more. ¡°If I really wanted it, I would¡¯ve killed you way before inviting you to my house. And if I¡¯d steal it, I wouldn¡¯t literally offer you a chest where to hold it in. If it suddenly disappears, it¡¯s only obvious that it¡¯s me. It¡¯s a dead giveaway. So it might be even better that it¡¯s from me.

    ¡°If it does happen, you can just denounce me. If it comes to Hero¡¯s word against mine, you¡¯ll win. In the end, you¡¯re the hero. This country is built around you having power. You probably have more power than the king, if you play it smart. You could make my family¡¯s life very difficult. Of course, we could make yours as well. But I don¡¯t think we should destroy each other over something like that,¡± he said. And as he finished, he gazed at my backpack.

    To be fair, I was convinced. But apparently, he wasn¡¯t. ¡°The story says that whatever the Elder Heart produces, it can make someone very greedy. It might¡¯ve even made Hin greedy. But Hin¡¯s children were warned about it. Merchants like us have to be greedy, but no greed is worth losing our credibility or simply dying for. And if the stories are true, I do prefer not to see it at all,¡± Lu continued. ¡°Thus this chest, as well.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± I muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll take up your offer.¡±

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Lu said, smiling. ¡°Now, go follow the servant. He will take care of you. Enjoy your stay.¡±

    And as he said the last part, he turned around and began to walk towards the same guy he had talked before. I, however, began to follow one of his servants, who happened to be a male elf.

    ¡°Right this way, Hero,¡± the servant said, slightly bowing, and leading me inside.

    The mansion was huge. But as I had heard, it wasn¡¯t even the family¡¯s biggest mansion. Their main and the biggest home was at Kirkwall. This one was more of a resort where they relaxed. Apparently, a long time ago when the family was only dealing in redwood, it had been their main base of operations. But for a while now, as Lu told me, they had begun trading in many other things. Most of them were other woods, and not as expensive, but still a good trade. But they had always been huge sponsors of adventurer¡¯s guild. It was a somewhat family tradition since Hun himself.

    First of all, I got a simple bath, as the servant cleaned my body and removed the dirt and broken clothing, throwing them completely away. But I wasn¡¯t given fresh clothing, not yet. Instead, I was given a towel.

    ¡°Right this way,¡± the servant told me, leading me to yet another room. It was a washing room, where one side was full of shelves, filled with baskets that all stored some basic necessities for washing, such as soap, and even more towels. The other side of the room had two barrels. One was filled with cold water, while the other one was a bit special one that held near-boiling water. Next to the barrels were washing areas. Mostly seats with empty bowls in front of them.

    ¡°This door will lead outside where you can have a hot bath. Take your time. When you¡¯re finished, we¡¯ll provide you with robes and necessary clothes,¡± the male servant said, pointing towards a larger glass door. ¡°I do hope you don¡¯t mind companions.¡±

    ¡°Oh, not at all,¡± I said quickly, smiling.

    The servant opened his mouth, closed it, smiled, and walked away.

    I pushed my backpack behind the bowl, then pushed bowl back into its spot, in front of it, and I finally began walking towards the door, removing my towel in the process. I could finally take a moment and just relax.

    As I opened the door, I saw two people already in the hot water, looking at me. One of them looked at me eyes widened, but couldn¡¯t look away. The other stared at me for a moment, smirked, and then looked away, giggling.

    I had expected companions, but male, not my traveling companions. I quickly lowered my towel to hide my manhood. It came without saying, I was blushing, a lot.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you two here. I can come-¡±

    ¡°Too late,¡± Arryn said, still smirking. ¡°We have seen it now. Nothing to hide anymore.¡±

    Alice was blushing as much as I was. ¡°Y-yeah,¡± she muttered, finally looking at the opposite direction. Now that I saw them, they both had a towel around their whole bodies. But then again, it was still the most skin I¡¯ve ever seen on Alice.

    I¡¯ll be honest here - it was my first time ever in a situation like this, or perhaps with women altogether. So I didn¡¯t know how to act. So, naturally, as I tried to stay cool and be the usual cool me, I checked both of them out as much as possible, during the whole bathing time. But to save some time and trouble, I won¡¯t mention it after every few paragraphs, besides the one...

    I casually walked near the bath¡¯s edge and got myself into the water. It was¡­ hot¡­ and nice. I couldn¡¯t help but release a slight moan.

    ¡°I know, right?¡± Arryn said, smiling. It was slightly surprising that she was as okay as she was. But perhaps that was the way how she dealt with losing Bill. ¡°Bill will be jealous of you and this whole situation,¡± she added. So, apparently she just thought that Bill was perfectly fine, just captured.

    I yawned. We had been fighting and struggling entire night, after all.

    As I could get my first proper look at Arryn and Alice, I have to say that both of them were beauties. Or perhaps now that I¡¯ve been with them a whopping two days, I saw them differently.

    Since Arryn was an elf, she was very thin. Her breasts weren¡¯t exceptionally large, but not small either. Her silver-gray eyes became more noticeable, which included her long almost pure-white hair, which normally was always braided into something, so they wouldn¡¯t distract her.

    Alice, however, was a slightly different story. While her body was also thin - but not as thin as Arryn¡¯s - her breasts were a lot larger. Well, most adventurers were thin, because it involved a lot of physical activity. I could finally see her light-blue eyes clearly since her long blonde hair wasn''t hiding her hair. Of course, compared to Arryn, Alice never braided her hair. But now that I could finally see her skin, she wasn¡¯t as white as I had expected. So she must sunbathe during her free time. I was honestly expecting her skin to be as white as snow. But of course, it was still whiter than Arryn¡¯s.

    ¡°Are you finally done checking us out, perv?¡± Arryn muttered but didn¡¯t even move an inch, just casually sitting at the opposite side and looking at me.

    ¡°You¡¯re both super pretty. And I¡¯m in a great position and situation. So no. Let my eyes enjoy the situation, a bit.¡±

    Arryn smirked. ¡°I don¡¯t dislike honest guys.¡± She then turned to look at Alice. ¡°But she, however¡­¡±

    As I looked at Alice, she was frozen in place. ¡°Hiro is checking me out¡­ Hiro is checking me out¡­ Hiro is checking me out,¡± she muttered while looking at the water in front of her.

    ¡°No,¡± I said instantly. ¡°That¡¯s on you, not me.¡±

    Arryn chuckled. ¡°Fair. But hey, you don¡¯t look half bad either.¡±

    ¡°Is this the moment we have sex?¡± I said. Alice¡¯s stared at me, blushing even more.

    Arryn only chuckled. ¡°And you¡¯re dirty. I like your confidence as well.¡±

    I finally turned to Alice. ¡°I was kidding, Alice. Calm down.¡±

    Alice frowned, looking away. ¡°Idiot.¡±

    ¡°So, Hiro. I feel like you¡¯re hiding something from us. Want to enlighten us?¡± Arryn said, staring at me, intensely. ¡°I did say that I don¡¯t dislike honest guys,¡± she added.

    I was toast. I had forgotten about it since the only thing I could focus on was the fact that I was almost naked together with two other girls. And the only help I had was all those romance subplots in those adventurer books I read as a kid. I could barely remember them.

    Damn you, younger me! Why didn¡¯t you take a moment and read a few romance books too? I thought.

    I coughed to clear my throat. The best way to do it was a casual announcement.

    ¡°Oh yeah. I guess there¡¯s no point to hide it anymore,¡± I said, gazing at both Arryn and Alice. ¡°I¡¯m actually the hero. The new one. I¡¯d show my badge, but it¡¯s in my backpack.¡±

    They both stared at me, seriously.

 Chapter 10 - part 3

    ¡°What?¡± Arryn was the first to respond. Alice didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not joking,¡± I said ahead before she could even ask it.

    ¡°All this time?¡± Arryn asked.

    ¡°All this time,¡± I responded.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Arryn muttered.

    ¡°Remember the¡­ woman in the guild, the receptionist?¡±

    ¡°Erica?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°Since I was the fresh hero, I asked her to give me any good tips on how I could get to know adventurers,¡± I said, looking at Arryn. To be fair, it felt good to tell someone the truth. ¡°So she casually pushed me into your group. It was a win-win situation, and she said that she could sleep better if I was with you guys. Especially since this quest was already slightly suspicious before we even left.¡±

    There was a moment of silence. For once, I looked away, into the sky. Not that there was much to watch - it was filled with the mist, and the bath¡¯s steam didn¡¯t make it any better.

    ¡°I failed her. I failed you,¡± I said. Few tears gathered at the edge of my eyes, which I immediately washed away. ¡°I had everything under control until he¡­ I might be the hero, but even I wasn¡¯t ready for his actions. And he did all of it despite me telling him the truth as well, that I was the hero. He probably didn¡¯t believe me.¡±

    ¡°I-I think he believed you,¡± Alice said quietly, and more slower than her usual talking speed, looking at the water in front of her. ¡°B-but he¡¯s this kind of man who would still do something stupid. O-only because he felt like it.¡±

    Arryn stared at Alice for a moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, bowing slightly. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry. You can blame me if you want.¡±

    ¡°I-I won¡¯t-¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± Arryn interrupted Alice. ¡°If he¡¯s dead, that is.¡±

    ¡°Arryn,¡± Alice muttered, looking at her companion. ¡°It¡¯s not his fault. You know Bill better than anyone...¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Arryn said, tears finally falling down, hitting the pool¡¯s water. ¡°And this is precisely why. I need to blame someone for this. I was always careful. I preferred to abandon quests over some of us dying, or him getting hurt. I never argued when it came to ethical points. And if anything, it wasn¡¯t him holding us back. After all, he was the bravest of us all. It was me, who slowed us down! It was always me!¡± She reached out her hand to grab the nearby smaller towel she had taken with her, just to hide her face and remove the tears. ¡°I loved him. No. I still love him. And I will never forgive you or anyone else if he dies.¡±

    My eyes widened, slightly. I didn¡¯t see that coming.

    ¡°I-¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Arryn interrupted. ¡°Me and love him? It never seemed that way, did it? Well, that¡¯s because I¡¯m an elf, and he¡¯s a human. And I happen to be from a family who doesn¡¯t really approve any of this. But I could convince them to become an adventurer. And I could at least be with him, adventure with him. Even if it was unrecruited love, I was happy. Even if all we did was mock at each other and be companions. I was happy with all of that.

    ¡°But none of it will happen if he¡¯s dead. It¡¯ll be over. All because his stupid feelings to sacrifice himself for something stupid like¡­ I bet he told you how great we are and how bad he was. But he doesn¡¯t realize how valuable he is to us. He is the bard of our party. He¡¯s the one who keeps up the mood, or talks when there¡¯s a need to talk. He¡¯s the one who keeps our morals always straight. And he¡¯s the one who has saved countless people, even though he¡¯s not the strongest and greatest adventurer out there.¡±

    As she spoke, with every sentence, her voice increased. By the end, she was almost shouting, soundless tears hitting the hot water in front of her. But by the end of her monologue, she realized that she was too loud. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for shouting,¡± she muttered.

    ¡°This is fine,¡± I responded, nodding. There was a moment of silence between everyone. We were just there, thinking.

    ¡°So, did you learn anything about adventurers?¡± Arryn said, weakly, finally looking at me.

    I nodded. ¡°A lot. A lot more than I ever expected.¡±

    And I did. I learned how broken the adventurer¡¯s system was. Perhaps I could see it only because I never was adventurer like them. I never went through that broken system. If one spends too long in a flawed and broken system, they either will stop seeing its faults, stop caring, or just leave altogether.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Good. I hope you¡¯ll take it into good use,¡± she said, finally completely calming down, but still removing her tears.

    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, Arryn,¡± I said, looking at her. ¡°It¡¯s thanks to people like Bill, who do great things. It¡¯s thanks to them that people are saved and helped. Long time ago it was natural to help others. But¡­¡± I looked at the water in front of me, slight waves moving around from all directions.

    ¡°...but?¡± Arryn asked.

    ¡°...I can¡¯t help but respect Bill. He did what he wanted, till the very end. I only wish that he¡¯s still alive, somewhere, waiting for us to rescue him.¡±

    There was a moment of silence, once more. Arryn visibly had a hard time not crying.

    ¡°I-I¡­ have to go,¡± Alice finally said, standing up. ¡°N-not that I want to leave, but I¡¯ve been here too long. I¡¯m slightly overheating,¡± she said.

    ¡°Me too,¡± Arryn said, nodding, and standing up as well. Both of them got out of the water, slowly. Of course, I absorbed every moment of it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay a little bit longer, so you can wash. Let me know when you¡¯re done,¡± I said, giving them a weak smile.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Alice said with a firm voice, giving me a smile and walking away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t peek,¡± Arryn whispered towards me. ¡°It would be a pity to lose hero that soon,¡± she said, giving me a smirk. At least she could still joke around. That was a good sign.

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I said, smiling. To be fair, I wanted to peek. It almost felt like something Bill would¡¯ve done, bringing me with him. But it would suck to be labeled as a hero who peeks at girls. So I had to abandon that idea. For now.

    Dammit Bill. You are supposed to bring us to ruin right now, I thought, smirking.

    It didn¡¯t take long before I got myself out of the bath as well, getting myself seated on the nearby chair, probably just for such purposes.

    To be fair, all of it felt slightly weird. Perhaps it was the fact that there wasn¡¯t this epic conclusion that I had expected. Then again, maybe it was still to come? Or perhaps it was just the unknown that bothered me.

    But once more I felt powerless. And as I realized that I was completely alone, my body began to slightly shiver, and tears began to flow. All those images of my first adventure went through. I could still hear Bill¡¯s final voices. I could still remember those battles.

    And perhaps it was one of the first times when I really realized what it meant to be a hero. What it meant to fail people. Before I thought I could be easily replaced. But could I really? There was no new Demon King, and there wouldn¡¯t be one for a long time. And people like Bill looked up to me, in hopes that I could do something about our future. Races as they were now, would never be able to get together to fight against the new evil behind the volcano. And if the new evil knew that we knew, maybe it would be us who would be wiped out?

    Can I do this? I¡¯m only a boy who was stuck in his room, imagined all those adventurers in his head. I had never talked with anyone, not really. Yet here I was, talking to the most important, as I¡¯m trying to be an important figure myself.

    Why?

    ¡°Hiro,¡± Alice muttered. I quickly moved my hand over my face, secretly removing the obvious tear lines. I tried to look as I was simply tired and removed the slight sweat. Finally, I looked back at Alice.

    ¡°Yeah? You¡¯re done?¡± I said, as my vision began to focus on the figure that stood in front of me.

    Alice¡¯s clothing was completely different. It wasn¡¯t even close to the old one. It was probably impossible to get the old clothing, or similar to that in the first place, or at least that soon. She had a long red flowy dress, a black leather corset and armlets. Around her waist, she had half-leather and half-chain belt, with a few charms connected to it just for some style points. She was stunningly pretty.

    ¡°Holy shit!¡± I said it out loud.

    ¡°What?¡± Alice muttered, looking behind her as well.

    ¡°You¡¯re so pretty.¡± I mean, I couldn¡¯t help myself. ¡°And it fits you really well.¡±

    Alice blushed, visibly. ¡°It¡¯s too revealing.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s fine. It fits you really well. You¡¯re a beautiful woman, Alice.¡±

    ¡°Eh, please,¡± Alice muttered, blushing even more. ¡°It¡¯s probably stupidly expensive clothing,¡± she murmured, making a few circles on the spot while looking at the dress.

    ¡°I bet,¡± I said, grinning. ¡°But it¡¯s pretty good material. It¡¯s definitely meant for adventuring,¡± I said.

    She nodded. ¡°I noticed that too,¡± she said, finally stopping. ¡°But yeah, we are done.¡±

    I nodded, finally standing up. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Alice looked at me, taking a few steps towards me, and stopping in front of me.

    ¡°What?¡± I said, examining her.

    ¡°You¡¯ aren¡¯t a strong hero, are you? I mean¡­ physically or magically. I could tell. The magical essence test we did, it wouldn¡¯t lie.¡± I stared at her, surprised. I hadn¡¯t expected any of that. But as I opened my mouth, she pushed her finger on top my lips. ¡°Don¡¯t answer that. Your secret is safe with me. And I understand. I think you have many other qualities, things that no other adventurer has. I only hope that they will see it one day, so you can be who you really are. But until then, good luck.¡±

    She leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Yet another thing I hadn¡¯t expected. I couldn¡¯t imagine the courage it took to do all of what she did.

    ¡°Your stuttering,¡± I suddenly said, before she could turn around. ¡°Did you stop that because I¡¯m the hero?¡±

    She looked back at me, smiling, and shaking her head. ¡°After today, listening to Arryn¡¯s problems, knowing your problems, and after realizing what Bill did¡­ I realized something. I also need to step up and work on myself. And it¡¯s not because I feel pressured, but because I want to.¡±

    With yet another smile, she turned around and walked away, leaving me alone.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± I murmured. ¡°I might fall for her.¡± But I couldn¡¯t help but smile in this hopeless situation.

    If Alice was pushing herself, it was only natural that I, the hero, should do that as well. There was no time for depression. There was still a lot to do.

    And as I took my next step forward, I slipped straight into the hot bath, like a true adventure should be - full of slippery slopes.

 Chapter 10 - Part 4

    I was lead to a slightly larger room. But at the very center, there was only one square table, but not as tall as any normal, and there were no chairs. At each edge of the table was a cushion where everyone could sit on. At the center of the table were many short flowers decorating it. Three sides of it were already filled with people. Lu, Alice, and Arryn.

    Now that I could have a look at Arryn, she had a completely different kind of clothing. It was mostly slim full leather clothing, but slight red clothing piece came out from her waist to around her knee-length. It began as a triangle, taking half of her waist, but finally meeting as a sharp tip. Behind her back, she had a hood she could easily pull over, but at the moment, it wasn¡¯t.

    Well, I also had a lot of fancier clothing than I had before. It was leather, covering upper body, a simple long-sleeved white shirt below, with a simple, but higher quality pants.

    The three of them were talking, and lightly laughing, or chuckling.

    ¡°Ah, Hero. Or should I call you Hiro? I see you¡¯ve finally made it,¡± Lu said, giving me a nod. ¡°Please, come, take a seat. Food is arriving soon.¡±

    I returned the nod, and walked to the only available seat, opposite side of Lu.¡°Thank you very much for providing such high-quality clothing. I¡¯m not entirely sure we deserve that,¡± I said as the first thing. Both Alice and Arryn looked at me. But it was more like I had asked the question they wanted to ask but were too afraid to touch the subject.

    ¡°This is absolutely nothing. And I only assume that you¡¯re going back to the¡­ mine was it?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°This would be my plan yes,¡± I said.

    ¡°He means that this is our plan,¡± Arryn said, immediately.

    Lu smiled. ¡°So, it¡¯s only natural that we provide you with clothing that¡¯s for adventuring. Think of it as a present.¡±

    ¡°Presents for¡­?¡± Alice said, looking at Lu.

    ¡°You did just manage to stop a possible catastrophe,¡± Lu said.

    ¡°But if I understood correctly, we did destroy a huge deal of your¡­ fortune?¡± Alice muttered.

    ¡°And if the wrong people got what they were seeking, I wouldn¡¯t have lost it?¡± he said, looking at Alice. ¡°All is a matter of perspective. I like to look at it this way - with some loss, I might¡¯ve gained something as well. Maybe if I were forty years older, I might¡¯ve been stupid. But I can only thank my father that I never had any power until I was ready.¡±

    I bowed slightly. ¡°Your words are wise. I do appreciate all of it.¡±

    Lu returned the bow. ¡°And I do hope to work with you in the times to come. The future is bright. And you¡¯ve shown already a great promise.¡±

    ¡°Please, you¡¯re exaggerating,¡± I mumbled. With a slight sigh, I got more serious or at least tried to. ¡°You have any news?¡±

    Lu nodded. ¡°That I do.¡± He stood up and walked to the nearby door, slightly pulling one side more open to look at outside, and let the fresh air enter the room. ¡°You were right. The adventurer¡¯s guild already sent a lot higher ranking help. They already took down the hob-goblin party near the village, securing the villagers. As expected, all the corn is dead. The women were also returned home. We also got some of your belongings that women had gotten hold of. We returned them here, back to their owners. You can get them later.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°How are the women?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Whoever was leading them, weren¡¯t using them for¡­ goblin breeding. But they were violated by the leader themselves.¡± We all felt slightly disgusted. ¡°But as we speak, adventurers should be about to enter the tunnels near the ruins.¡±

    ¡°I need to send them a message, as fast as possible,¡± I said immediately. ¡°If it¡¯s possible?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Lu said, turning around, and looking at me.

    ¡°If there are any goblins hiding in the rooms somewhere, they should not be harmed,. At least if they don¡¯t fight back.¡±

    Everyone in the room looked at me, confused. Only Lu managed to hide his surprise. But his words did not.

    ¡°That is surprising. May I ask why?¡± Lu said.

    ¡°It¡¯s thanks to them we are alive. They showed us where the Elder Heart was. In the end, they aren¡¯t like any other goblins. They were slaves, forced to work in extremely hard conditions. They were merely trying to survive.

    If we would let any other goblins survive, they would hate us, escape, and work hard to get revenge. But they might be different. They hate their own kind for hurting them, for¡­ everything.¡±

    ¡°You know that goblins are naturally evil, right?¡± Alice asked quietly, looking at me. ¡°According to the books, that is¡­¡±

    ¡°So were Orcs, long time ago,¡± I said, looking at Alice. ¡°Yet now they play an important part in our society. I¡¯m not saying that this is entirely wrong. But at least I¡¯d want to try something. Get them to the other side of Kirkwall¡¯s wall. Let them be together with the fire giants. Let¡¯s give them a chance to prove themselves. And if it does¡¯t work out, we know for sure.¡±

    Lu looked at me for a short time, but a smile appeared on his face. ¡°You heard him, deliver the message,¡± he said as he looked at his main guard.

    ¡°There were also goblins that followed you through the tunnel,¡± Lu continued, as he looked out once more. ¡°But not many. Only five. It would¡¯ve been foolish to send any more.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Did you capture any of them?¡±

    ¡°Sadly no, there wasn¡¯t really a chance nor choice.¡±

    The doors opened, and women began to enter the room, holding plates. As they were placed in front of us, it was salmon, and rice, together with some salads. There were also basic utensils and two sticks. Lu turned around and got himself once more seated, taking the two sticks. ¡°There¡¯s no better timing. Please, eat. And feel free to use utensils.¡±

    Alice took casually fork, as Arryn took the two sticks and began to use them easily.

    For me, it was a moment of choice. Should I try the new ways, or should I just feel comfortable and eat? After a short moment, I also went after the fork. It wasn¡¯t time to learn new things. Not now.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Akagi family has created a culture of its own that many others like to follow,¡± I picked up a side topic. The food, by the way, was delicious.

    ¡°Well, Hin was an exceptional hero, like many other heroes. He had those preferences, and standards. But as he had a family, and got many children, they also followed his head. Like father, like son. And one generation after another, most of us has kept up the tradition. Many outside of our family has also picked up our likings. His always had his exceptional charm with him.

    ¡°But he wasn¡¯t perfect. Not even close. There are many not that great stories or secrets that we heard, but never reached bard¡¯s lips. Or if they did, they didn¡¯t become song. And those secrets happened for many reasons. Some because he was the hero. And some because in the end, he was still a simple mortal man. Perhaps you, of all people, would understand. Or mayhaps it¡¯s still too soon for you.¡±

    But I understood him perfectly well. It felt like I was in his position, with even more disadvantages. Or perhaps he was the same, but with some other issues and weak points. And as I thought about it, I began to understand why he had hid the Elder Seed away. Maybe I would¡¯ve done the same? There was also a chance, that it was all a greed. But the end result wasn¡¯t that bad. The Elder Seed was hidden away, and the world was okay.

    We kept having a small talk, and we kept eating. Eventually Alice and Arryn became more active talkers as well, as I just enjoyed the moment.

    But as soon as we all finished, and got our belongings, we were lead to some horses, and were taken to the ruins.

 Chapter 11

    I had been waiting for a while. I had searched for her everywhere. Yet I could not find her. So I just waited at that one place I hoped to see her, at the exit of Kirkwall, leading towards Cornwall.

    As the sun began to drop, and the sky became darker, I began to lose hope. What if she had left a long time ago?

    But then I saw her, walking towards me. She hadn¡¯t noticed me, not yet. But as she did, she frowned, slightly, but kept moving forward.

    ¡°Hiro,¡± Arryn said, giving me the strongest smile she could muster.

    ¡°Arryn,¡± I responded, stepping in front of her, making her stop. She still wore the same clothing she had gotten from Lu. Couldn¡¯t blame her though, it was a good material.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to stop me,¡± Arryn said, looking at me. Her eyes were focused on me, but I could see how her eyes were still red from all the crying.

    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not here to stop you. What you do, is entirely up to you. Do I think it¡¯s a bad idea? Yes. But I can understand you. And I won¡¯t stop you.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you want?¡± Arryn hissed.

    ¡°Around two hour of your time,¡± I said, looking at her. ¡°Please. Just two hours. Maybe even less. And then you can go, and do your thing!¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to lock me down?¡±

    ¡°Why would I?¡± I asked, taking one step closer to her. ¡°Only thing I want, is you to find peace and happiness. And if this is the way you can find the peace, that¡¯s alright. I only wish I could come with you.¡±

    Arryn chuckled. ¡°But you can¡¯t because you¡¯re the hero?¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t because I¡¯m the hero,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°Please, Arryn. Just for a short time. Trust me. For old times'' sake.¡±

    Arryn looked at me for a moment and then finally sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll trust you. Don¡¯t break my trust.¡±

    I hugged her. ¡°Thank you!¡± She was taken back but gave a slight hug back. ¡°This way.¡±

    It wasn''t a too long walk - luckily for me. But we didn¡¯t share even a single word. We just walked where I lead her. And that was fine. We didn¡¯t need to talk. We had already talked enough.

    And finally, we reached the destination.

    ¡°The Platinum Theater?¡± Arryn muttered, looking at the fancy design of the building. ¡°Hiro, what are you-¡±

    ¡°Just trust me,¡± I said, taking us inside. Fred gave me only a nod, not stopping me. But many others who were coming to this place as well were stopped.

    As we walked to the main waiting room, we began walking straight towards the stairs, leading up to the main hall. The waiting room was still full of people. Many nodded at us, recognizing me. But as Elwin noticed us, he walked in front of us and made us some way so we could pass all the others. I took hold of Arryn¡¯s hand just to make sure we weren¡¯t separated. Arryn blushed, just slightly, feeling all those looks on her.

    And as we entered the main hall, we went straight for stairs. We went up only one floor before we were greeted by the same dwarf who had been at the beginning of the stairs the first time I had been there. With a slight bow, he let us through to the VIP section. At the very center of it, we could see Alice and Elbert sitting there, talking. As Elbert noticed us, he stood up, leaning on his cane, and took a few steps towards us. Arryn looked at Elbert, eyes slightly widening.

    ¡°Is that¡­ Elbert?¡± Arryn asked.

    ¡°One and only,¡± I said, smiling.

    ¡°Hero - or should I call you Hiro, now? I and Alice had some wonderful talk,¡± Elbert said, looking at me. ¡°And you must be, Arryn?¡± he said as he turned his gaze to her.

    Arryn felt slightly awkward since she wasn¡¯t wearing any fancy dress. But she did a slight bow.

    ¡°Welcome. Any friends of the hero is a friend of mine. Please, take a seat!¡± He took a step back, pulling a chair back for Arryn.

    ¡°I have to go now. I¡¯ll be back before the very end.¡±

    Arryn looked at me, an eyebrow slightly raised.

    ¡°Trust me. You don¡¯t have to wait for me to return if you don¡¯t want to. Just wait till¡­ you¡¯ll see.¡± As Arryn took her seat, I stepped closer to Elbert. ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough,¡± I whispered.

    ¡°Please, stop. It¡¯s a special day not just for you, but for me too. I can¡¯t be happier.¡± With a slight nod, I stepped away.

    I went to the side-rooms, where people were preparing for the stage, filled with some personal preparation rooms as well.

    A man, in a fancy butler clothing, approached me, slightly nervous. ¡°Hero! I was getting worried¡­¡±

    ¡°So did I. Is everything ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We could wait a few more minutes to-¡±

    ¡°The minute time is right, begin the show, so people would hurry and find their seat.¡±

    ¡°Certainly, sir.¡±

    As I began to go through the corridors, seeing occasional people who all said something to me as they recognized me, I just searched for the one door. Aldrynte. I gave a good hard knock on it.

    ¡°Yes?¡± a voice echoed from inside.

    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± I said.

    ¡°Come in!¡±

    I opened the door, entered, and closed it behind me. Aldrynte stood up from her make-up table, looking at me. She was wonderful and beautiful. A full red dress together with her red hair made her look fantastic.

    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful,¡± I muttered as I took a few steps closer to her, taking hold of her hand and kissing it.

    ¡°I know,¡± Aldrynte said, smiling. ¡°I had to make sure that I looked the very best.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°Excellent. It will be soon our turn. Are you ready?¡±

    Aldrynte leaned closer to my ear. ¡°It¡¯s not my first time, Hero,¡± Aldrynte whispered.

    I smiled, as well. ¡°But it¡¯s your first official, with me being your patron. It¡¯s the first time you¡¯re the main feature. I hope you¡¯re at least a bit nervous.¡±

    Aldrynte took a step back, smiling. ¡°Maybe slightly. But I¡¯m still ready.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Good,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°I need you to be good since I¡¯m about to piss myself.¡±

    Aldrynte snorted. ¡°Idiot.¡±

    It took us a while until we heard a knock on the door. It was immediately opened after. ¡°Please get ready,¡± the voice said. Both me and Aldrynte nodded, stopping our small talk.

    We walked straight to the backstage, listening to the latest singer. I was even more nervous, heart throbbing.

    Aldrynte hand touched mine, as she took hold of my small finger with her own. ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright,¡± she whispered, smiling at me. ¡°You¡¯re the hero. So there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of.¡± I looked at her, forcing a smile. But she was correct.

    And as the song ended, a man entered on the stage, the very same butler I had talked before. ¡°Ladies, and gentleman. It¡¯s finally time to begin our last, but main performance. And for that reason, I¡¯d like to welcome to the stage, the hero.¡±

    A massive clapping echoed to the backstage. The hall was filled with people, adventurers, and other rich folks. Of course, the introduction was planned exactly like that. I asked him to just introduce me as a hero.

    I looked at Aldrynte one last time, giving her a wink, and finally walking towards the stage, to the stairs that lead me to it, forcing our fingers to be separated.

    All the lights were on me, as every seat, besides the VIP second row, were filled with people. And that wasn¡¯t all since many were standing, looking at me. I raised my hand, slightly, stopping at the very center of the stage. The theater turned quiet, as I was given a fancy-looking stone piece. I pushed it gently on my throat, as it got stuck on it. It was a voice-enhancing stone.

    ¡°Thank you. Thank you!,¡± I said, voice being a lot stronger than ever before. Every person could hear me. Of course, for performers, there were other means to enhance and strengthen the sounds. But for simple speeches, some simpler means were used, if any.

    I looked at the second row, seeing Arryn still there, staring at me.

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I¡¯m truly honored to stand here, on this stage, at the greatest theater in the whole country. But¡­ I only wish I would be standing here just for one reason - music. Of course, this is the main reason, but my other reason is to make an announcement.

    ¡°Many of you know already of the story that happened three weeks ago. A sad story where a goblin infestation got out of control. It was a tragedy, where many got hurt, many got mistreated, and many died.

    ¡°But we still got through it. Two hundred and nineteen goblins were killed, and many were captured. Last time a similar number was spoken was over fifty years ago. And back then, the consequences were a lot bigger. Tens of adventurers died. This time - only a few.

    ¡°But even that could¡¯ve been avoided. And I regret to tell you all this, but this all happened because of the broken system of our adventurer¡¯s guild.¡± As I said the last part, mumbles began to echo. It was mostly platinum adventurers who began to whisper, and most of them were visibly not happy with my declaration.

    ¡°But this is fine. Things that worked a long time ago, might not work today. And that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t step forward and fix this. Change can be uncomfortable. It can be scary. But it is necessary.

    ¡°I feel that many who go to the other side of the wall have forgotten what it feels like to fight for the people. They go to the other side of the wall, fight and kill many demons, and think that they¡¯re doing a great job by keeping the Demons at bay.

    ¡°And they are. But still, some people have problems inside the wall and seek the help which they do not get. And they suffer. And they die. But why should the higher-ranking adventurers care? After all, this is something that lower ones should deal with, right? But should they really deal with it alone? Should they risk their lives unnecessarily? Maybe the higher-ranking should also do some quests that might not be as profitable, but that will directly help the common folk? Maybe it will remind the highest-ranking, why they have become adventurers in the first place? Is it to kill demons, or to help people?¡±

    There was yet another moment of pause, as the whispers traveled throughout the room. ¡°Thus, we are changing some parts of the system of how adventurer¡¯s guild works, mostly touching the higher-ranking adventurers. It¡¯s their responsibility to keep people safe while leading and helping the lower adventurers in the process. It¡¯s no longer all about killing the demons and keeping the wall safe. I assure you, the wall is safe. Only those gold and platinum adventurers who can do that, are allowed to go to the other side of the wall.¡±

    There was a loud whispering throughout the chamber, as expected. I closed my eyes for a moment. It was finally done. It was something that Bill had taught me. It was the least I could do for him. And it was finally time for the other part.

    As I opened my eyes, I looked directly towards Arryn. ¡°A man died three weeks ago. For most of you, merely a boy. We infiltrated a dangerous place and learned things that could¡¯ve to lead to a catastrophe. Maybe to even bigger catastrophe than the demons at the other side of the wall. Yet any of the platinum adventurers failed to see the dangers or the importance of this quest. Maybe because it was a mere goblin slaying. Or perhaps there were more important matters at hand. Yet Bill looked at it, saw the people who were in need of help, and got the quest, together with his two brave companions. And as we neutralized the problem, he sacrificed his life so his companions, and even I, could escape. It could¡¯ve been an unnecessary sacrifice. He could¡¯ve grown up into a great adventurer, saving many other lives. But he didn¡¯t. And I feel ashamed as well since I couldn''t stop him either. He didn¡¯t save just our life, but possible all of your lives.

    ¡°He was a bigger adventurer than any of us.¡±

    I could feel my hand shaking behind my back. I was fighting against the few tears that were trying to sneak out of my eyes. But I stayed strong, standing in place, still looking at where Arryn was.

    ¡°You might¡¯ve noticed that none of the so far presented songs were about people. That¡¯s because there¡¯s only one true hero tonight, and his name was Bill.¡±

    The room was dead silent. I turned around and began to walk towards the stairs, leading off the stage. At the same time, two people passed me, holding a beautiful chair and an instrument. Aldrynte stepped in front of me, just as got off the stairs. She immediately hugged me, kissing me on the cheek. ¡°You did the right thing,¡± she murmured, continuing the walk up the stairs without looking back. ¡°Leave the rest to me,¡± she said.

    And as she entered the stage, there was no clapping, nothing, just silence. Aldrynte took hold of the lyre-guitar and got herself seated on the chair.

    She looked at people, and finally at the VIP level: her father, Arryn, Alice, and Bill¡¯s family. And the notes began to echo in the chamber. It was more of a sad sound if anything else. But the way Aldrynte moved her fingers, her arms were beautiful.

    And then she opened her mouth and began to sing. It was a beautiful voice. I had only heard talks of her voice, but to hear it myself was something different. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was her sound, or because she was a dragon. But none of it mattered. There was no-one better to present that song.

    <hr>

    Here¡¯s a story of a wonderful boy,

    who¡¯s life wasn¡¯t smiles and only joy.

    He¡¯s an adventurer like anyone else,

    Yet nobody cares, shows any respect.

    [Musical interlude]

    From one quest to another, he tries to help,

    seemingly he should be gathering wealth¡­

    ..but there¡¯s no wealth for him to gather.

    There¡¯s no wealth for him to gather.

    The boy leaves others all the coin,

    if others starve, what¡¯s the point?

    [Musical interlude]

    In the midsts of quests, a dangerous awaits,

    yet others ignore - a huge mistake.

    So the boy goes on and takes the quest,

    and the road takes where the goblins infest.

    But it¡¯s too much for his party to handle,

    so the boy feels his tingling life candle.

    And as his light is blown out,

    sacrifice for others, it¡¯s all about.

    [Musical interlude]

    It¡¯s a reminder for many others,

    a truth the boy had uncovered.

    Even though he was truly weak,

    and to many he seemed as a freak

    but he still had more than many would seek,

    things so many could only speak.

    So many things they could only speak¡­

    <hr>

    The people listened. Some of them were in tears. Some platinum adventurers weren''t pleased. They almost felt like they were mocked. But most of them were just listening and appreciating the song. They were mesmerized by the music, by her voice, by the lyrics. And I only hoped that some of them would understand the meaning. I only hoped that it would spread amongst the many.

    It wasn''t a song about the top heroes or adventurers, but a song about the small adventurer, still saving the many.

    And as the song ended, there was no applause. There was sniffing and there were tears.

    Aldrynte stood up and gave a slight bow. As she did that, few tears hit the floor. The moment she had finished the song, she also teared up.

    As I looked at the crowd from aside, I could see Arryn walking down the stairs from the VIP section, tears visible. But her eyes weren¡¯t full of regret, and revenge. There was also appreciation and hope.

    And that¡¯s what we all needed.

    Hope. Hope for the future.

 Chapter 12 - Part 1 (Beginning of Act 2)

    Exhausted, and tired, I managed to sneak to the VIP section just before anyone could really spot me. But as I got past the dwarf, everyone on my floor began to clap. Many joined the clapping as they understood what was going on. But it was mostly only those who I saw still sitting there. I raised my hand awkwardly.

    I took sharp few steps towards Bill¡¯s family, which consisted of a mother, a father, and three children- all girls. Some were almost adults, while others were merely kids.

    ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough. I never expected¡­ any of this!¡± the father immediately said as a family¡¯s preventative.

    ¡°This is nothing. I only wish I could give return you Bill. But I do hope that this will soothe your mourning and pain, even if so slightly.¡±

    Mother took a step forward, giving me a surprise hug. ¡°Thank you,¡± she murmured, taking a step back afterward. Bill¡¯s father reached out his hand. I reached out mine to shake hands.

    As I looked around the father and mother, I could see the smallest two girls hiding behind the mother¡¯s skirt. I knelt down. ¡°I don¡¯t bite. Want to give a hug?¡±

    Both of them looked at their parents, who smiled and nodded. They ran to me, hugging me as well. Well, at least those kids can say that they hugged the hero at school.

    As the kids returned to their parents, I looked at their oldest daughter, and she looked at me, hesitating. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, if you don¡¯t want to,¡± I said, giving her a small smile. The girl blushed slightly, but it was enough of a boost to push her to hug me as well. ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered as well.

    As she got off, she smiled as well.

    As they were walking away, I finally got a look at Elbert and Alice, who were seated in the very same table as last time. Both of them were looking at me, smiling.

    I stepped closer to them, sighing. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be a sad day, you two.¡±

    ¡°But the way you hugged all those kids was so cute,¡± Alice said.

    ¡°It was really awkward,¡± I mumbled.

    Elbert laughed. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it.¡±

    I got myself seated on a free seat, noticing a drink in front of me.

    ¡°For you,¡± Elbert said. ¡°I thought you might come here.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much,¡± I muttered, taking a sip. It was a sweet beverage.

    ¡°Arryn?¡±

    ¡°She left,¡± Alice said immediately. ¡°She asked me to thank you.¡±

    ¡°If it helps you - when she came, her eyes were full of despair. But when she left, she left the despair behind, now full of hope.¡±

    I looked down at the stage and all those seats that were still filled with people, waiting their turn to stand up and leave. It was all over, finally. I turned to look at Alice, who happened to just stare at me. But she had that wide smile on her face. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just proud that you really did it,¡± Alice said. I only snorted.

    ¡°Even I¡¯m impressed and surprised. As a hero, you¡¯ve definitely had the strongest start, compared to any other. And I don¡¯t remember the last time when the theater was that full.¡±

    I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m more surprised that the king and the others agreed.¡±

    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t they?¡± Elbert said. ¡°You saved Cornwall and presented them with a good reason why they should allow the reformation. Perhaps the only surprise was that it got this far as fast as it did.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I had to annoy everyone and all the time,¡± I said, sighing. ¡°But I¡¯m thankful for you and Aldrynte. Without you two... It would¡¯ve been impossible.¡±

    Elbert nodded. ¡°It would¡¯ve.¡±

    I laughed. ¡°Like father, like daughter, I guess?¡± Elbert chuckled, understanding what I meant. ¡°They¡¯ll hate me, for sure,¡± I said after a short pause.

    ¡°Oh, there will be many, for sure,¡± Elbert said, nodding. ¡°But they¡¯ll get used to it. And if anything, you¡¯ll find more support if anything. There probably were many who felt that reformation was needed, but could do nothing. And there are many who got inspired by today¡¯s evening. You might even meet him.¡±

    ¡°Him?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see. I won¡¯t spoil it.¡±

    I took another sip from the drink. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll hope for the best.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°Many heroes in the past have thought of what you did today. But none of them dared to touch the system. It was after all¡­ a legacy.¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Yeah. Sure. I can get behind why some things shouldn¡¯t be changed nor touched. But if something doesn¡¯t work¡­¡±

    I sighed, looking finally at Alice, who was just looking at me, slightly blushing. ¡°Alice?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Nothing!¡± Alice responded quickly, looking away. To be fair, after the clothing she had gotten from Lu, she had begun to wear slightly more revealing clothing. But nothing crazy. Just more revealing and¡­ pretty? It also helped that both Arryn and Alice got a crazy amount of coins for the quest, so she could buy them.

    ¡°What are you up to now? If I understood correctly, your party-¡±

    ¡°...is done for,¡± Alice finished it for me, giving me a weak - but sad - smile. ¡°Arryn apologized and said that without Bill there¡¯s no party, and then there are things she needs to do. Of course, without me. And me alone is no longer a party,¡± she continued, sighing.

    I frowned. I wanted to say something. Anything. But there wasn¡¯t much I could say. ¡°Have anyone asked you to join their party?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Too many,¡± Alice said, sighing. For a moment, I felt disappointment. ¡°It¡¯s honestly annoying. Suddenly I¡¯m this huge wanted merchandise.¡± She looked away, watching down at the stage. ¡°Yet the only person I¡¯m waiting to ask me isn¡¯t asking,¡± she mumbled very quietly.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Elbert began laughing next to me.

    ¡°What?¡± I said the second time, now looking at Elbert. Yes, I was that dumb and deaf.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Alice said, shaking her head.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Elbert said, shaking her head, as well.

    ¡°Well, first of all, you¡¯re not merchandise. You¡¯re a person.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for clearing that up,¡± Alice muttered, looking still down at the empty stage.

    I frowned, looking at Elbert, seeking for some support. He kept smiling but gave me a sharp nod. I frowned a second time. She was definitely going to decline. Why would she want to join with someone who had gotten their friend killed?

    ¡°Alice,¡± I said, leaning towards her.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± she said, facing me. Suddenly our faces were really close to each other. We both blushed slightly, but I stayed still.

    ¡°If you want to, you could join my party. My party is still awful, and empty, and terrible, and full of weirdos - which means me. And we¡¯ll be doing some very weird things and many weird decisions. And I have no idea what I¡¯m going to do next or in the near future. But¡­ after everything you told me in the¡­¡± - I quickly glanced and Elbert, who was even more amused than before, slightly leaning back to take it all in - ¡°...bath¡­¡± - Elbert¡¯s expression changed, and he got this serious ¡®oh my¡¯ face on - ¡°...I¡¯d love if you¡¯d join the hero¡¯s party. If you want, and you¡¯re willing, that is. I¡¯d¡­ love that¡­ very much.¡± I wanted to kill Elbert. He seriously didn¡¯t even consider giving us two some room. And he was supposed to be this old elder dragon, wise and smart.

    Alice and I looked at each other, both of our cheeks were extremely red. I normally could keep myself in check, hide the blushes, but not this time.

    ¡°I-I-I-I-I-¡± she began, then looked away for a moment, breathing heavily. Finally looked back at me. ¡°I¡¯d love that very much.¡±

    ¡°Aldrynte is going to be sooooo jealous,¡± Elbert murmured at the side.

    I turned my ignited look at Elbert, roasting him with my gaze.

    ¡°Oooh, scary,¡± Elbert said, raising his both hands almost as he was surrendering, eyes almost in tears. He had a truly hard time to keep himself in check.

    I looked back at Alice, cheeks still red. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll look forward to working with you.¡±

    ¡°Likewise!¡± Alice responded quickly and sharply. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll go now. Thank you for everything. I¡¯ll see you later at the adventurer''s guild!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look you up later. Cheers!¡± I responded as fast as she did, standing up and helping her up as well. She began to walk away, leaving me and Elbert behind. I got myself seated, looking at how she was slowly getting further and further away, until she was out of sight, walking down the stairs.

    Elbert burst into laughter the moment she was out of sight. ¡°I can¡¯t believe what I witnessed!¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you give us some room?¡± I said, still blushing, looking at the crying dragon.

    ¡°And miss this? Not even in a million years. Ah,¡± he said, clearing his tears. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to tell this to Aldr-¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t!¡± I hissed, looking at Elbert with deadly eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s a lot better if she notices those sparkles herself, and she feels jealousy for the first time. It¡¯ll be a fantastic thing to see.¡±

    ¡°Are you a demon?¡±

    ¡°No. But I¡¯m a fire dragon. That¡¯s pretty close, I guess?¡± He still had a hard time clearing his tears. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m seeing the beginning of a harem.¡±

    ¡°Harem?¡± I said, raising my eyebrow. My cheeks began to turn red once more. ¡°W-what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a totally normal thing, Hero,¡± Elbert said, nodding. ¡°You¡¯re the hero. You got every girl¡¯s attention. And you have this charm. So they¡¯ll fall in love left and right. And you¡¯re young as well, right? How old were you? Twenty?¡± - I gave him a hesitant nod - ¡°See, you¡¯re the youngest hero of all time. It¡¯s totally fine to fool around. With the title comes women. It is part of your life, now. So go have some fun¡±

    ¡°Fun?¡± I said, looking away. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you-¡±

    ¡°S E X¡±, Elbert didn¡¯t even try to sugarcoat it.

    I laughed, nervously. ¡°And according to you, your daughter is supposedly in my Harem?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Elbert said, nodding. ¡°And it¡¯s even more reason for me to enjoy it. If you end up marrying my daughter, I¡¯ll always be close to your adventurers, and keep an eye on you. As your father-in-law, of course,¡± he said, chuckling once more. Suddenly I felt some shivers going through my body. It felt like I was talking with some kind of boy.

    ¡°Anyway. I have no plans to fool around with women. The world needs saving, after all,¡± I said, as I tried to sound like a hero.

    ¡°Well, I can tell you that much¡­ you don¡¯t want to die as a virgin.¡±

    ¡°I-¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m looking forward to seeing who you end up choosing, and who you will allow joining the race to your heart,¡± Elbert said as he raised his finger. ¡°But we can continue men talk later. Aldrynte is coming. And I have a show to watch.¡±

    ¡°Show?¡±

    He smirked, pointing his two fingers at me and Aldrynte. This old fucker, I thought.

    I frowned and sighed. Somewhere in my mental mind, I made a note to ask serious questions from Lu.

 Chapter 12 - Part 2

    ¡°Gentlemen,¡± Aldrynte said as she arrived, taking a seat at the spot Alice had owned just a few mere moments ago. ¡°I saw Alice leaving. Is she okay?¡±

    Elbert snorted.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Aldrynte said, turning her gaze towards her father.

    I coughed. ¡°Yeah, she left. Everything is over, after all. I stayed so I could thank you, and talk to you about a different matter.¡±

    Aldrynte gave me a sweet smile. ¡°Well. Let¡¯s handle the first part then?¡± There was a moment of silence. ¡°Well?¡±

    I remembered. ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome. It took a lot of effort because someone came to me without long notice. But yey, we did it!¡±

    I nodded. ¡°But I do have to admit, your voice is¡­ beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you,¡± Aldrynte said, giving me yet another smile.

    ¡°You wanted to talk about something else?¡± Elbert finally asked, looking at me.

    ¡°Yes! Do you still have the chest I gave you and asked to safeguard very closely?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± Elbert said, nodding.

    ¡°Well. I need it now. Maybe we should move to your cabinet or something? Somewhere safer, that is,¡± I said, looking at Elbert.

    ¡°We can move to the top floor to reduce the risks? Be assured, I can hide anything you show me with magic. It¡¯s probably a lot more comfortable either way.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± We all stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the top with Aldrynte, then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll catch you in a few,¡± Elbert said.

    And we all walked to the stairs, except Elbert went down, while I and Aldrynte went up. Compared to all the other balconies, the top one was most private. It¡¯s usually meant for important people or meetings. Even during the concert, nobody was allowed to go there. And it was the place I could find Elbert most of the time. It felt like he lived there.

    Of course, the top-level had one problem or perhaps a good thing - depending on perspective; the music from the stage didn¡¯t reach the top balcony that well, which was designed to be like that. The idea was that the stage needed to be more of a noise, not a distraction.

    As we got ourselves seated, we looked at each other for a moment. We couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    ¡°You disappeared very suddenly. Nobody knew where you went. And then you appear a day later with all those news and requests,¡± Aldrynte murmured, looking away from me. ¡°I was.. worried.¡±

    I gazed at her, slightly blushing. I hadn¡¯t expected that. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect any of this either. It was supposed to be a low-level adventure. I didn¡¯t think that I would end up¡­ like this. But maybe it¡¯s good that it did.¡±

    ¡°And that is why you surprise me. I feel nothing from you, yet you... Wait a minute. Oh.¡± She genuinely looked surprised.

    ¡°What?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I feel something from you. This new aura. You have either grown, or you can¡¯t hide your aura that well,¡± she said, smiling.

    It was a surprising moment. Even I didn¡¯t expect to hear that. And then I realized what was going on, or what exactly she was picking up.

    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± I pushed my hand into my pocket and removing my hero¡¯s emblem. ¡°I assume that¡¯s what you¡¯re feeling.¡± I placed the emblem on the table. It was still lit up, slight light reaching around the table. But it was no longer anything strong. At least compared to the time when I had it in the tunnel.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Aldrynte picked it up and examined it. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that they-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not magical. I did this,¡± I said, ever so proudly.

    Aldrynte¡¯s eyebrows rose slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anyone who has power like this.¡±

    ¡°Well, if there¡¯s a power of darkness, there should be light, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the theory,¡± she responded, nodding. ¡°But yet history has recorded not even a single case.¡±

    ¡°Well, I did try to keep it as a secret, but you caught me. I poured too much magic essence into it during the quest. The light still hasn¡¯t disappeared. Might as well let it burn itself out,¡± I said, looking at the emblem, and her hand. I reached out my hand, placing it slowly on top of Aldrynte¡¯s hand, slowly taking the emblem. Her hand was soft, as expected.

    ¡°You¡¯re a mysterious man. Maybe this is why I like you,¡± she said as I took the emblem.

    ¡°You like me?¡± I muttered.

    For the first time, Aldrynte seemed flustered. ¡°Eh, you know, mysterious way and all?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you,¡± I said, smirking.

    Aldrynte frowned. She wasn¡¯t happy by my tease, or perhaps the way she responded to my tease.

    But before she could say anything, Elbert returned, a chest between his hands. It wasn¡¯t a fancy looking chest. Quite the other way around. It looked quite simple. The idea was to keep attention away from it, after all.

    He carefully placed it at the center of the table in front of us and got himself seated at the opposite side. ¡°So, love-birds. Ready to get down to the other business?¡± Elbert asked, smirking.

    ¡°Father!¡± Aldrynte almost hissed.

    He laughed once more. ¡°I couldn¡¯t resist. So, what¡¯s that thing?¡±

    I nodded, taking my emblem and pushing it inside the keyhole which one side was shaped like one side of my emblem.

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Elbert muttered.

    ¡°The keyhole, or the light?¡± Aldrynte asked.

    ¡°Both.¡±

    I turned the key. Sounds of clicks began to sound from inside the chest. It was a special chest that could be only opened by my hero¡¯s badge. It was a thing that was made a long time ago, and many heroes had used it before me.

    Click. And then there was silence.

    ¡°Before I open it, I wanted to ask about it first. Have you ever heard of an object named Elder Heart?¡±

    Both Aldrynte and Elbert looked at me, seriously. ¡°This is a name I haven¡¯t heard for a long time,¡± Elbert whispered. Aldrynte kept staring at the box.

    ¡°I told it to nobody, but this was the true villain¡¯s purpose. He wanted to get his hands on this object. And this is what Bill sacrificed himself for. I managed to get it just before Thomas, the villain, could.¡±

    ¡°Hin told of it to the First Dragon, but never to any of kings. He said it¡¯s an object of greed, and none of the kings could handle it. We were told not to tell of it to any other heroes unless they brought it up themselves. If they did, it would mean it was time. But none of the heroes have. So, we have only told of it from one observer generation to another,¡± Elbert said, leaning back.

    I finally got my hand on top of the chest, pulling it open, I could feel how our surrounding turned darker by Elbert¡¯s magic. He was casting some kind of magic to make sure nobody could see or hear what was happening here. A large seed became visible, carefully paced between some other soft material.

    ¡°The name doesn¡¯t describe the object though. If anything, it¡¯s an abstract name; like a code name. It¡¯s really the Elder Seed. But I would name it even better. The Seed of the Fallen God.¡±

    Both Aldrynte and Elbert looked at the seed, thinking.

    ¡°So I¡¯m aware,¡± Aldrynte said, nodding and gazing at me. ¡°Then the fact that Bill sacrificed his life was no exaggeration. It would¡¯ve been a catastrophe if it had fallen to the wrong hands.¡±

    I stood up, walking to the nearby table, taking hold of a bottle of wine. ¡°May I?¡±

    ¡°They are there for that reason,¡± Elbert responded. ¡°And while you¡¯re at it, be dear, and pour us some too,¡± Elbert''s voice echoed to me. I nodded. I opened the bottle of wine and poured it into three different glasses. I returned with them, placing them on the table, taking a sip from one immediately.

    ¡°There are many questions I want to ask about this seed, and about Hin as well.¡±

    ¡°And we might have some answers,¡± Aldrynte said, taking a sip herself.

    Her hand reached out towards the chest. It almost felt like she was about to take hold of the seed. But instead, she closed the chest. The moment it was closed again, we could hear how clicks began to echo inside, as the chest closed itself. The slight darkness around began to disappear as well. ¡°But we don''t know everything. Hin did give us some information, while some other comes from the first dragon himself. But neither did tell us everything. But I¡¯ll try my best to help you.¡±

    ¡°But the fact that it¡¯s now on this table is a huge problem,¡± Elbert said, looking inside his wineglass. ¡°A lot bigger than you can expect.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°And this is why I am here. I need to talk about it to someone. And I could only think of you two.¡±

    ¡°A wise choice,¡± Elbert said.

 Chapter 12 - Part 3

    ¡°So. Why is¡­ well¡­ this¡± - and I pointed at the chest - ¡°... so dangerous? I heard a few things from the Akagi family. But apparently, Hin didn¡¯t even tell much to his own.¡±

    Elbert nodded. ¡°It was a secret that he couldn¡¯t share. Only some details.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why did Hin replant the seed in the first place? Was the greed just so big? Why didn¡¯t he keep it in a chest, locked, hidden away, and never planted?¡±

    ¡°Because that was impossible,¡± Aldrynte said, taking hold of the glass as well, looking at the liquid. ¡°The seed holds a powerful curse. It wants to be planted. And it will get what it wants sooner or later.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t follow,¡± I muttered. Well, I did have some ideas, but none of them mattered. Aldrynte looked at her father, expectedly.

    ¡°Fine,¡± he said, placing his own glass down.

    ¡°Just like you¡¯re thinking right now, the first plan was to never plant it again. But around three months of it being locked away, Hin began to see dreams of the tree. The tree warned him, telling him to plant the seed. It was like a lucid dreaming; he knew it was a dream, but he wasn¡¯t entirely in control. He could also ask questions and get some answers. But those dreams came always back.

    ¡°More days passed, and he began to sleep even less. Life started to be all about the seed. And the seed did warn him that if he would not break, he would start hurting others too until someone would do it.

    ¡°Of course, Hin discussed it with the observer, Cirgad, and tried to figure out a way to buy some time or keep it locked away. At some point, they even got the seed locked somewhere far away, where no soul lived. But even then, he would see the dreams, getting contacted by the seed. He said that when the seed was on the island, he would see the island in the background, telling exactly where it was located. All he ever felt was the need to find it, and plant it. It was driving him mad.

    ¡°According to the tree, it was a curse from the other gods. Hin and Cirgad became desperate. But they realized that they needed to plant it before Hin lost his mind and had no longer control over it. Once planted, it cannot be unrooted, until the tree gives his seed away willingly.

    ¡°So they thought of every place where to plant. Perhaps hide it on difficult terrain, somewhere on the mountain, making a dragon to protect it. But as they realized how the tree can corrupt someone heart with greed, it was too dangerous. Even if the dragon has a strong will, there was nothing worse than an old dragon who has been overtaken by the greed. History talks of a few such dragons. Stories of dragons gathering an endless amount of gold...

    ¡°There was also an idea of planting it somewhere where no soul lives and just leaving it there. But we knew that someone would find it eventually, even if it was accidental. Someone who flies might see it. It was too risky.

    ¡°Then they thought about how the seed managed to survive on the Barren Lands in the first place? They reached a conclusion, that since the surrounding was corrupted and full of evil anyway, filled with greedy monsters, they didn¡¯t care enough. And the land wasn¡¯t fertile, so the tree could grow only that much. But he did try.

    ¡°And that¡¯s when Hin finally reached the conclusion. He needed to hide the tree but still plant it away from people''s eyes. He needed to make an environment where he could not grow endlessly, but the land was fertile enough so he would keep his promise. He did promise to plant the seed on more fertile land.

    ¡°So, without even telling Cirgad, he began to use his earth magic, creating a place where the seed could grow, but only a limited amount. Perhaps they were lucky that Hin could do the earth magic. He planned it as well as he could, while endlessly working on a secret place, barely sleeping at nights.

    ¡°And then one day, he came to Cirgad, told him that it was done, and he had planted the seed.¡±

    There was a moment of pause. ¡°The cavern makes sense. But why the holes that lead to his place?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know all the details, but there¡¯s speculation that Cigrad told us. The red trees appeared a few years later very convincingly in his family garden. He speculated that it was a necessary calculation for the plan to work. Maybe it was necessary to deceive the tree? But he entrusted the red trees to his own family, to take care of them, to harvest them, and to keep the secrets hidden. At least they could reward themselves from all the wood they sold. Until now.

    ¡°It was chaos when Ceo''ge managed to reveal so In the process. It was hard work to keep them as made up stories, even if Ceo''ge family supposedly ceased to exist later.¡±

    ¡°What was Ceo¡¯ge¡¯s family name?¡± I asked as a side note.

    ¡°Ceo¡¯ge. Well, it became their family name after him,¡± Aldrynte said. I gave her a nod.

    ¡°Hin sometimes told to Cirgad, that the voices never stopped. He would still occasionally

    I nodded. ¡°So, in the end, it wasn¡¯t greed but the necessity.¡±

    ¡°Hin sometimes told to Cirgad that the voices never stopped. He would still occasionally hear whispers of the tree, cursing his name for breaking the promises. But there were never any curses on him. Or at least none we could detect. I only assume that it¡¯s thanks to the fact that he didn¡¯t technically break the promise.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°It also means deceiving it the second time is going to be¡­ a lot harder.¡±

    ¡°For sure,¡± Aldrynte whispered. ¡°It might be even impossible.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°Then again. Can¡¯t we just plant it and say deal with it?¡±

    ¡°Hin said it wouldn¡¯t work. The tree told him that he would either not take root, or it would die before expanding fully, repeating the process. Maybe this is why he needed the tunnel to his garden?¡±

    ¡°How long he had before he planted the seed?¡± I asked.

    Elbert shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t even think of waiting that long. It¡¯s only thanks to his calm mind and rational thinking that he managed to hold on as long as he did. He was a great and calm monk. His ways were good. Till this very day, we can see his culture around the world. And by that, I don¡¯t mean only his children.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°I was very impressed by Lu.¡±

    ¡°But as I said, it took three months before he started to see those dreams and hear whispers. It took a year since he got the plant to finally replant it. But that was a very close call. It took a long time for him to recover afterward. And part of him never recovered.¡±

    ¡°So, I¡¯d say six months?¡±

    Aldrynte sighed. ¡°The seed might be a lot restless this time. It might act sooner than expected.¡±

    There was a moment of pause as I tried to remember the god¡¯s words. ¡°Someplace where I could grow the fruit and be finally free,¡± I said slowly, looking at the ceiling. ¡°Those were his words.¡±

    ¡°A fruit?¡± Elbert muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard anything about fruit. The tree never talked about it.¡±

    ¡°Or Hin decided to never speak of it to Cirgad,¡± I muttered. ¡°But why wouldn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Fruit can mean many things,¡± Aldrynte said.

    ¡°But he said the fruit,¡± I said, looking at her. ¡°It sounds like something very specific. Like it¡¯s a singular fruit. And he did hint that the world is in danger after I asked jokingly if I had to kill a god.¡±

    Both Aldrynte and Elbert looked at me, worried.

    I chuckled. ¡°Either way, it¡¯s a problem we have to figure out within three months. No wonder he was so happy for me to take the seed and help me escape. I wonder why he didn¡¯t let Thomas take its seed instead. He could¡¯ve planted him somewhere better.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s still a god in one way or another?¡± Aldrynte suggested. I looked at her, not fully understanding. ¡°Perhaps, they don¡¯t want to be placed in the wrong hands? What if Thomas abuses the tree in his own way?¡±

    ¡°It is possible,¡± Elbert said, nodding.

    ¡°Either way, thank you. I¡¯ll think of something. Can I leave the seed with you for now?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Elbert said, nodding. ¡°But remember, you removed the seed. It¡¯s connected to you, to your soul.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of curses, the seed told me something interesting,¡± I changed the topic. ¡°It¡¯s also something that I wanted to talk to you about.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Elbert said as Aldrynte barely opened her mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m apparently also cursed. The tree told me because it¡¯s a very¡­ particular one.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Elbert muttered, leaning forward, and taking two long sniffs. ¡°You¡¯re right. You are cursed. But it¡¯s a sneaky one, hiding away, trying to not be found.¡±

    ¡°What? You can smell curses?¡± I asked.

    Aldrynte sighed. ¡°Remember when I told you that every dragon has some kind of power or multiple ones? Besides depending on what type of dragon we are. My father can detect and sometimes even understand the curses.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Right. I do remember that. Why didn¡¯t you smell it sooner?¡±

    ¡°How would you feel if every person I met, I would lean forward and sniff them? It would be even worse if I did it secretly and someone would notice it.¡±

    I chuckled. ¡°Fair enough.¡±

    ¡°Some curses are noticeable. I don¡¯t even need to sniff to smell it. A lot of high-ranking adventurers have a curse or two, just nothing huge that would make their life any way harder. They are also easy to detect or remove. But yours¡­¡± Elbert leaned forward once more, taking another few sniffs. It really did feel uncomfortable. ¡°... yours is very strong. Yet it¡¯s trying really hard to hide itself. Intriguing. To be fair, I can barely detect it. Must be thanks to my age. If I was a hundred years younger, I wouldn¡¯t be able to sniff it out.¡±

    It was time. ¡°Have you ever wondered what¡¯s my name? You keep calling me Hero. Yet you never thought whether it was my real name.¡± Both Aldrynte and Elbert looked at me, slightly confused. ¡°No, my name ain¡¯t Hero. Just confirming it,¡± I said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Aldrynte said, shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ it doesn¡¯t make any sense. Yet I don¡¯t know and never even thought about it.¡±

    Elbert chuckled. ¡°No wonder you felt mysterious. I never considered that your name is different. But it doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Apparently the curse doesn¡¯t allow anyone to know, say, or inquire my name.¡±

    ¡°That sounds, interesting. I want to test it.¡±

    ¡°My name is-¡±

    As I began to say my name, casually, Elwin appeared out of nowhere, having finally reached the top balcony. ¡°Is everything alright? Do you...  Oh my, did I interrupt something?¡± We all stared at him.

    ¡°No. Get us some more quality wine, will you?¡± Elbert said.

    ¡°Yes, certainly,¡± Elwin bowed and walked back to the stairs to go back down.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Elbert said. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ truly intriguing...¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t force you to hear or see it either, or you might lose hearing or sight. Or you might even die,¡± I said, sighing. ¡°Apparently I need to find the one to get the curse lifted.¡±

    ¡°The one, huh. Sadly I can¡¯t help you here. The curse is too unique and strong for me to tell you anything.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°But apparently, if you give me a name, you can use it without worries. As long as I don¡¯t say myself. I can¡¯t really introduce myself in any way.¡±

    ¡°Hiro, huh?¡± Elbert immediately said, leaning back. ¡°No wonder Alice was calling you by that name.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quite catchy, don¡¯t you think?¡± Aldrynte said, smiling.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call you Hiro from now on. Might as well. It¡¯s easier for you as well.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°To be fair, I¡¯ve slowly grown attached to that name as well. So might as well keep it for now. At least until I solve this curse.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps in time, I can also sniff something new. Curses usually have multiple stages or tend to weaken in time. You¡¯re right now young and strong, so the curse follows the suit.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯d appreciate that.¡± I took another sip from the wine glass. ¡°But for now, I have conveyed the information.¡±

    ¡°What are you up to now?¡± Aldrynte asked. ¡°I heard that they want to see you soon in adventurer¡¯s guild.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°There¡¯s also the matter of fire giants and goblins on the other side of the wall.¡±

    ¡°Well, leave all the logistic to me,¡± Elbert said.

    I looked at him. ¡°Are you sure? I mean, it¡¯s a lot¡­¡±

    ¡°I have connections, and I¡¯ve done this forever. Don¡¯t worry about it. You go and¡­ do your hero stuff. And visit us, talk to us. Or else Aldrynte is going to miss you.¡±

    Aldrynte threw a fiery stare at her father.

    ¡°And I would miss you too,¡± he added quickly.

 Chapter 13

    I took a few days off. Just slept, relaxed, read some books - romance books, if you must know - and tried to hide from the public view. I let the guilds do their work. I had already done my part beforehand. While the core of adventurer¡¯s guild stayed the same, there were some major changes. I also hoped that some platinum adventurers would calm down before I showed my face again. I already heard that younger and lower-ranked ones were pretty pleased with the changes.

    But yes, I was afraid of the platinum adventurers...

    But finally, a day came when I couldn¡¯t really push all my appointments further away, without giving a proper explanation. So, I entered the adventurer¡¯s guild, tired, and slightly annoyed. Immediately, I could see Alice waving her hand hard, standing up, and walking towards me from the hall room, smile on her face. She was cute like that.

    ¡°Good morning! Did you rest well?¡± she asked me.

    I noticed Erica, who stared at me. ¡°Yeah, Hiro¡­ did you rest well?¡± she said..

    I gazed at Alice, eyes squinted.

    ¡°Oops. I-I wasn¡¯t supposed to say that out loud, did I?¡± Alice muttered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? I¡¯m like any other human and needed some rest,¡± I said, walking towards the reception. Alice walked next to me. ¡°So, what¡¯s up?¡±

    Erica released a sigh. ¡°Do you want me to get someone important, or are you happy with me and just listen to the request?¡±

    ¡°Whichever is faster and easier,¡± I said without a second thought. After already meeting the council members of the adventurer¡¯s guild, I realized that it was stupidly exhausting to keep up the hero¡¯s image. It was different, almost as every member of the council judged me as an adventurer.

    ¡°Well, remember the rule that every platinum adventurer has to do once a quarter something that will benefit the younger adventuring generation and we kind of decide or give some options for what they could do?¡±

    ¡°Besides doing some lower-ranked missions now and then. Yeah?¡± As I said all of that, I took a peek at the board. The lower-ranked quests were almost all gone. Right now they were rushing to take them to get their requirements done. But I hoped that once it becomes more constant, there should be always some lower-level options on the table. And if there wasn¡¯t, it was only good.

    ¡°Well. You¡¯re also in that category since you¡¯re the hero. So, you also need to do one. And you¡¯re also the example to many.¡±

    I stared at Erica. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Come on, now. You never said in any of those new rules that the hero is out. You said anyone who¡¯s a higher rank than gold... which includes the hero rank, the highest.¡±

    Those fuckers played me. Fuck¡­ Fuck. FUUUCK, I thought.

    ¡°Oh, did I now?¡± I said, smiling.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Erica said, nodding. ¡°But we don¡¯t expect you to fully follow that. After all, you, as a Hero, have a lot of other important matters to attend to,¡± Erica said. ¡°These are guild council¡¯s words, not mine.¡±

    ¡°Alright...¡±

    ¡°So. They ask you to just do this as a demonstration for the first time. And then we¡¯ll see how it goes. Give it a good start. Everyone looks up to you, right now, and the new system is being tested. And you, as the hero who changed it, needs to be at the very front of those changes. At least at the beginning.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Fuck, shit, fuck, shit, fuck!!! I kept thinking. Which brought me some nostalgia. Didn¡¯t I think that in front of the Demon King?

    ¡°Okay, I understand,¡± I said, seemingly calmly as ever. ¡°What do they want me to do?¡±

    ¡°Since from now on the lowest and starting adventurers can only start in the capital, we want you to take our small group of beginners there, stay there for a month yourself, and be a bit of a teacher as well. Give them some lessons, show them some ways, and be just¡­ you. And then you¡¯re free. However, you should remember that the results are important.¡±

    I froze. I had to babysit children now?

    ¡°Since you¡¯re in the party with two other people, and if they agree, they will accompany and help you. Since your third party member can¡¯t be here right now, and it was kind of her idea in the first place, she will join you when you leave. But she already agreed.¡±

    Alice smiled. ¡°A third one?¡± She looks at me.

    I felt sweat gathering. ¡°A third one?¡± I asked, looking at Erica, intensely.

    ¡°What? You didn¡¯t know? Isn¡¯t Aldrynte part of your party? The fire wizard, who also happens to be a bard?¡±

    That woman, I thought. Not that I minded, but she could¡¯ve told me first.

    ¡°Is she now?¡± Alice said out loud, looking at me, smiling. But that smile was different. It was a very passive-aggressive smile. ¡°When did you plan to tell me that?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know either,¡± I said, sighing.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Alice said, thinking. ¡°That does sound like her.¡±

    ¡°It does, right?¡± I said, shrugging, and smiling. Thankfully Alice was nice when it came to common sense and understanding. And perhaps it was good that someone as strong as a dragon was coming along, this time.

    Alice began to chuckle.

    ¡°What?¡± I muttered.

    ¡°I just realized. I¡¯m an ice mage. Aldrynte is a fire mage¡­¡± She giggled once more.

    I couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    ¡°You¡¯ll get more details in the capital city. The king wants to meet you there as well. When you arrive, you¡¯ll get a time scheduled.¡±

    I sighed but nodded slowly. I knew that I could say no, but the council¡¯s points were valid. And the fact that Aldrynte had suggested what to do made it even harder to refuse. She of all people knew about the real big bad evil, which meant that she might have some kind of a plan or good reasoning.

    ¡°You¡¯re okay with this?¡± I asked, looking at Alice.

    ¡°I love children,¡± she said, smiling.

    Erica raised her eyebrows. ¡°I think you misunderstood.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Alice muttered, looking at her.

    ¡°It¡¯s an adventurer¡¯s school. A new thing created by the hero. Kids won¡¯t go there. So it¡¯s full of mostly young adults that want to learn some basics. Just to make their start slightly easier.¡±

    Alice frowned. ¡°Ah, dealing with teenagers or barely out of it is so much pain in the ass. And I¡¯m around their age, but suddenly so much up in the rankings. They will never respect me, and they¡¯ll be so jealous,¡± she said slowly, sighing once more. ¡°Argh.¡± She did get raised to high silver rank after the last quest, which is just below the gold.

    ¡°All adults, huh?¡± I said, smirking.

    ¡°No dirty thoughts!¡± Alice hit me gently to aside.

    I grinned back. ¡°You refused to go out with me. So¡­¡± I showed her tongue.

    ¡°That¡¯s a very adult of you,¡± Alice said.

    I laughed. ¡°I''m the same age as you, slightly older. I¡¯m barely out of the teenager status, so suck it.¡± Which, by the way, made me want to go home and read even more romance books. I needed to get myself in shape. Perhaps Elbert was right, I needed to enjoy my life a bit more.

    ¡°Idiot,¡± Alice muttered, looking away. ¡°Sometimes you¡¯re all adult-like. And then you¡¯re just a kid.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the compliment,¡± I said, nodding.

    ¡°A-ny-way¡­¡± Erica finally said. ¡°Will you accept it?¡± she placed a paper in front of me, with quest and all the other information. ¡°Or do you want to meet with the higher-ups to discuss it, or argue?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, sighing. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go too,¡± Alice said, gazing at me once more.

    Sometimes, it was necessary to be just a kid, so we could survive in this harsh, serious, and cold world. But perhaps it was a good chance to have a vacation that lasted for a month.

    What could go wrong, right?

 Chapter 14 - Part 1

    There weren¡¯t that many people. Only around twenty young ones, together with some experienced who were happening to go to the capital as well, but they were safeguarding us on the way. It was a colony of carts, while me, Aldrynte and Alice had our own horses and were on either front or backline. Sometimes we were together, and sometimes we were separated.

    There isn¡¯t really much to talk about the trip itself. I wish I could say it was full of events and such, but it was quite uneventful. It was a very calm trip from one side of the country to another. But it was a comfortable trip since the road between Kirkwall and Capital has a great and very maintained road.

    In case you didn¡¯t understand that yet; yes, the capital name is Capital. A long time ago, It used to have a few other names, but soon after the contract between many races, the name got changed to the Capital of All Races, or simply known as Capital. It was the moment when all different races united under one big country.

    There are seven large towns on the way to the capital. It¡¯s usually wise to travel from one town to the next and then rest. There are smaller inns and villages as well, but they are usually more expensive since they are meant for those who are in a hurry and just need a place to sleep or quickly eat.

    So, naturally, our plan was also to travel to the capital within seven days, stopping at every bigger settlement.

    To be honest, it was a wonderful trip. I saw a lot more than I had ever seen during my life. Merely a month ago, or so, I had been in the center of the Barren Lands, trapped. I had only seen dark dead soil. There was still some green, but very little. I had never seen as many things that I saw now. Even a trip to Cornwall wasn¡¯t as beautiful as this one.

    I saw things that many others wouldn¡¯t or couldn¡¯t appreciate. There were grasslands filled with flowers and other colorful nature. There were wheatfield, cornfields, ricefields and many other different types of fields. There were just normal forests, filled with birdsongs. There were beautiful rivers and lakes. Some were colorful, while others were yet their own way beautiful. There were more like hillsides parts, and on top of it, we could see further away. And there were moments when we could see mountain tips far-far away.

    And perhaps during the trip, there were three moments to point out, discussions between my companions and¡­ someone else.

    ***

    It didn¡¯t take long after we had begun the trip when Aldrynte casually got her horse next to mine. She looked at me, examining me carefully. I tried to ignore her.

    ¡°You¡¯re mad, for sure,¡± Aldrynte finally said it out. ¡°I wonder what did I do wrong?¡±

    I looked at her, an eyebrow rose. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Really. So, I can¡¯t really think anything that I did wrong. So I can only assume¡­¡±

    I smirked. ¡°Guess away.¡±

    ¡°The fact that I joined your party without asking for your permission?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I said, finally looking at her. ¡°It¡¯s the fact you didn¡¯t tell me that you joined my party. I found it out from Erica, not you. I don¡¯t mind you joining the party at all. Maybe it¡¯s really good that you joined. But I need to know those things, Aldrynte. What if decide something that I¡¯m actually very against?¡±

    Aldrynte looked at me, slightly even surprised. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°This is about trust, Aly. It¡¯s a small thing now, but a huge deal overall,¡± I said.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Aldrynte sighed. ¡°For my defense, I can¡¯t tell you much if you¡¯re pushing all the meeting times further away because you¡¯re busy.¡±

    ¡°But you knew that I stayed in the Platinum Theater?¡± I said. ¡°So, how about, knock knock?¡± I ended up saying the last part a lot louder.

    A louder shout came from behind. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    Dammit, Loid, I thought.

    ¡°Spell!¡±

    ¡°Spell who?¡±

    ¡°Fine. W. H. O. Now shut up, Loid,¡± I shouted. I love that guy.

    Aldrynte giggled next to me. ¡°Well, excuse me, but I didn¡¯t. My father never told me where you stayed. If I had known that you were hiding literally next to my room¡­ And a reminder, I can¡¯t feel your presence either.¡±

    Suddenly I had a flashback. I remembered telling Elbert to not tell anyone that I stayed in his theater. I was slightly embarrassed. ¡°Of course, now I can count on him. Your father is a very weird man, you know that?¡±

    Aldrynte nodded. ¡°But he¡¯s a fantastic man. He definitely enjoys his life as much as he can,¡± she said.

    ¡°But anyway, I heard also that you suggested the trip, and that I should be the teacher for a month?¡± I said, looking at her. Of course, I couldn¡¯t admit my mistake there.

    ¡°Yes. I did,¡± Aldrynte said, nodding. She didn¡¯t give me any other answers, which frustrated me.

    ¡°I wrote you a poem. Want to hear it?¡± I said, very suddenly.

    ¡°Well, knowing you now a bit more, and knowing your sense of humor, and also knowing the topic and the tone of your voice, I¡¯d assume that it¡¯s going to be an ironic poem. But I¡¯m all ears.¡±

    I smiled.

    <hr>

    ¡°12 months to kill the demon king,

    12 months to kill the demon king,

    Get a heart, save the world,

    11 months to kill the demon king.

    11 months to kill the demon king.

    11 months to kill the demon king.

    Go teach some students, waste some time,

    10 months to kill the demon king.¡±

    <hr>

    I was a lot quieter as I said all those lines. Aldrynte, however, couldn¡¯t help but giggle and start laughing.

    ¡°We all have to start from somewhere, I guess,¡± she said, moving her tongue over her lips. ¡°You just need some guided practice¡­¡±

    ¡°That sounds very¡­ inviting, but no thank you.¡±

    ¡°Your loss,¡± Aldrynte said. Her horse got even closer to mine, as her next words were a lot quieter. ¡°Hiro, listen. The very reason why we are doing all of this is because of that poem. It¡¯s part of the preparation,¡± she looked at me, smiling, her dragon eyes were charming as ever. Of course, only I could see her eyes.

    ¡°Plus, you remember the agreement incorrectly. We never talked about killing the Demon King when the time is up. We talked about taking the next steps. That¡¯s when we¡¯ll start telling the truth about the mountain to the public, and that¡¯s we¡¯ll start gathering forces. Until then, It¡¯s your job to prepare everyone as much as possible. It can be from finding allies to¡­ teaching the future adventurers many things, which might be needed in the days to come. You¡¯re a very motivating hero. Use your skills. The adventurer¡¯s school lasts for 10 months, so those who enter right now will be fresh out of the oven when the time comes.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Do I want the new ones there, though?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll want every willing person. Even the weak adventurers can have their own uses,¡± Aldrynte said. Her horse got even closer, as she literally leaned her head against my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m actually surprised that I even have to do this monologue. You, who just now inspired the entire country with Bill¡¯s sacrifice shouldn¡¯t need it. Or perhaps this is exactly why you need it...¡±

    There was a moment of silence. ¡°I know you¡¯re gone through a lot, and you¡¯re probably very stressed out. But I believe in you. You can do it. You have to believe in yourself, and think how you can turn all of it into your advantage.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Aldrynte said, grinning. ¡°I¡¯m always right.¡±

    I shook my head, slowly. ¡°Like father, like daughter.¡± I looked at the side. She was still leaning against me, eyes looking up into mine.

    Aldrynte grin turned into a shining smile. ¡°Maybe this is the huge part of us, dragons. We are very confident. Sometimes it can be even our downfall.¡±

    I smiled and leaned my head slightly against her head.

    And as a by the way, I have no idea how Aldrynte managed to lean against my shoulder while riding horse perfectly fine next to mine. But she was either truly great at horse riding or because she was a fucking dragon.

 Chapter 14 - Part 2

    We didn¡¯t really have much of a chance to talk with all the new adventurers that were sent to the capital, at least during when we traveled from Kirkwall to the first town for the night. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want to, but more like I couldn¡¯t. Many others wanted my attention, and some shared some information about the whole trip. Of course, I could feel how I was looked at, but weirdly enough, I had gotten used to it.

    So, the first moment when I could talk to the young new future was at the first inn we stopped at. It wasn¡¯t anything special. We bought some drinks, I talked, and then they talked. Not everyone could hold their booze, so some of them were dragged away very soon, while others stayed to talk for a longer time.

    But it was evident that groups began to appear, and me, as a hero, didn¡¯t really belong into any of them. Mostly because I was the hero. Funnily enough, Alice and Aldrynte were nowhere to be seen either, so I ended up sitting in a two-chair table alone, slurping my beer slowly.

    But I wasn¡¯t alone for a long, as a woman got herself seated in front of me. She looked very familiar, yet I had a hard time remembering who she was. She had a longer and darker brown hair, slightly wavy. She wasn¡¯t that tall either. But her facial was more familiar if anything.

    ¡°Hello. Is this seat taken?¡± she said with her strong voice.

    ¡°No, be my guest,¡± I responded a moment later, leaning back, trying to think where I had seen her.

    ¡°I think we have met before?¡± I said, looking at her.

    ¡°Eh, I¡¯m offended,¡± she said, leaning slightly back, doing a shocked face. But just a moment later, she began to smile. ¡°We have. Bill was my brother, and we met just before we left the Platinum Theater.¡±

    And that¡¯s when I remembered. ¡°You¡¯re the shy one!¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± she said, this time leaning forward. ¡°I was in a place with a full of famous and known people. Give me a break!¡±

    I laughed. ¡°You¡¯re right! You¡¯re right¡­¡±

    ¡°But everything you said, and what Bill had achieved made me think. So I decided to apply to the adventurer¡¯s school, and surprise-surprise I got accepted. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s because of me, or because of my brother¡­¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I understand. And I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they chose you because you¡¯re his sister.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you should be saying any of that?¡± she asked, grinning.

    I shook my head. ¡°Maybe not. But I don¡¯t really care. If anything, it¡¯s your opportunity. Use it well,¡± I said.

    She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I also thought. I can¡¯t let his sacrifice be in vain!¡± she said, raising her hand and showing a muscle. ¡°But I do miss him.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    She sighed. ¡°Perhaps barely talking with him for many years made it easier for me to accept it. Or maybe this is why I¡¯m doing this, searching for some answers¡­¡±

    ¡°Mourning takes time, even if you go on with your life,¡± I said, looking at her. ¡°Even after many years, you might still discover that you¡¯re mourning.¡±

    ¡°Have you lost anyone?¡± she asked.

    A moment of silence followed. Then I finally nodded. ¡°Mother and father.¡±

    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I said, giving her a weak smile.

    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry. I never introduced myself, did I? I¡¯m Aurora,¡± she said, putting her hand out.

    ¡°I¡¯m-¡±

    A glass shattered against the ground as I said my name. It came from the group of fresh adventurers, who were now moaning. I smiled. The one, huh.

    ¡°Hiro, was it?¡± she said, almost pretended as that¡¯s what I had said.

    ¡°Yes. You can call me by that name,¡± I said, reaching my hand out as well, and shaking it. ¡°Aurora Cornfield, huh?¡±

    Aurora leaned back, slightly blushing. ¡°Eh, you knew my family name? Well, you probably knew Bill¡¯s family name, which is also mine. This is so embarrassing.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    I grinned. ¡°Well, your family name is safe with me, if you want to.¡±

    ¡°Yes, please. I don¡¯t want others to really know. I just¡­ this is so not adventurer¡¯s family name,¡± she said as she looked away, trying to hide her face. It was funny because Bill didn¡¯t even try to hide his family name, even if he had a bad history with Cornwall. If anything, he used it to help the poor, telling them that he was the same. The same family, yet there are many differences. Or perhaps she had to discover herself why Cornfield was a good adventurer¡¯s family name.

    ¡°So, I heard that you¡¯ll be teaching as well?¡± she said.

    I sighed. So the word was already spreading. ¡°I am, yes,¡± I said, nodding. I was not amused.

    ¡°Well. I¡¯m really looking forward to those classes. I hope you¡¯ll teach me a lot.¡± I blushed for a moment. It was a moment of realization. ¡°Y-yeah, sure. I-I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Why the hell was I nervous? Why was I blushing?

    Elbert¡¯s words went through my mind, as I had to look away to hide my flustered face. Stupid Elbert, pushing those indecent thoughts into my mind. Now that I looked at Aurora, she looked pretty cute as well. And then I screamed in my mind. What was I thinking?

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Aurora asked as she looked at me.

    I stood up, quickly. ¡°Well, I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going to sleep!¡± Like a machine of some sort, I turned around and walked away. ¡°Put it on my tab!¡± I shouted.

    ¡°Sure,¡± the barman responded.

    Aurora eyed my every step, smiling. I could see her gray eyes looking at me, as I did a sharp turn to walk towards the stairs. I was still a kid.

    ***

    Funnily enough, it was the very same evening when someone knocked on my door. I casually walked towards the door, thinking maybe it was Aurora. Or maybe it was Aldrynte with another long speech?

    But as I opened the door, there was the third one. I even wanted to avoid her, for some unknown reasons. Alice stood there, looking at me. ¡°Hey! Got a minute?¡± she said.

    ¡°Of course,¡± I responded, making room for her to pass, and closing the door behind her. She casually walked to the center of the room, looking around, and finally got herself seated on the edge of my bed. She turned to face me.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I asked, after a short pause, leaning against the wall.

    ¡°W-what are you going to do about the teaching?¡± she asked, looking at me. ¡°I mean, I know how weak you are. You can¡¯t train them. You can¡¯t even show them your magic!¡±

    ¡°Ouch, that hurt,¡± I said as I hid my face for a second. Then, I smiled. Sometimes her stuttering still showed, at least when she was really nervous. I got myself seated next to her, leaning against the wall.

    ¡°There are more ways to teach them than the physical... or showing them my magic. I can just¡­ talk?¡± She looked at me, almost like I was crazy. ¡°Plus you¡¯ll be at my side to demonstrate, aren¡¯t you?¡± The staring continued, but this time she squinted, just slightly.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do everything, you know? There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll show off my shadow arts, for example,¡± she said, looking at me. ¡°Very few know of it!¡±

    I nodded. ¡°But you can show off your ice. Plus, it¡¯s good training for you as well,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°Plus, every hero needs a learning arc,¡± I added.

    ¡°W-what? This isn¡¯t a book, Hiro. Plus, you¡¯re going to teach, not to learn!¡±

    Tch, tch, tch! I made the sounds, raising my finger, moving it from one side to another. ¡°This is where you¡¯re wrong! As Aldrynte said, I need to use the opportunity. I might just enter an interesting lesson - while pretending to be just checking it out, evaluating the teachers, perhaps - but in reality, I¡¯m learning!¡± It sounded a lot more dramatic than I had intended. ¡°That might make them work even harder! Beggars aren¡¯t choosers, Alice.¡±

    For once, I was happy that I could talk with someone as things really were. I couldn¡¯t tell her everything, but she knew my true strength. She was like my secret confession room, with whom I could talk about all those secrets I had to keep.

    Alice sighed. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just worried. Sometimes I regret that I did your magical essence evaluation. If I wouldn¡¯t know, I probably wouldn¡¯t really care if you did okay, or not,¡± she said. She barely managed to open her mouth again before I intercepted.

    ¡°That¡¯s cold,¡± I said, not noticing that she tried to say something else.

    She bit her lips, gently. ¡°I¡¯m a cold wizard. So you have to chill,¡± she said, giving me a grin.

    I smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve changed. A lot.¡±

    ¡°You think so? Others tell me that too.¡±

    ¡°For starters, I like that you kept those clothes Lu gave you. Makes you look really nice. But you¡¯re really¡­ amazing,¡± I said.

    Alice blushed, getting herself stand up. ¡°Well. It¡¯s time I¡¯ll go to sleep. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± She slowly walked towards the door, showing me her back.

    She¡¯s pretty. And she¡¯s smart. And- I thought, trying to keep myself in check. She opened the door, leaving the room, looking back one last time.

    Those lips, and that smile. It¡¯s so-

    She closed the door, leaving me alone in the room. I frowned. ¡°Damn you, Elbert,¡± I mumbled, finally lying down on my bed and looking at the ceiling.

    Are these butterflies? Is this love? I don¡¯t understand. Yet I felt similar things against Aldrynte as well. Was it because I was just experiencing my real teenage years?

    But I was the hero. I needed to contain myself. It was important that I did all of that. There was no time for games. I needed to focus on the real things that mattered.

    And after a while, I finally fell asleep, having a slightly restless night.

    ***

    And as I said, the remaining week was uneventful. It was mostly full of small talks with many. I got to know some other adventurers, and I did talk with Aurora surprisingly a lot. But in some sense, I wanted to already get to the capital, so I could focus on other things.

 Chapter 15 - Part 1

    The Capital.

    The wonderful city of beginnings and ends. It¡¯s the place where one¡¯s adventure begins. Especially now when it has been made official. It¡¯s the place where you see races of many. And if you need something, you¡¯ll probably find it there since it¡¯s where all the trade goes through.

    It¡¯s a large city, originally built at the top of the slowly rising hill, and not only for its defensive position but also for the view.

    At the very top of the hill is the castle, beautiful and bright, built from the whitest stones from Kul Tarum. The history says that the walls used to be red, but after the alliance between humans and dwarves, the dwarves gifted humans all those stones. They were all used for renovation. The top-level was where the richest lived, enjoying their life. It¡¯s also the most guarded layer.

    There was another layer of the wall, made from also white stone, but not as bright as the castle. It was from a different kind of white stone, altogether. Even richer, but also many institutions were placed there. It was also where the adventurer¡¯s guild headquarters was at.

    Then the hill began to slowly stabilize, and few rivers ran through the city. There were no more walls, but there was more city than the above layers together. And it was still expanding. After The Wall was built, leaders and builders of Capital no longer saw the need to build yet another layer of the wall. It was no longer necessary for survival. But later they might have come to regret it, as it helped to keep order and check who entered what layer.

    The view of the whole city was interesting altogether. While the top layer houses were mostly built from the simpler white stone to keep the theme, only having red roofs, the bottom level was full of many colors. Only the roofs were made of same or similar color. Most were still made of cheaper stone, but as you got further away from the center of Capital, more wood was used. It was, without a doubt, the largest city to exist.

    It went without saying that the schools were placed after the first wall, where the richer people lived. So we moved through the first layer of town, looking at how people moved and did their own things, just to reach the second layer. There were many who examined us. Some even recognized me. But it seemed that most people were too busy to notice. Plus, I didn¡¯t wear the super-fancy armor that I had worn during the ceremony when I had made into a hero. Too much attention.

    As we walked past the first gate, the streets stopped being crowded immediately. But the stares were more noticeable. More people recognized me. It was evident that the higher-caliber and richer people would learn the face of their new hero. But compared to the lower level, they barely showed any emotion, only whispers.

    But we kept moving, till we reached a certain section of the town. It was the new campus - filled with a lot more space and grass. I didn¡¯t even want to ask how they made such space in there and in such short notice.

    The buildings on the campus were separated into many different sections. There were dormitories, where adventurers could lodge in. Then there was a library, which was still under construction, left as the last thing to be completed. And then there were few buildings full of classrooms.

    But all of the buildings still need some or a lot of visible polishing. They were just done a lot later. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    A lot of younger people walking around, excited. It seemed that at least dormitory was ready and in use. Many looked at me, recognizing me. At least most of the adventurers had finally begun to realize who I was. I bet there were drawings of me circling around.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Alice muttered, looking at me. ¡°This is impressive. And in only a few weeks, if I recall?¡±

    ¡°That sounds so unrealistic,¡± I muttered, giving them a smile.

    It was Aldrynte who broke our bubble, amused by our reactions. ¡°Well, a lot of things can be done very quickly, if a lot of resources are poured into it. The biggest resource being the magical essence recovery potions.¡± She looked at me, wondering if I picked it up.

    ¡°So, they have constructors who can build this really fast, using their magical essence? But instead of the usual sleep to recover, they are given potions instead?¡±

    Aldrynte nodded. ¡°There¡¯s still a limit how much one can abuse the potion. But for really fast construction, it works. But as I said, it¡¯s a very-very expensive undertaking. All of this town¡¯s renovation and the fact that this city has grown as big as it is is all thanks to the sorcerers who became constructors. It¡¯s also the main reason why there are so few earth elemental adventurers.¡±

    ¡°Shit, that makes sense,¡± I muttered, nodding. ¡°How rare is the earth magic in the first place?¡± I asked, looking at Aldrynte.

    ¡°Eh? Well. I¡¯m not sure. I know that earth and air are more of a rarity. And fire and ice are a lot more known. But the last two are used in combat if anything. If we don¡¯t count all the other possible elements.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Fire and Ice are not that rare?¡± I said, chuckling, peeking at both Aldrynte and Alice, and then finally looking away, still grinning.

    ¡°Idiot,¡± Aldrynte and Alice said at the same time. Those women had made an alliance. I knew it!

    As we continued walking past the library, we all saw how a bunch of stones began to move up from a pile. As they moved, they began to change into multiple perfect tile pieces, until they all landed on the roof, ready to be used. We could see two men, full of sweat, at the bottom of the building, talking.

    ¡°Wind is also used very often in the construction. Sometimes they can help earth out, to use less magical essence. But they are used mostly to reduce the physical work, as you saw right now,¡± Aldrynte said as we all walked past the library building towards the dormitory.

    ¡°But I have to admit, it¡¯s impressive,¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°They probably have spent countless of hours to perfect the brick-magic,¡± Alice said, making us all chuckle.

    As we reached and stopped in front of the most active house, everyone began to get off the carts, gathering their belongings and supplies. It didn¡¯t take a lot of time before an older man began to speed-walk towards me.

    ¡°Hero!¡± he said as he reached us. ¡°And you two must be Aldrynte and Alice?¡± We all shared a sharp nod. ¡°Welcome to Bill¡¯s University of Adventuring.¡±

    ¡°Whoaa,¡± Aurora moaned as she got off the cart as well, happening to hear it. ¡°I¡¯m so fucked,¡± she muttered as she stepped away from us. I chuckled for a moment.

    ¡°Was that-¡± the older man mumbled, but then just shook his head. ¡°We are very pleased that you¡¯ve arrived. I hope the travel was safe?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°There were no problems.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. I¡¯d love to show you around, but right now I¡¯m only a bearer of some news. Your majesty, the king, would want to see you at once.¡±

    ¡°I assume I can take my companions with me?¡± I asked, slightly rolling my eyes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if they will be allowed to enter the main hall, but you can certainly try,¡± the man said.

    Of course it had to begin with diplomacy, and with the king none-the-less. I looked at Aldrynte and Alice, giving them a slight nod. Alice was visibly nervous, while Aldrynte just returned me a nod of her own.

 Chapter 15 - Part 2

    If I¡¯m completely honest, I don¡¯t remember much about the palace itself. At least when I was here for the very first time. I had too much adrenaline running through my blood to remember it all. But those few hazy memories that I do have were all about white. And it was true. All the walls were pure white. There wasn¡¯t probably even a single spot that would¡¯ve been even slightly dirty. Even the furniture itself was usually made of lighter colors.

    All the hallways were wide, leaving a lot of room to move. Of course, there were also a lot of guards... Everywhere¡­

    We were lead straight towards the throne room, but just before reaching it, we were stopped by a person I could still remember.

    ¡°Captain?¡± I muttered, looking at the guy.

    The captain¡¯s smile widened immediately, as he walked towards us. ¡°Hero!¡± he said, stopping in front of me. He immediately reached out his hand to shake my hand intensely. ¡°I¡¯ve already heard many great things about you!¡± he said, enthusiastically.

    I gave him one of my weak laughs. ¡°Yeah, I guess?¡±

    Aldrynte coughed.

    ¡°Yeah. What¡¯s up?¡± I said, looking at him, changing the topic. ¡°Anything to tell me before entering the throne room?¡±

    ¡°The King and The First Elf are ready to accept you,¡± the captain said, starting to walk towards the throne room. I followed.

    ¡°Qildor? Why is he there?¡± I asked straight away, slightly surprised.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was only asked to get you two straight to the throne room.¡±

    Alice sighed. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll-¡±

    ¡°No!¡± I interrupted. ¡°You¡¯re coming with us!¡± Aldrynte gave me a stare. ¡°What? She¡¯s in our party now. And I do trust her.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Alice said, hurriedly. ¡°I¡¯ll-¡±

    ¡°Come on... If it¡¯s really something that you can¡¯t be around for, we¡¯ll ask you to leave,¡± I said, looking at the captain afterward. ¡°It¡¯s fine, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I was asked to lead only you two into the throne room.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Hiro. Just go! I¡¯ll wait outside,¡± Alice said, giving me a smile.

    I frowned. ¡°Fine.¡±

    We reached two large doors, the only things that were full of fancy golden carvings. They were immediately opened by the two guards who were keeping a watch. Me and Aldrynte entered, while Alice and Captain stayed behind, looking at us.

    ¡°This is stupid,¡± I frowned.

    Aldrynte sighed. ¡°It¡¯s really not. We need to talk about things without worrying about what we have to say. Sometimes you¡¯re like a kid, Hiro. Think.¡± I rolled my eyes, like a kid.

    We reached in front of the throne where King Rowley was sitting. Next to him stood Qildor, finishing his final quiet sentences.

    ¡°Hero!¡± the king said as we stopped, giving me a wide smile. ¡°I¡¯m very pleased about your work of late.¡±

    I gave him a slight bow, Aldrynte following my lead. ¡°I¡¯m very thankful for all the trust you¡¯ve placed in me.¡±

    Rowley gave me a dismissive wave of his hand. ¡°Sometimes changes are necessary. And you¡¯ve proved yourself more than trustworthy. I can¡¯t wait to see what you¡¯re going to achieve in the future.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    I gave him a nod, trying to hold my smirk down. I couldn¡¯t help but enjoy the compliments.

    ¡°Can we get down to the business?¡± Qildor finally interrupted, looking at Rowley.

    ¡°Yes, of course. Hero, it wasn¡¯t really me who summoned you, but Qildor. I¡¯ll let him explain,¡± Rowley said, leaning comfortably back.

    Qildor took a step forward, coughing once to get his throat clear. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a coincidence that you happened to get a teacher¡¯s job, or why this school was approved and built with haste.¡±

    I already frowned. It had come to me as a huge surprise that this project was moving as fast as it was. But I never really spent too much time questioning it, until I heard about the summons. Somewhere I still hoped that the summons was just a coincidence.

    ¡°We communicated with Aldrynte, and she - as an observer - recommended taking this approach. This way it seems that you¡¯re here for the school, at least for the public eye.¡±

    I sighed, heavily. ¡°And what¡¯s the real reason?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Something is happening in The Capital. Mystical disappearances. Sometimes some bodies are found. Some of the dead are the common folk, while others are important figures. We - as the protectors of our country, Dehod - have tried to find the source of the problem, but we haven¡¯t been successful.¡±

    I smirked. ¡°You haven¡¯t been successful in many things of late. The mine incident should¡¯ve been the protectors¡¯ job too.¡±

    ¡°And once we heard about it, we did come. I think you misunderstand our job, though. We¡¯re still counting on adventurers to take care of some of the problems, especially when it comes to monsters. In the end, we are not monster slayers, but the ones who keep the law.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°So, you¡¯re assuming that whoever does the killing in The Capital is a monster?¡± I asked.

    Qildor shook his head. ¡°Probably not. We do not know. But now that you¡¯ve redirected a lot of young new adventurers here, the importance of safety has increased a lot.¡±

    ¡°Then why the school project? Why approve it?¡± I asked.

    It was Aldrynte who opened her mouth next. ¡°To keep the young new adventurers in one place, and to guard them all at once. It¡¯s a double-edged sword situation, but there are fewer risks. It will also keep them occupied and not make them do anything stupid.

    ¡°It also reduces suspicion. Everyone knows that the hero is supposed to be in Kirkwall. Now you have a good reason to be here for a while,¡± Qildor explained. ¡°To be fair, we are not asking you to solve the problem. We are still doing everything we can to figure out who¡¯s behind the murders and disappearance,¡± Qildor continued, looking at me. ¡°But we are asking you to keep an eye out and keep students safe. But if you can figure something out, it would definitely help us. However¡­¡±

    There was a moment of silence. ¡°However?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We¡¯ve recently found out that the murderer, or we like to call him now as an assassin, is very interested in your whereabouts.¡±

    Aldrynte¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me anything about that!¡±

    ¡°As I said, it¡¯s the newer information. Maybe the assassin heard about you coming to the capital and has reacted to it. It¡¯s the first information we¡¯ve gotten about the assassin in the long while as well. To be honest, we hoped that your coming would get a reaction out of that mysterious killer. And it did. We now know that it¡¯s probably an individual.¡±

    ¡°We need some guards with the hero all times!¡± Aldrynte said.

    I raised one of my eyebrows. ¡°Aldrynte?¡±

    ¡°Seriously, Assassin isn¡¯t a joke,¡± she said, her arms crossing. ¡°Even if you¡¯re good, you can¡¯t do anything if your throat gets slit during the night while you sleep. Even the strongest can fall. And they already have fallen, as I heard.¡±

    She was right, however... ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said, keeping up my composure. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time since-¡±

    ¡°Shush you. You¡¯re right now a hero that has built a huge reputation. All eyes are on you. It would be very bad if you would suddenly get assassinated. You will have guards! No exceptions. At least during the night.¡±

    I sighed, looking at Qildor. It seems that both Qildor and Rowley were smirking. It made me even more annoyed.

    ¡°Anything else?¡± I asked.

    Qildor shook his head. ¡°Just that. What you do with that information is up to you. But do be careful. There¡¯s a reason why Aldrynte got assigned to your party.¡±

    I looked at Aldrynte, eyes squinted. She raised her one hand as an apology. ¡°Sorry, I wasn¡¯t allowed to tell you anything until now,¡± she whispered.

    I sighed, finally giving everyone a nod. ¡°I understand. But never lie to me again. I¡¯m a hero. It¡¯s not like I can or will run away.¡±

    Qildor shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s that we can¡¯t allow any possibility of information leak. Your coming here for the teaching had to seem genuine. So until you got here, we had to keep you in the dark.¡±

    ¡°Fine~!¡± I said, slightly annoyed. But I understood why they did so. Not that long ago, I had lied about myself to a bunch of adventurers as well.

    I only wish it had been one month vacation, but of course, the destiny had to disagree with me. Now I had to worry about three things, instead of one. Thank you very much, fate.

 Chapter 15 - Part 3

    ¡°An assassin?¡± Alice couldn¡¯t help but hiss. Aldrynte visibly rolled her eyes, not happy that I had just told her almost everything. ¡°That¡¯s really bad, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s very bad. Mostly because so many adventurers are already dead and nobody still has any idea who¡¯s the culprit. All of this makes it really worrisome,¡± Aldrynte followed up.

    We were all walking slowly away from the palace towards the exit of the castle. Our business was concluded, and to be honest, I just wanted to snooze off. The day was already too long.

    ¡°You need guards by your side, Hiro!¡± Alice said, looking at me, eyes showing worry.

    I frowned. ¡°None of the attacks has happened during the day,¡± I said it out. ¡°So I feel rather safe during that time. I¡¯ll be fine!¡±

    ¡°You mean any of the attacks you know of,¡± Aldrynte said, rolling her eyes once more. ¡°You should have some kind of guards at least during the night.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so worried about me in the first place?¡± I asked, looking at Aldrynte. I was slightly irritated. Recently everything that I took part in really tried to screw with me.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Aldrynte said, stopping immediately. I stood still as well, looking back at her. ¡°Are you saying that I can¡¯t be worried? You¡¯re being targeted by an assassin, dammit!¡±

    ¡°Well, you can, but why do you care?¡± I mumbled. ¡°You¡¯re only supposed to be an-¡± I stopped talking. It was something that Alice wasn¡¯t supposed to know. But Aldrynte understood very well what I was about to say.

    Aldrynte took one step closer to me. ¡°Hiro¡­ You¡¯re my patron. You¡¯re a fresh hero, who is a symbol to many. And you¡¯re my friend?¡± She stepped even closer. ¡°Maybe even more than a friend,¡± she whispered. She released a sigh. ¡°And right now, you¡¯re my party member. Isn¡¯t it natural to be worried about you?¡±

    Alice looked at us, slightly worried. She occasionally wanted to say something but didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Aldrynte has a point, you know?¡± she muttered.

    ¡°I can¡¯t be protected at every moment, Aldrynte. I can¡¯t hide, not forever,¡± I said. I leaned slightly forward. ¡°Unless you¡¯re planning to sleep in the same bed as me, I¡¯m not going to be safe all the time,¡± I whispered jokingly.

    Aldrynte sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out,¡± she said, walking past me. I looked at her for a moment and followed her.

    <hr>

    For the remaining day, we went back to the campus and began to talk with the other teachers. We learned about the campus itself and discussed what my role as a teacher would be. For once, I was very aggressive with my wishes, making my lessons as special. The idea was that others were already teaching the more basic stuff, so I could choose what to teach. The truth, however, was a lot simpler than that; I really had no idea what to teach, so I needed some time.

    So, finally, after a long day, I was going to my room which was separated from all the others. I had been there several times already. As I saw the door leading to my room, I was surprised. There were no guards in front of it. Immediately, my hand touched my sword¡¯s belt, pulling the sword out, just slightly. I was now in full alert.

    Sweat began to gather. Were the guards killed? There were supposed to be some guards. Why was it so quiet? Should I leave while I can? Was the assassin in there, waiting? No. An assassin wouldn¡¯t make a mistake like that.

    Slowly I walked towards my room, every step being as quiet as possible. I could feel my heart beating faster than normal. As I reached the door, I put my hand on the handle, slowly and quietly pulling the door open. My other hand still rested on the handle, not that it mattered that much. I would die either way.

    ¡°Hello there,¡± a sweet voice echoed throughout the room, straight from my bed. I recognized that voice immediately, which made me even more annoyed. I pushed my sword back into the sheath and stepped in, closing the door behind me, and locking it just in case.

    I stopped in front of the bed, looking down at the person lying on it. ¡°Aldrynte,¡± I said, trying to smile. She was under the blanket, seemingly all naked. ¡°I feel weird asking this¡­ but¡­¡±

    ¡°For my defense, it was all your idea,¡± she mumbled, slightly biting her finger. Never I would¡¯ve imagined that I would find myself in such a situation like this; A dragon naked in my bed, waiting for my arrival. ¡°Come on, I won¡¯t bite!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± I said, visibly facepalming. ¡°You know that I was joking, right?¡±

    ¡°I know. But it was a great idea. Getting guards in front of your door is a straight giveaway. So, instead, I¡¯ll keep the guard. With my senses, I¡¯ll notice immediately if someone would try to assassinate you during your sleep.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    I opened my mouth a few times, then closed. I was speechless. One thing was certain, she used the situation for her advantage. ¡°Aldrynte¡­¡±

    ¡°Come on. Are you really saying that you aren¡¯t enjoying this?¡±

    ¡°Your cockiness is really annoying sometimes,¡± I said immediately, crossing my hands. She was, of course, absolutely right. I was enjoying this view.

    ¡°Come on. If I want to write poems and songs about you, I need to explore¡­ every¡­ part¡­ of¡­ you,¡± Aldrynte said slowly, pushing under the blanket one of her legs over the other. She then pulled her tongue over her lips, giving me a wink. ¡°You know that I won¡¯t leave! Not now that there aren¡¯t any guards.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to do here? Why are you like this?¡± I just asked the question.

    She sighed. ¡°I want you to see me. Lately, all your eyes have been on Alice. A small dragon can get jealous, Hiro,¡± she said, hiding her face slightly as if she was shy.

    ¡°Eeeeh?¡± I made a really weak sound, looking away. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± I said in a way that even I didn¡¯t believe myself.

    Aldrynte began to giggle. ¡°You¡¯re so cute when you¡¯re shy.¡± She finally pulled the blanket away, revealing a nightgown on her. For a moment, I was ready to see a lot more of her skin. Of course, nightgown made her still look very hot.

    ¡°I¡¯m not that evil, Hiro.¡± She stood up, walking in front of me. I was still frozen. ¡°I want our first time to be consensual,¡± she whispered into my ear.

    ¡°It¡¯s very tempting,¡± I whispered back. Aldrynte slowly pushed her two arms around my neck, resting them there, looking into my eyes with her beautiful red dragon eyes. ¡°But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s wise,¡± I said after a short pause.

    ¡°Wise?¡± Aldrynte asked, removing her arms and slowly unbuttoning my shirt. ¡°I doubt it¡¯s that. Is it because we are¡­ very¡­ very different?¡±

    ¡°You are a dragon, after all,¡± I whispered. ¡°I¡¯m merely a human that dies very soon.¡±

    Aldrynte smirked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you then. But so am I¡­ Kinda.¡±

    ¡°Ooh?¡± I whispered, raising my eyebrow.

    ¡°I¡¯m a half-dragon and a half-human,¡± Aldrynte whispered, looking at me. I could read it from her face that it was a huge secret she normally wouldn¡¯t share ¡°Not that it matters in your perspective. I¡¯ll still live at least a five to ten hundred years or more,¡± she said, sighing.

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot less than most dragons, right?¡± I said.

    ¡°A lot,¡± she said, nodding. It made sense. She had been a kid a mere hundred years ago, and now she was an adult. In dragon years, would one grow that much in a mere century?

    ¡°So, your father¡­?¡±

    ¡°The previous hero,¡± she whispered. ¡°We weren¡¯t kidding when we said that we like heroes¡­ a lot.¡± She chuckled. ¡°But it was a secret. I was a secret.¡±

    My eyes had widened a bit. This was surprising. I hadn¡¯t expected any of that. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ intriguing.¡±

    Aldrynte finally unbuttoned the last button on my shirt, almost like avoiding my stare. ¡°Long time ago it would¡¯ve been treason to dirty the dragon¡¯s bloodline like that.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t anymore?¡± I asked, slowly pushing some of her bangs away from her eyes, so she could look at me. And she did look at me.

    ¡°Our tribe got banished for making the contract with the four other races. We believed that we could work with others, while the other elder dragons did not. So, now we have to hide in societies so the other dragons wouldn¡¯t kill us. So, it really doesn¡¯t matter what my tribe did.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s awful,¡± I said, slowly pushing my hand against her cheek. It was a weird situation.

    She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s very awful.¡± Then a slight giggle appeared on her face. ¡°So we have to make sure that we won¡¯t go extinct.¡±

    I nodded, very slowly.

    ¡°And as a hero, isn¡¯t that your responsibility to make sure there¡¯s always an observer in the council?¡± she asked, slowly pulling my shirt away.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± I whispered, letting her remove my shirt. As she had finished doing so, my hand landed on her cheek once more, moving slowly on her neck. Her skin was soft but slightly warmer than I had expected. Her eyes were fixed on mine.

    I moved my face slightly closer to Aldrynte¡¯s, as her body leaned against mine. Her look was fixated on my stare. Now that we were close like that, she was slightly shorter than me, but not too short.

    Elbert¡¯s whispers echoed in my ear once more, reminding me that it was fine to have fun and enjoy life. It was fine. In the end, I¡¯m only a human with some needs? In the end, she also wants me, right?

    I leaned even more forward, lips almost touching hers. I could feel her breath touching my skin. I wanted her. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to do a lot more than just kiss her.

    Even closer. Almost there.

    And then I pushed my lips against hers. They were soft. They were sweet. They were addicting. But it would only last for a moment, only for a second, before she pulled her lips away, smiling at me.

    ¡°You¡¯re scary,¡± I whispered, looking at her. I found one of my arms around her waist, while my other hand was holding her other waist. ¡°It feels like I¡¯m a string around your finger. Whenever you¡¯re around, I feel attached to you. Why? Tell me why! I need to know why!¡±

    Aldrynte leaned even more against me, her hands raising, resting behind my neck. Her red eyes were looking at mine.

    ¡°I could ask you the same,¡± she mumbled.

    And then she pushed her lips on mine once more. I could only respond and kiss her back. It was nice in every way. It was as we had wanted to do it for a long time, but were forcefully holding it back. I wanted to do it forever.

    And yet I didn¡¯t feel like it was something final, or that I was tied to her. It was just a moment where I couldn¡¯t resist her beauty. It was just something we had both wanted. And why should I resist, when someone is like that, inviting?

    We stopped kissing once more. It was she who pulled away once more, taking also a few steps back, giving me her perfect smile. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go to sleep. We have still a lot to do,¡± she whispered, giving me a wink and walking towards her bedside.

    I could still feel her lips on mine. I could still feel her burning tongue. Was it burning because she was a dragon, or was it because it was just that¡­ great? I only know that it was great.

    But I wasn¡¯t sure since it was my first. It was weird to think that my first kiss was with a dragon. It didn¡¯t make any sense. But I began to remove most of my clothing, walking straight towards the other side of the bed. And for now, I didn¡¯t mind her sleeping next to me at all. I mean, why would I mind?

 Chapter 16 - Part 1

    I opened the door quietly, stepping inside the classroom. As expected, I got immediate attention.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me,¡± I said, giving the teacher a smile and getting myself seated on the very first row - which was the only row that still had available seats remaining. Alice and Aldrynte followed me quietly, sitting next to me. It was slightly annoying, to be honest, but there was not much I could do. I could understand why they were careful. But there hadn¡¯t been any news about the killings nor about the assassin.

    As I got myself seated - surprisingly next to Aurora - I could feel all the eyes on me. But I wasn¡¯t bothered. Not anymore. Quite the other way around, I had gotten too used to it all, so I started to slightly enjoy the attention. Only Aurora ignored me and was perhaps slightly annoyed that I was sitting next to her and drawing some attention to her.

    ¡°Hello matey!¡± a sharp whisper suddenly reached me from the other side of Aurora. Loid waved his hand like crazy. ¡°I¡¯m a huge fan-¡±

    Aurora¡¯s cold stare reached Loid, making him shut it immediately. ¡°Ugh, scary,¡± Loid mumbled to himself. I smirked, raising one of my hand halfway up as a response. But I wasn¡¯t there for any of them. I actually wanted to listen to the actual teacher. You see, the teacher was a rather known adventurer, and he was going to talk about something I needed to learn about. Of course, I pretended to be there as just an observer. Thank you Aldrynte for this opportunity.

    The older teacher continued his talk.

    ¡°Magic is something that every adventure needs. Very few can adventure for a long time without one. It¡¯s mostly the rich who can do that. However, there are three known magical statuses. We call them Wizards, sorcerers, and magicless. Probably you all know those terms, but let go over them anyway.

    ¡°Wizards are those who have unlocked their entire magical pool and can use it until they are completely depleted or even beyond that. They are mostly those who use magic to fight their battles. But there¡¯s one huge but. More they use, slower their essence recover. Funnily enough, your magical pool uses your own magical essence to fasten the recovery. If one would use magical pool below the absolute limit, they might damage themselves so much that they might never be able to recover the magical essence, making them magicless.

    ¡°Sorcerers are able to only use a very tiny part of their magical pool. Nobody knows why one can¡¯t have access to their entire magical pool. But for that very reason, sorcerers are often enchanters. They enchant their armor and weapons or use them as a helper. So, how do we differentiate a sorcerer and a wizard? Sorcerer¡¯s magical essence always recovers fast, because they never will run low on their essence. They can¡¯t. So they are never hit by the side effects of running low on magical essence. There are recorded cases, though, when a sorcerer unlocks their entire magical pool becoming a wizard.¡±

    The man who explained all of this was an older man named Stanley. As I said, he¡¯s a very well-known, but also a very old adventurer. He has a long white beard but is completely bald. He was one of the first to be accepted as a teacher. It was actually one of his dreams. When I had gotten back to the campus from the meeting, he searched me up to just to thank me. He was a sweet old retired adventurer. I could only respect him.

    ¡°Now, once the wizard goes below the point where sorcerer finds their limit, the lack of magical essence will start showing off. For every wizard, it can be something different. Sometimes even something dangerous. But usually, it is just exhaustion and physical burden. I, for a fact, am the other case. I will start losing hair until I go bald. That¡¯s why I never had hair when I was a young adventurer like you. Of course, I also had physical exhaustion, but not as harsh as many others.

    ¡°So, if you can cast magic, but you never feel any drawbacks, you¡¯re probably a sorcerer.¡± Stanley took a few steps towards the clean part of the blackboard. ¡°Now, I don¡¯t think I need to explain what magicless means.¡± Almost everyone shook their head. ¡°But here¡¯s a question; Will magicless have no chance to become an adventurer?¡±

    Aurora sighed, raising her hand.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Magicless can still field magical weapons. And while Magic and magical weapon are great, in the end, one might have much greater skill in sword-fighting than one who has magic or magical weapon. And there is always a choice to be the most armored person at the very front, drawing a lot of attention to themselves,¡± she said out loud. Of course, it was she who said that. Her very own brother was magicless.

    ¡°Correct! There are many great adventurers who get far with only their physical skills alone. There are many stories of those who had no magic but kept their party safe from harm. In the end, magic is an advantage, but not a ticket to victory.¡±

    He raised the chalk once more, pointing it towards Loid. Loid slightly winced. ¡°Tell me the six main elements of magic!¡±

    Loid chuckled. ¡°Easy. Fire and ice. Earth and air. Water and cosmic. Many call the last one lightning.¡±

    ¡°Correct!¡± Stanley said as he wrote down all the elements. ¡°Now here¡¯s an interesting fact. All those elements are reverse of another. Opposite of fire is the ice. Opposite of earth is air. And the opposite of water is cosmic. Why is Cosmic opposite of the water, Loid?¡±

    ¡°Because like water can go truly deep, so can the sky,¡± Loid said, sighing.

    Stanley nodded. ¡°Some say that earth can go deeper, but who cares about the details?¡± he said, chuckling. ¡°None of them are countering any other. It more depends on how each power is used. As an example, fire can melt ice, but Ice can also extinguish the fire.¡±

    He marked all those on the blackboard, finally getting himself seated on his own table. ¡°Yet every single person can only own a single element of those six. There is nobody who has ever owned more than one.¡±

    Of course, I knew that. It was common knowledge. But I had always thought that one element counters another. At least a lot of adventurer books said it like that. In the end, some things are changed for fictional purposes. Interesting.

    ¡°Now, here¡¯s something interesting. Which are the rarest elements of those six? And which are the most common?¡±

    Aurora immediately raised her hand.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Three groups all mark also three different rarities. Fire and ice are the most common. Earth and Air are a lot rarer. Water and Cosmic are extremely rare.¡±

    Stanley nodded. ¡°During my lifetime, I¡¯ve met a total of five people who had a cosmic element, and a total of fifteen people who had water. They are considered stronger than most elements.¡±

    Somewhere behind a hand rose.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between ice and water?¡±

    Stanley nodded. ¡°An excellent question,¡± he muttered. ¡°With ice, you can only manipulate items that you touch. You can freeze them. If you burn a lot of essences, you might be able to create an ice sword. But if your element is water, you can pull out the water of anything, which may include living beings. Don¡¯t get injured, if you meet one.¡° There was a moment of silence in the room, as everyone was thoughtful. It was scary. Even I found it slightly scary.

    Stanley gave us a smile. ¡°But can someone hold many elements?¡± Stanley asked, looking at Loid.

    ¡°Yes! There are special elements!¡± he said enthusiastically.

    ¡°Correct, Loid,¡± Stanley said, nodding. ¡°Here¡¯s a few; Nature, poison, flying, psychic, bug, spirit, dark, shadow, fear, time, healing, copy, illusion, gravity, demon, dream, aether and many other special elements. These are confirmed elements that at least someone had them. Some of them have been owned by a single person, while others are widespread. Healing magic is probably the most spread special magic out there. And a major difference between normal and special element is that while normal can be a completely random element, the special can be given to children. So, some of them have been a heritage from one family to another. And some have been so powerful, that their bloodline ended with the last bearer, or sometimes was ended. There have been secret and hidden wars over some of the bloodlines.¡±

    I was intrigued. I had no idea that there were so many different special elements. I had a hard time hiding my excitement.

    ¡°And one can own more than one special element. Sometimes one does not own one of the six elements, but only a special one.¡±

    Aurora raised her hand.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Will the person have separate magical pools for each magic type?¡±

    Stanley shook his head. ¡°An excellent question, but no. You all have one magical pool. What you do, is convert your essence into the magic you want to use. However...¡±

    I smirked. This was the topic I was waiting for. I knew too little about it, and I wanted to know more about the catalysts.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Stanley stood up and walked behind his desk, lifting up two items. On one hand, he had a wand. On the other, he had an old book. ¡°Both of these are catalysts. Every mage and every sorcerer needs a catalyst. Catalyst is the most important thing in a magician''s life.¡±

    I felt shivers.

    ¡°This wand is a forced catalyst.¡± - he showed the wand to everyone - ¡°All of you can get one. It is made of a material that will help you convert your essence to any magical element you own. However, conversion is horrible. Your essence does not cooperate with it well, and a lot of your essence is wasted.¡± He then lowered the wand and showed a book. ¡°This is a personal catalyst that can be used for one type of magic. It is something that your essence acknowledges and works well with. You can turn a lot more of your essence into the magic. It can be from slightly better to unimaginably better. This book happens to be my catalyst.

    ¡°Also, remember, normally you should never reveal your best catalyst to anyone who you don¡¯t trust enough. Maybe you shouldn''t even to those who you do trust and love. If they steal it, or if you lose it, you might never find as good catalyst again. That¡¯s why a lot of magicians have one that they show to the public and one secret that they only use when they need to fight seriously. You can own many personal catalysts if you¡¯re lucky. However, I¡¯m old, and I¡¯m the teacher, so I don¡¯t care if you know mine.¡±

    The class chuckled, including me.

    Interestingly enough, he crouched and picked up two flower pots, placing them on his table. He then raised his wand, touching the dirt inside one of the pots. As he focused, a beautiful small flower began to grow. Everyone stared at the pot, some gasped for air, while others just watched it with their widened eyes.

    ¡°Wow!¡± Loid shouted. ¡°You¡¯re a nature wizard?¡±

    Stanley smiled. ¡°This was created by this wand. Now, I¡¯ll do the same thing and apply the exact amount of magic to the other pot.¡±

    He put the wand down and lowered his finger into the other pot while holding the old book in his other hand. Everyone stared his finger. Some whispered, almost placing bets how big the difference would be.

    ¡°Three times,¡± Loid whispered to Aurora. She only chuckled in return. ¡°That little?¡± she responded.

    As Stanley touched the dirt, a tree began to come out from the pot, flowers blossoming next to it, mushrooms already growing in many parts on the trunk. But it wasn¡¯t a tall tree. It was short but wide. Stanley had purposely chosen a wide tree that would hide a huge part of the ceiling. But the last thing he needed was to destroy it. He removed his finger, looking at everyone. He was slightly panting. ¡°Gosh, I¡¯ve gotten old,¡± he said, grinning. ¡°Back when I was young, this was a small thing to do.¡±

    Everyone stared at his tree. Many were shocked. Even I had a hard time not to gasp for air.

    ¡°This is why finding a conduit is important. This is why you keep it hidden. And even if you do have a low magical pool - with a proper conduit, you might be a much greater wizard than those who have massive pools but can¡¯t find their conduits. This is also why sorcerers can beat wizards.¡±

    Suddenly I realized why Alice hid her clip. It was her shadow magic conduit. And The hero¡¯s badge was my conduit for light magic. I couldn¡¯t do any magic without it. But with it, I didn¡¯t feel any problems.

    ¡°Now,¡± Stanley began, taking hold of his cane that he used the very first time, and walked in front of his desk, leaning against it, leaving the tree¡¯s trunk as a background. ¡°How does one find their conduit?¡± Stanley asked, gazing at many different students. ¡°The answer is surprisingly simple. It¡¯s usually something that¡¯s precious to you. More precious, the more likely it¡¯s your conduit. I didn¡¯t have my conduit until I got this book as a present from my dying father. It became precious to me. And suddenly, it became my conduit. So, sometimes it takes time to find yours. But if you can, you might want to find something that¡¯s already a lot better than this wand that¡¯s probably the worst conduit possible.¡±

    ¡°Then why to use the wand at all?¡± one of the students asked.

    ¡°There are many good reasons. For once, without any conduit, you can¡¯t do magic. You¡¯ll be the same as magicless. So this will help you to do at least some magic. It will help you learn to use magic. And it is also a way to hide your real conduit if you have only one. Finally, you can cast any magic you have control over it. With conduit, you can cast only one.¡±

    I took a peek at Alice. Now that I thought about it, she used a wand for her ice magic. Didn¡¯t she have a conduit for her ice magic? She was in enough danger to use anything else than her wand as well.

    ¡°Of course, there are exceptions. There have been few cases of some wizards who can convert magical essence to their element without any conduit. Merlin, for example, was a very famous wizard for it. According to him, he was so narcissistic person, that he became his own conduit,¡± Stanley said, making everyone laugh. ¡°Then there are magical creatures. Fairies, or, for example, dragons, do not need any conduits either.¡±

    He chuckled, remembering something. ¡°Here¡¯s an interesting thing. Dragons can do only their elemental type of magic. Fire dragon can only do the fire magic. Ice dragon can do only ice magic. And so on. With exception of Golden Dragon. But we do not know much about Golden Dragons. They are merely legends. Some think they are extinct, altogether.¡±

    Aldrynte leaned towards me. ¡°They aren¡¯t,¡± she whispered to me. I grinned at her.

    ¡°But can you only do fire magic?¡± I whispered back.

    She sighed but gave me a slight nod. ¡°And detection magic.¡±

    ¡°However,¡± Stanley said loudly. ¡°You still don¡¯t want to go into a fight with a dragon. They probably have more magical essence than all of us together, times hundred or thousand.¡±

    Aldrynte smirked once more, while others just laughed. This lesson must¡¯ve been hilarious to her.

    ¡°Now. To the final question that we¡¯re going to talk about,¡± Stanley said, standing up and walking again behind his table. He pulled out a key, unlocking a drawer, opening it, and pulling out a large glass orb, except there was a clothing piece between his fingers and the glass. He walked at the center of the room, placing it on a prepared stand. Many whispered and recognized what it was.

    ¡°Do you know what it is?¡± Stanley asked. Many whispered the answer, pleasing him. ¡°That¡¯s correct. Spyglass. One of the greatest discoveries by the dwarves. They accidentally found it, mined it, and discovered its properties. Mostly by losing their own magic.¡±

    For the first time, two guards that were leaning on the opposite side of the classrooms straightened up, paying more attention. They were probably guarding the spyglass.

    ¡°Spyglass is very expensive. However, it is the best way to discover what¡¯s your magical elements, including your magical pool. You see, the orb will take all your magical essence, and convert it into all the elements that you can use. It will also show you pretty accurately how big is your magical pool, mostly by just inspecting how much you fill inside of this orb. But remember, if you¡¯re a wizard, you¡¯ll also have to go through the empty magical essence withdrawal effect.¡±

    With that, I understood the benefits of Alice¡¯s method. It wouldn¡¯t use all my magical essence to find out my powers. But there was no way to find out the exact size of my pool, only a general idea.

    Stanley then turned to me. ¡°As a hero, would you like to demonstrate?¡±

    I looked at him. ¡°Certainly!¡± I said. There was a very slight moment of silence. Everyone looked at me. ¡°That¡¯s something none of you should ever say!¡± I added loudly.

    Stanley began to laugh. ¡°That¡¯s correct. Like conduit, you might not want everyone to know your element. Especially the special one. If you have something truly special, you might get the attention of some bad people. Only you should know your exact capabilities. That¡¯s why, if you wish, you can do the check all by yourself, or request one trusted observer in the room with you. They can help you identify elements, or converse with others while keeping your anonymity.¡±

    Stanley sighed, pushing his hand out. ¡°But as a demonstration, this is how it works.¡± He put his hand on the spyglass, making everyone lean slightly forward.

    We could see how the magical essence began to gather at the very center of the glass. There was some dirt, and a plant began to grow out of it. But it didn¡¯t grow that large. If anything, it was rather tiny. Immediately after Stanley removed his hand, he leaned on his cane a lot more, slightly panting. ¡°The magical essence pool changes as you age. I used to have at least thrice as large as this,¡± he said jokingly, limbing back to his desk, leaning against it. ¡°Plus, you should only do this test after you have rested and you¡¯re sure that you¡¯re ready. As you can see, I¡¯m earth and nature user. If I was just an earth user, you would see only the dirt. But I was lucky enough to have two elements that are very connected to each other.¡±

    Stanley was visibly very exhausted from the test. It was that moment when the plant began to die in the middle of the spyglass and the dirt was dying off. ¡°It lasts around a minute,¡± he said as he looked at it as well.

    ¡°And that¡¯s it. That¡¯s all I have to share today. As you can see, I¡¯m now very exhausted. All of you can now one by one test out if you have any elements. If nothing appears, you¡¯re magicless. If something appears, and you¡¯re fine afterward, you¡¯re a sorcerer. If you¡¯re like me, you¡¯re a wizard. We¡¯ll talk about how to use elements the next time. But remember, it¡¯s entirely up to you how you use them, and how you master your own magic. You might copy others and try to be a master of the basic flame. Or you can try hard, and learn to create a blue flame. But at the same time, don¡¯t try to become something you can¡¯t.¡±

    He suddenly clapped his hands together, making everyone to look at him. ¡°That¡¯s it for now. You¡¯re all dismissed. Outside of the room is registration paper for this spyglass. First to register is first to be served. We¡¯ll be doing the tests for the next three days, so you still have a chance to rest.¡±

    Everyone stood up, immediately, almost running towards the exit. They all wanted to register their own turn. There was a lot of excitement in the air.

    And I knew it as well - it was my only chance to use the spyglass. But how? I needed to make sure that nobody saw me using it. I needed to make sure that nobody would suspect anything.

    ¡°Umm,¡± Aurora whispered towards me, still being seated next to me.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± I said, looking at her.

    ¡°Can you be my observer?¡± she asked, looking me seriously.

    ¡°Eh? Why?¡± I murmured.

    ¡°It¡¯s my idea,¡± Alice said, raising her hand, who was next to aldrynte, at the edge of the row. ¡°I had a talk with Aurora beforehand and suggested that maybe you should be the one to help her.¡± She gave me a wink. ¡°It¡¯s only right, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    And the harem grows, Elbert¡¯s voice echoed in my ears.

    But I realized what she was doing. Alice was trying to give me a chance to be alone with the glass. She knew that I wanted to test it out. After all, she was the only person who knew my secret.

    Aurora nodded. ¡°Since you knew my brother as well, I thought it would be great. That is if you don¡¯t mind. I don¡¯t really want to do it alone. I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m magicless, like my brother.¡±

    ¡°Then be my observer as well, please!¡± Loid said out loudly, giving already a bow. ¡°I¡¯d be very happy if you¡¯d be my observer, and my teacher, and my-¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Aurora said sharply, throwing her stare at me.

    I began to laugh. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll observe both of you if you want.¡± For once, I was excited. This was thrilling. Like a kid, I waited for that moment when I could quickly test out my element. Was it really only the light? Or did I miss something when we took a test with Alice?

    I couldn¡¯t remove that smirk from my face.

    ¡°Hiro?¡± Aldrynte whispered, looking at me.

    ¡°Thank you, Aldrynte,¡± I whispered to her. ¡°This academy was a great idea!¡± I needed to get stronger, and this is what I needed. Nobody got time for that assassin.

 Chapter 16 - Part 2

    With hastened steps, I entered the last very specific corridor. Both Loid and Aurora were already sitting behind a door, together with two well-equipped adventurers, keeping watch.

    ¡°Hiro!¡± Aurora said, waving her hand.

    ¡°Do I need to call him Hiro too?¡± Loid whispered to Aurora.

    I smirked. ¡°You can call me that, yes,¡± I said, stopping in front of them. ¡°You two are ready?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Aurora said, giving me a really weak smile.

    ¡°You had three days to prepare. Now or never,¡± I said. I had chills. I was excited. But perhaps the fact that I knew I had at least one element to look forward to, helped.

    ¡°I know,¡± Aurora muttered, sighing.

    ¡°Who¡¯s first?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Me!¡± Loid said quickly, trying to be as cheerful as ever.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I was born ready!¡±

    I laughed. ¡°Sure!¡±

    As we got a nod from one of the guards, we entered the room. It was a room with no windows, but there were candles everywhere, spreading light to every corner. In front of us was a stand, holding the spyglass. And even more ahead, on the wall, there was a lot of pictures and texts, explaining all the known elements and how they show themselves inside the spyglass. The idea was that if someone came here alone, they could still search up their powers. Some were harder to figure out, compared to the others.

    ¡°Wicked,¡± Loid said, looking around the room. ¡°So, I just have to place my hand on the orb?¡± he asked.

    I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    Loid nodded. ¡°Alright!¡± But he didn¡¯t do anything. He just stared at the ball. I could see how he was afraid to discover the truth. What if he was magicless? What if his element and pool size were near to nothing? What if today means he has to abandon adventuring? I could understand his fears.

    ¡°Loid, it¡¯s going to be alright! Even if you¡¯re magicless, you¡¯ll figure it out. You always do!¡± I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to give him some of my courage. As he nodded and pushed his hand forward, I let him go, looking at the orb.

    He finally placed his hand on top of the spyglass. We saw magic gather at the center of the orb. I could already feel Loid muscles relaxing. The worst was behind him already, and the first element became really visible. Small dirt pieces started to gather at the center of the orb, putting together a rather large clump of dirt.

    ¡°Holy shit, I¡¯m an earth magician!¡± Loud almost shouted from excitement. ¡°That¡¯s like-¡±

    But as there was more movement, he shut his mouth and kept staring at the dirt. It separated into two parts. Then both of them separated into yet new pieces. And then all of them separated into yet another pieces of dirt. And it continued until the orb was full of small dirt cubes.

    ¡°W-what does that mean?¡± Loid said, looking at me, and then looking at the list on the wall.

    I smirked. ¡°Loid¡­¡± He stopped and looked at me. ¡°It¡¯s the ability to copy.¡± I raised my hand to point at a similar sketch, except a different element near the very bottom of the list.

    Loid¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Not only I own a rare element, but I can¡­ copy?¡± He muttered.

    ¡°And you also have a rather massive magical pool,¡± I mentioned. To be fair, I was slightly jealous of him. His magical power was certainly¡­ interesting. And his magical essence pool was also rather large.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that power like¡­ super rare?¡±

    I shook my shoulders. ¡°Honestly, I have no idea. But seeing that it is listed at the bottom with a small text, I would say yes. We can ask from Stanley. But I assume that you probably-¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we can ask him,¡± Loid responded, nodding.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Loid nodded. ¡°Stanley is my grandfather, so I know him pretty well.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what? But¡­ But weren¡¯t you like surprised by his powers?¡±

    Loid grinned. ¡°That¡¯s why I was surprised. I knew he could do earth, but I never knew that he could do the nature magic. He had always kept it as a secret.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± I said, rubbing my chin. ¡°Either way, it¡¯s time for you to go out. Wait there for five minutes or so. I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s gone and then invite Aurora when everything¡¯s ready.¡±

    ¡°So long?¡± Loid asked.

    ¡°You inserted a shit-ton of magic in there. Gotta give it time to clear,¡± I said, smiling.

    ¡°Oh, yeah. That¡¯s true.¡± He gave me a nod and turned around. But as he took a spin, he almost fell. I managed to catch him just in time. ¡°Careful. Apparently, you¡¯re a wizard, not a sorcerer.¡±

    ¡°I do feel quite dizzy,¡± Loid muttered, now carefully walking towards the exit. ¡°I¡¯ll just go...¡± He opened the door, leaving the room and closing the door behind. But he couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    I immediately looked at the orb. By the time he was leaving, all the dirt started to shatter into pieces and disappearing completely.

    But the moment the orb was clear, I pushed my hand on it, excited.

    A very tiny light began to appear at the very center of the orb, lighting the room even more up. But it wasn¡¯t by a lot. As expected, it felt like I had a very tiny magical pool. But as I was about to give up and accept the fact that I could really do only light magic, I noticed something new. Slight stars began to appear around the globe. I didn¡¯t need to look at the wall to realize what that meant.

    ¡°Cosmic,¡± I mumbled. ¡°Fuck. This is like super rare!¡± But it made only sense. If my magical pool was that small and the light overpowers all those small dots, no wonder we couldn¡¯t see the cosmic energy around the leaf. And often enough, the main element can be similar to the special element. Cosmic and light - totally fits.

    A wide smile appeared on my face. For the first time since forever, I felt something went well, or I was lucky.

    But merely half a second later, they all disappeared. And as I turned around and took a step away, I knew yet another thing - I was a sorcerer. Probably even if I was a wizard, my pool still wouldn¡¯t be large. It was really hard to understand my pool size in the first place with the cosmic and light element. But I could assume.

    I pushed the door opened, looking at Aurora. ¡°Ready?¡± I asked.

    Aurora gave me a nod and stood up. Loid was still as excited as ever, but very exhausted. She entered the room with me. ¡°You took your sweet time,¡± she whispered.

    I smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I reminded myself of the feeling when I placed my hand on the orb the very first time,¡± I lied, giving her a weak smile.

    ¡°But according to stories, you never were an adventurer?¡±

    I sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be an adventurer to request checking your elements. But it¡¯s a bit awkward to tell people that, so I didn¡¯t tell anyone about it,¡± I said, scratching my back.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re a sorcerer?¡± she whispered. ¡°You don¡¯t look exhausted at all.¡±

    That girl¡­ I thought. We both shared a smile.

    ¡°So, has something changed?¡± Aurora asked, stepping in front of the orb.

    ¡°No,¡± I said.

    She nodded, looking at the spyglass. ¡°What if I¡¯m magicless?¡± she asked quietly.

    ¡°Then you¡¯re magicless. But that¡¯s not the end of the world, is it?¡±

    She looked at me once more, giving me a weak smile. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡±

    She pushed both of her hands forward, finally landing on top of the glass. But she closed her eyes as a reaction, afraid to look at the result.

    There was a moment of pause. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I whispered. ¡°You can look now.¡±

    I felt intrigued, and happy. Both of them had amazing or interesting powers, and I could experience their discovery.

    Aurora opened her eyes, but very slowly. At first, her vision was slightly blurry, but she immediately lowered her hands and looked at the center of the orb.

    ¡°I-¡± she was confused. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t understand?¡±

    I smirked. ¡°This is a very interesting combination of powers. The very center thing looks like a keyhole, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes? Why it looks like that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t honestly know. I assume it can take a shape that we know of? Either way, it¡¯s on the list, but near the very bottom written in smaller letters.¡± Like before, I pointed my finger at the text.

    ¡°Can open any door, that¡¯s not necessarily a door,¡± she mumbled, cocking her head slightly. ¡°I¡­ What? Okay.¡±

    ¡°And the second one is two very red eyes,¡± I said. There were indeed two eyes, each eye at one side of the keyhole.

    ¡°I have demon powers?¡± Aurora immediately deduced.

    ¡°Not entirely true,¡± I muttered. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ an element of fear.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Aurora muttered. ¡°I have two special powers, but neither of them is for fighting?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Well, it really depends how you use them¡­ But you have certainly very unique powers.¡±

    ¡°No main element...¡±

    I nodded. ¡°No main element.¡±

    She half sighed, but also half smirked. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll take it. It¡¯s¡­ interesting for sure.¡± She then turned around and hugged. ¡°I¡¯m not magicless. Thank god!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not magicless,¡± I whispered, slowly hugging her back, giving her slight comfort. I could hear her sniffing.

    ¡°And I¡¯m also sorcerer,¡± she added, looking up, eyes slightly teary. ¡°I still feel completely fine.¡±

    I grinned. ¡°With your powers, it might be for the best?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I agree.¡± She then quickly let me go, feeling slightly embarrassed for hugging me. ¡°Thank you for coming with me.¡±

    I gave her a wide smile. ¡°You are very welcome!¡±

 Chapter 17 - Part 1

    It was a beautiful morning. The sky had only very few clouds. Sun shined upon every greenery it possibly could. And as the sun touched my skin, I felt the warmth.

    ¡°That¡¯s a very weird place to do your first lesson,¡± a voice echoed, reaching me. Alice got herself seated next to me. ¡°Aly-¡±

    ¡°I know. She¡¯s probably pretty pissed that I sneaked away,¡± I said, giving her a smirk.

    Alice gave me a nod. ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s worried about you.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you why, but trust me, I see her already too much,¡± I said, not telling her that we were sleeping in the same bed, and I saw too much in many different ways. At first, it was a new great, slightly erotic, experience, but it soon became more painful if anything. Not because there was something bad going on, but because Aldrynte is a woman and I¡¯m the man. And she obviously doesn¡¯t understand how hard it is to sleep when there¡¯s a half-naked woman sleeping next to me.

    Alice¡¯s eyebrows rose slightly, but she only snorted. ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t ask,¡± she said. And thank you for that. The last thing I needed was her getting jealous or something. ¡°So, why do you have your first class outside of the city, at the very edge of the forest? It¡¯s a very weird place to gather. Especially since¡­ I know you secret?¡± The last part, she whispered.

    I chuckled. ¡°Precisely this reason. I¡¯m tired of being stuck there, and I want some air. I can¡¯t look like I¡¯m hiding as well. Plus, these kids - which by the way is very funny for me to say - need some fresh air as well.¡± Of course, by that comment, I meant that they are around my age, some even older.

    ¡°Yo!¡± Loid finally arrived, raising his hand and landing in front of me. Aurora wasn¡¯t that far behind, but she was definitely more careful, looking around. ¡°So, I¡¯ve been practicing my special power, and it¡¯s super awesome.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°You¡¯re not keeping it a secret, are you?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Loid asked. ¡°There¡¯s no way I can keep it a secret. Might as well enjoy it and enjoy the attention.¡±

    Aurora sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t even try. I tried.¡±

    Loid could fit to be adventurer...

    Slowly more and more students arrived. Some were visibly happy about the outdoors class, while others were slightly annoyed by the walk.

    But soon, almost all hundred students had arrived. They all got themselves either seated somewhere, or they leaned against something. But they all were in front of me, looking at me.

    ¡°Yay, you made it,¡± I said it out loud, giving a quick clap. ¡°Welcome to the very first lesson, by the hero himself,¡± I said sarcastically. Many chuckled. ¡°I guess, enjoy it while you can. Either way, I have some bad news for all of you. We are not going to train or fight. And I¡¯m not gonna show you any of my powers. This is class, not exhibition,¡± I said it out loud. There were many disappointed whispers or moans.

    I announced it for a reason. You see, students were actually taking bets about this. So, being a responsible adult, I also secretly participated in that betting pool, and I¡¯m now looking forward to gathering my earnings.

    ¡°But it¡¯s hopefully going to be a valuable lesson. It¡¯s something that has kept me alive. And I continue to follow it to this very day. It is something that will increase your odds greatly.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    The excitement began to gather. I could feel it. Will the hero finally unleash their secret?

    I finally went after my backpack, opening it. I grinned. My hand went in there, and I took out a book. ¡°Ah. This brings me some memories,¡± I said, showing it to everyone. It had a hard-cover. But even so, they could see that it was worn-out, read many times over and over again.¡±

    I opened it.

    ¡°And Elias took the sword, examining it. The red monster, Shadowbeast, took a few steps back, snarling at him. For the first time since the monster was born, he felt fear. Elias smiled, as the sword began to slowly turn into ice, ready to freeze anything it would touch. He was ready to slay the beast, to save the town.¡±

    I closed it with a bang. ¡°Anyone?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Is it Punished By The Ashes,¡± a quiet voice echoed, as a slightly fatter boy looked at me.

    ¡°You¡¯re correct. What¡¯s your name?¡± I said.

    ¡°It¡¯s John, M-Mr. Hero!¡± he looked up at me, smiling. It was as it was the moment of his life. There were some things that I still wasn¡¯t used to. I was now okay with all of the attention, but this look that was full of awe...

    ¡°You¡¯re all going to compete against each other in a game. How do you play it is entirely up to you. You may team up, or you can do it alone. You may even backstab someone if you can, and you¡¯ll understand when I¡¯ll tell you about this game. I want everyone to understand that after this game is over, no hard feelings between each other.

    I reached my hand out back into the backpack and began to remove coin purses, throwing them one by one to every student. ¡°Each of this purse has a bunch of coins. All of you have twenty-five silver pieces in silver and copper. This is the only thing you¡¯re not allowed to steal or forcefully take away from others. Feel free to trade it for something else, though. And no violence! Now pay attention, I¡¯m only going to say all of this only once.¡±

    There was more talk between the students. Some of them quickly took out their notebooks, ready to write. But they all settled in a moment or two. I grinned. It was time.

    ¡°You¡¯re all invited to the King¡¯s throne room. The king stands up and walks in front of you.¡± - I continued, trying to do the king¡¯s voice - ¡°¡®Oh, adventurers. A huge calamity has arrived and I need your help. But I can only hire so many of you to do some important jobs. An army of demons has destroyed The Wall. Kirkwall is in ruins. Our main army is fighting against them, holding them back, but we need to provide them help. We need more adventurers. But you¡¯re fresh new adventurers. I don¡¯t know who is worthy and who is not.¡¯¡±

    I stopped, looking at all of them.

    I opened my mouth once more, the voice still trying to mimic the king. ¡°¡®Prove your worth!¡¯¡±

    I raised my book once more. ¡°I want you all to gather ten books that could be helpful to the king. Five of those books should be Punished By The Ashes, Fish Of The East, Slave Of Yesterday, Battle The Moon and Rats Of Dusk. You all have five hours. Be back by the end of five hours. Don¡¯t be late, no matter what. And make sure that you have ten books.

    ¡°And when you do arrive, count how many coins you have left, and when exactly do you arrive. Write that down inside this glass bowl, into one of the paper pieces. I pointed towards a closed bottle that I just removed from my backpack, placing it behind a stone, hidden from any normal person that might pass.

    Many were still writing down information, while others listened. ¡°Now, I hope you remembered the book titles and everything else. If you didn¡¯t, you should start seeking information that you just missed!¡±

    Some of them realized something, a huge mistake on their part. They were already seeking out those who had just noted everything down. Others were already planning their next steps.

    I gave them a wide smile. ¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡±

    Many of them immediately began to run towards the city. Some started talking, maybe asking for help or to team up. Two of my favorites - Aurora and Loid - nodded at each other and just rushed off.

    I, however, stood up, pushed the book back into my backpack and started to walk towards the city as well, Alice followed.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ interesting. I¡¯m looking forward to the end results. What are you up to while they do their stuff?¡±

    I smirked. ¡°There¡¯s someone I want to meet. Care to join?¡±

    Alice nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 17 - Part 2

    <div>

    ¡°Alice,¡± I said after we were completely alone, walking the streets.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± she responded, next to me. We followed some smaller streets, so people would recognize me less. Not because it was necessary, but because I wanted to talk to her, as privately as possible.

    I stopped, looked at her, smiling at her. ¡°You have no idea how much I appreciate you. To have someone who understands me and I can talk to, it¡¯s the greatest gift.¡±

    Alice blushed, just slightly. ¡°Well,¡± she looked down, her feet, but just for a moment. With a flash, she looked back up and returned me a smile. ¡°You saved me. So, I guess I¡¯m returning the favor?¡±

    I hugged her, and she returned it. She was literally the only one who I could speak my mind off. Perhaps it was a lucky accident that she figured out some things about me. Maybe one day I should tell her the whole story. Now that I think about it, I still haven¡¯t.

    ¡°I have a problem, Alice,¡± I said, as I continued walking forward, and she followed me.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I have one more element. We missed it with your test,¡± I said.

    Alice looked at me, taking in a sharp breath. ¡°I didn¡¯t see that one coming,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°Cosmic.¡±

    She stopped for a moment. ¡°Really? No, it makes sense. No wonder we¡¯d miss it. It makes sense. But really? Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Keep walking,¡± I said, not stopping, making her catch up with me. ¡°Yeah. And I have two problems with it. First one is that after celebrating this discovery, I realized I have no idea what I can do with the cosmic element.¡±

    Alice began to wrap a curl around her finger, thinking, analyzing.

    I continued. ¡°All the other elements are damn obvious. Fire and Ice. Duh~. Earth and Air. Yet another duh~. And then water is, even more, duh~. And then finally we have a cosmic. What¡¯s that element supposed to do? I don¡¯t understand!¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try it out?¡± Alice said. I had been expecting that answer. And she realized that with my weak chuckle.

    ¡°And here''s the second problem; I can''t. My magic essence pool is so small that can¡¯t do any cosmic magic with the want. It probably worked, because once I tried to create it, nothing happened. But afterward, I couldn¡¯t cast light magic either. It dried my magic pool empty, instantly.¡±

    Alice began to chuckle. And that chuckle turned into laughter. I followed her lead, laughing as well.

    ¡°That¡¯s hilarious. You got the rarest element in the world, together with the first time ever-to-be-seen light magic, but you have no magical pool to use it? Gods really like to play games with you,¡± she said. "Maybe you''re lucky that you''re not a wizard?"

    I nodded. ¡°So, until I get a proper catalyst, I need to understand what can I do with it.¡±

    Aldrynte sighed. ¡°Did you-¡±

    ¡°Yes. I already went through every book and every library. There¡¯s not much. None of the other cosmic element users decided to write a book about it. It''s all generic talk, such as ''I can use the cosmic powers'' shit. Most of them suggest that cosmic user should find another cosmic user to teach them all the stuff.¡±

    ¡°And you can¡¯t do that because you¡¯re the hero?¡± Alice asked.

    I nodded. ¡°Well, I could. I could fake it out and say that I never knew I had that one. But then the light one needs to come out as well. Or I could say that I never had a chance for the teacher, so my cosmic element sucks. But even in that case, I should know or do something, I think?¡±

    ¡°For starters, I can ask Stanley for help? He said that he has met like six other cosmic elemental users? I can ask what it was like?¡±

    I nodded. "I was actually thinking that maybe you could ask Loid. You know, tell him something that makes him ask Stanley. He is his grandfather, after all,¡± I suggested.

    "He is?"

    "Yup."

    ¡°Well, I can try. Meanwhile, you need to find yourself a damn good catalyst,¡± Alice said. "And I mean a damn good one."

    I nodded, suddenly stopping. "Anyway, we are here. Just stay quiet," I said.

    Alice looked at me, and then looked at the building we were standing in front of. Phoenix Fire. ¡°I-I have heard of this place,¡± Alice muttered.

    I nodded. ¡°Home of the legendary smith. Or well, his great grandchild''s.¡±

    "But the rumors about his-"

    ¡°It''s fine. I hope he just never had a chance to prove himself. It''s too hard to fill Norok''s shoes, after all,¡± I said, opening the door and walking inside.

    We were met by beautiful interior design. But as I had expected a warm air from the blacksmith, it was nothing like that. It was a quiet room, filled with a bunch of fancy-looking swords and a single dwarf that was sitting behind a counter, one leg over another, reading something.

    The swords were decorative if anything. There were many kinds of swords or weapons. But none of them felt like they were meant for adventuring. It was more as they were ceremonial.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Welcome to the¡­¡± - he suddenly became silent as he stared at me, closing his book - ¡°...Phoenix fire,¡± he continued, leaning slightly forward. ¡°Well, well, well. If it isn¡¯t our hero, the great savior, killer of demons kings?¡± As he finished, he leaned back.

    ¡°Kutrin Goldsmith, I assume?¡± I said, walking to the nearby swords, examining them. ¡°The only smith family whose ancestors became so great that they got rewarded with goldsmith family name. Yet now you''re last of your family. You¡¯re one of the nine families who has gold in their family name, and yet you left Kul Tarum. You came to Capital just to sell¡± - I took one of the swords, examining it closely - ¡°this,¡± I moved my gaze to the dwarf, releasing a long sigh. I placed the sword back on the stand, carefully.

    ¡°I heard that you were in the capital. To what do I owe this honor?¡± Kutrin said with his deep voice. ¡°Did you come here to mock me?¡±

    I looked back at Kutrin. ¡°Not at all. And I can¡¯t blame you. I can see that you''re creating truly beautiful swords. Yet none of them are for adventuring, for fighting.¡±

    ¡°I still do, sometimes. But not really, not anymore.¡±

    ¡°Because you can¡¯t?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Because I chose not to. And I guess you''ve already figured out that they don''t come to me? I''m not that cheap, you see?¡± he responded.

    I stepped in front of the counter, looking down on him. "Why so expensive, then?"

    ¡°What¡­ do¡­ you¡­ want?¡± Kutrin spelled it out, seemingly annoyed.

    I sighed. "I''m sorry. I didn''t want to offend you. I need you to make me a sword, worthy of your family name,¡± I said, resting my hands on the counter.

    Kutrin leaned forward. ¡°Do you now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a good chance to prove others that you deserve your family name,¡± I said, examining Kutrin. Alice finally walked next to me, looking at me and Kutrin. But she didn¡¯t say anything. But her face showed obvious worry.

    ¡°I need to prove myself?¡± Kutrin said, laughing.

    I nodded. ¡°If you refuse, I¡¯ll ask another dwarf. Maybe you''ll share your family name with another blacksmith. Especially if another dwarf makes a sword that becomes legendary. History has shown that every hero''s weapon becomes legendary and have a name."

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you ask others?¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Because I like to take my chances with your bloodline first. Odds are better with you. Plus, I think you deserve a chance to refuse. I also happen to have money.¡±

    I stayed cool outside, but inside I was begging him to take the bait. I didn¡¯t know any other smith, and it would''ve taken a long time to find a new one.

    There was a long moment of silence. Kutrin played with his knife, thinking. ¡°For starters, what do you want?¡± Kutrin asked.

    ¡°You have to swear that you won''t tell anyone. Only those who really need to know. And they also have to swear. Only the sword name will be known, and that you made this. But what it does has to stay secret.¡±

    Kutrin sighed, raising his hand quickly. ¡°That¡¯s a common request, and understandable. I swear. Continue.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°I want a special sword that acts in a very specific way.¡± I turned to look at the entrance, giving Alice a nod. She walked to the door and locked it.

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°I have heard of amulets that can store magical essence. I also heard that there are items that store literally already converted element not the essence. Once it''s stored, one can release the element itself. But the main problem with that material is that they leak the element slowly. I need a thin light sword that can do so. I want to put there converted energy constantly, and release it when I want to."

    Kutrin looked at me, a grin appearing on his face. ¡°I was expecting something entirely different,¡± he admitted, leaning back. ¡°What you¡¯re seeking is compressed and enchanted spyglass. They say that purer the spyglass, less the element leaks out. But it¡¯s impossible to reach a point where it will hold it in completely. It''s not the first time when this is used in swords. But only slightly, to hold a little bit of energy. Mostly to cast sword''s enchantment without worry. But it''s extremely rare. It''s mostly amulets and such that have such powers.¡±

    As a by the way, I heard that spyglass that is used for checking elements is uncompressed and as weak as possible to not waste the material.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying it¡¯s impossible?¡± I asked.

    ¡°For any ordinary smith, probably,¡± Kutrin said, thinking. ¡°Does your design includes sheathe for the storing period?"

    "Explain, please," I said. ¡°Do you think you can make a sheath that will not allow the element to escape?¡±

    Kutrin nodded. ¡°Perhaps. It¡¯s only a theory right now, but some materials combining with spyglass could keep the power in, permanently.¡±

    There was a moment of silence. ¡°Will you do it?¡± I asked.

    He leaned forward. ¡°It¡¯s going to cost. A lot. Spyglass is very expensive. And turning it into a sword that will not break against the other swords is yet another matter. It will require some very strong and powerful enchantments. But, your request is interesting and never tried before.¡±

    ¡°It doesn''t have to be entirely spyglass, as long it stores lots of magical element.¡±

    Kutrin stared at me, thinking. He finally took out a piece of paper and wrote something on it, placing it in front of me. ¡°You have to pay that much. That number includes materials and actual work. For now, I will ask you for half, and it will be done-¡±

    ¡°In a month,¡± I interrupted. Kutrin kept up his poker face, staring at me.

    ¡°A month?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°A month. Impossible?"

    He took the paper away, and wrote a new number on it, placing the paper in front of me once more.¡±

    I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll pay two-thirds of that.¡±

    Kutrin began to laugh. ¡°Really now?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll get all the glory of making this sword. Every person will know that you made this. That¡¯s part of your reward. You''ll be telling the sword that you''re at least as good - if not a lot greater - than your ancestors. After this, you¡¯ll sell a lot of swords, and people will come with custom designs, begging you to make them a sword. You''ll earn way more than that number you''ll lose right now.¡±

    Kutrin leaned back. ¡°It would mean almost no profit to me. It will only cover the materials, and doesn¡¯t leave me much room for failure.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Well, with a month, you can''t really fail. It''s up to you. Unless you like this quiet empty room.¡± As I said the last sentence, I waved my hand around the room. Full of beautiful swords, yet nobody was buying them. "What say you?"

    Kutrin looked at me, finally sighing. ¡°Deal,¡± he muttered.

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll make sure that money gets delivered before tomorrow. I¡¯ll be back here in a month. I''ll leave the design to you, but don''t make it too fancy. I don''t like if it gets too much attention.¡±

    I walked towards the exit, unlocked the door, and walked outside. Alice followed.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Alice said the moment the door closed. ¡°That was crazy!¡±

    I ignored her, walked to the nearby side-street, and finally collapsed against the wall, letting my legs weaken, finally falling on my ass. ¡°Fucking hell. I was certain he would say no,¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Alice asked me once more.

    ¡°I need that sword. It¡¯s the only way,¡± I whispered, hands going around my legs as I looked up. ¡°That two-thirds price was literally as much as I have. And that''s after I sold my gifted armor and sword.¡±

    ¡°You mean the hero¡¯s armor and sword that you got as a present from the king?¡± Alice asked.

    I nodded. ¡°I asked Elbert to sell it. I can¡¯t use them. Elbert sold it to a collector for a very nice price. Now I need to get that one sword I actually play with.¡± I looked at my still expensive, but a simple light sword. Price-wise, my current sword was nothing compared to what I just bought. ¡°I can¡¯t rely on this sword. My skills are too poor, and even if I train hard, there¡¯s only that much I can get better.¡±

    Alice sighed, finally getting herself seated next to me, hiding me from the larger street. ¡°Well, I trust your decision. And getting a proper weapon that you can use is a great idea!¡± she whispered.

    ¡°If my plan doesn''t work, I just wasted a fortune and forfeited my life. But this sword does mean that we have to extend our stay here for a few more weeks,¡± I mumbled.

    And there I was again, with no money. But for once, I didn¡¯t need money. I just needed my sword. Money was the smallest problem.

 Chapter 17 - Part 3

    ¡°Congratulations. It¡¯s the end of five hours, and all of you - seventy-four people - who actually made it back in time can give yourself a pat for achieving the first requirement of the game. From now on, Alice - my assistant - will forward whoever is late to a loser¡¯s side. But don''t make fun of them. Most of you will be moved there as well. We¡¯ll see who is an actual winner, and who is not,¡± I began the speech. The time was up and it was time to wrap the lesson up. Alice threw me a quick stare as she moved to a side, already forwarding first late students, desperately running towards us.

    ¡°Now, let''s begin. First of all, who doesn¡¯t have ten books? Remember to be honest. No point to lie.¡±

    Plenty of hands rose up, slowly. Most of them were missing only a few, if not a single one.

    ¡°You. Why are you missing one?¡± I asked someone from the front line.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find Rats Of Dusk,¡± she murmured.

    It was the answer I was hoping for. ¡°That¡¯s because such a book doesn¡¯t exist,¡± I explained.

    Whispers spread throughout the students. Some were laughing, others disappointed. ¡°Here¡¯s the first lesson; not all the information that¡¯s given to you is accurate. Some of it might be misleading, and sometimes it was a simple accidental mistake. We all do mistakes. Which leads me to a question, who got the book Rat tactics?¡±

    Almost half of the students raised their hands. ¡°Good job. When you¡¯re given something that you can¡¯t work with, you might want to try to find something similar, or a similar topic. But it¡¯s not wrong if you didn''t buy anything as a replacement.¡± There was even more utterance between the students. The secret was to give them a chance to discuss or think about what I had just told them.

    ¡°Now all those who didn¡¯t have nine books, move aside. It¡¯s not necessarily bad that you didn¡¯t have exactly 9 books, but this time I told you to make sure you have ten books. As a side mention, I said you should have those 5 mentioned books, which doesn¡¯t necessarily mean you need to have them. Even if you have ten books that have nothing to do with adventuring, it can still give expression that you have something. And sometimes it¡¯s just a matter of listening what¡¯s told you.¡±

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to take on the next step.¡± I pushed my backpack forward. ¡°I want all of you to show me how many coins you have left and give them back to me.¡± There were some whispers as a response. ¡°What? Did you expect you can keep them?¡± To be fair, I was ready to not get back any of the coins. And in most cases, most of them returned with empty purses or they told me they didn¡¯t have even a single coin left.

    ¡°Now, while it¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing to spend money on something you really need, but you need to think about the future as well. You need to feed yourself or be prepared to spend to even more things. Money management is important. Sometimes you need to choose what information you gather, and what you do not. And in the current example, you need to be ready for a situation when the king decides not to choose you. Always make sure that you have some money left. So all those who have no money left, you can all move to losers side, right now.¡±

    Surprisingly, there were only ten people who had money left, which included two of my favorites. Most of them were still giving me their money. But as most of them had just slightly left, the final one who came to empty his pockets was to surprise everyone. He probably decided to come forward as last for that very reason. It was more than I had hoped for.

    A wide grin appeared on my face. A mouse - or more known as a mousefolk race - stepped forward, winning everyone¡¯s attention. He was like a mouse, but a lot larger. Still small compared to everyone else around here. He was around two feet tall. His fur was color of white, like snow. That fur made his eyes more noticeable, which were red. He wore green clothing and a green cape. For a sword, he had something that looked like a shaver. All the other weapons were probably hidden away.

    I had heard stories of that particular interesting student. Mousefolk are known as an extremely rare race. They are a lot larger than mice themselves, and they wear clothes. But they don¡¯t really like to live in larger cities. There are exceptions, of course. So, they have smaller villages of their own. Funnily enough, they say that after the contract between five races was made, mousefolk were the first who wanted to join as late arrivals. However, because of the contract''s type, they were denied. Instead, they were offered protection under the five races. They accepted.

    ¡°Hero, I¡¯m happy to introduce myself. I¡¯m Squeek!¡± he said, doing a long wide bow.

    I had to try hard not to chuckle. ¡°Hello?¡± I said, making it sound as it was a weird thing to do.

    ¡°I¡¯m a big fan! And I hope to prove myself worthy with this task!¡± He put his smaller hand into his pocket, pulling out one large pouch of coins after another. Of course, holding that much money on him would be near impossible, or really invisible, so it was obvious that his pocket was magical storage. Everyone was just staring, eyes wide. But he continued, filling my bag with one pouch after another. He finally stopped as he placed down the ninth bag. ¡°Total of one thousand silver. Give or take,¡± Squeek said proudly. Then he turned around and walked back to the other remaining nine, smiling. Everyone looked at Squeek.

    ¡°Excellent. I¡¯m truly impressed. So tell me, how did you do it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Oh, simple. In the beginning, I talked with as many as I could, and sold them information on where to find what. Luckily for me, I¡¯ve been in this town long enough to know some basic information. Then, as I bought a few stores empty of certain and wanted books, I sold them all near the very end to all those students who were desperately seeking them. Of course, I had to lie that I had bought just a few extra, just in case. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    "Then, at the very end, I sold some cheap information with all the remaining coins. I think I disqualified most of those who had no money left. Some bought the expensive book with all their remaining money, while others needed something simple and didn¡¯t think about leaving some money in the pouch. Only very few refused. Most of them are still in the game. It¡¯s pretty easy to deceive when I¡¯m just a cute friendly-looking mouse,¡± Squeek explained with his slightly higher-pitched voice. He turned to face others. ¡°No hard feelings. A good lesson to you all!¡±

    I clapped. ¡°Good job. I''m intrigued, can you show me your ten books?¡±

    Squeel nodded and showed ten completely random and thin books, except one. most were travel guides, while others were some other kind of cheap books.

    I grinned. ¡°I thought so.¡±

    ¡°I knew it,¡± Loid said proudly as well, leaning comfortably against a stone. ¡°To think that I passed with a single copper coin... Squeek barely bought a store empty in front of me, so I was forced to buy one expensive book from him,¡± he said.

    ¡°That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t give me your coin pouch,¡± Squeek said, grinning. Loid responded with a smile of his own.

    ¡°Good job. Just for that reason, I made sure that most of those books that I chose weren''t in every book story and in a lot of quantities," I said as an extra, giving everyone a smile. "Now there¡¯s only ten of you left,¡± I said, standing up and closing the backpack. ¡°All of you, remaining ten, say your name and prove your worth!¡± I looked at the first one, who happened to be Aurora.

    Aurora threw ten books in front of herself. There were few mentioned ones, and others were about demons or battle strategies. ¡°I¡¯m Aurora. I know every battle tactic, and I can aid in making strategies. The best way to win the war is if our formation is correct. For example, we should try to split the demon army into smaller ones. Demons are stronger when they are together. We don''t want that. There are many ways how to split them up. Another one-¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± I interrupted, raising my hand. Aurora coughed. I looked at Loid. ¡°Next.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Loid. I have no idea what those books have in it,¡± he said, putting out all the books. They were all requested book, including the one that had a similar title. The remaining five were mostly information about demons or other beings that could work under the demons. ¡°But I gathered all those books within an hour. So I can gather information quickly. Just tell me what you need.¡±

    To be honest, I was slightly impressed. One hour was way under my fastest estimate. And the book choices were impressive as well. For me, he was the clear winner.

    ¡°Next,¡± I said, looking at a younger woman.

    So, I¡¯ll be honest here, while the next ones were also intriguing and had interesting points, for the sake of your sanity, I¡¯ll skip them. We all care about one particular student, don¡¯t we?

    ¡°And finally, you,¡± I said, after listening other seven students, finally looking at Squeek.

    He stood up. ¡°I¡¯m Squeek,¡± he said, doing yet another slight bow. ¡°To be fair, I don¡¯t really need the job anymore. I got so much money that it''s unnecessary,¡± he began, which was fair. ¡°But for the sake of lesson" - he placed his ten pointless books on top of each other, but the very top seemed to be a single good one, creating an illusion as he had a worthwhile pile of books - ¡°I also memorized a lot of basic information about those sought after books. I had to do it, so I could sell the information later. I also know who is the most suited for certain jobs. A lot of previous points that you heard was information that I sold them. And I can tell you who right now should not be hired. I won¡¯t say it out loud, though.¡± - quiet giggling between the students was heard - ¡±In other words, I''m a good spy. I also helped most of the students to gather basic information, so they are much more prepared for the demon army. And finally, I earned a lot of money in the process. Not that it matters because I would keep all the money. But if it shows anything, then the fact that I¡¯m financially okay. So I guess it means I¡¯m not doing it entirely for money?¡± As he finished, he got himself seated, once more.

    ¡°Thank you, Squeek,¡± I said, getting myself seated as well. ¡°Well done everyone!¡± I said, sharing a wide smile and started to clap. ¡°Give yourself a clap.¡±

    Everyone joined the applause. In the end, everyone was smiling. Hopefully many had learned something. ¡°So, who should win?¡± I asked, looking at the loser side.

    ¡°Squeek,¡± one of them said it out loud.

    ¡°Hands up, if you''d vote for Squeek!¡± I said. Most people raised their hand. ¡°Congratulations, Squeek. You won this game. As a reward, have this.¡± I took something out of my pocket and threw it towards Squeek. He caught it easily.

    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s chocolate, looking like hero¡¯s badge,¡± Squeek said, grinning. I nodded.

    ¡°Now, before we all go home, here¡¯s a final monologue about today¡¯s lesson. The quest itself was absurd, but it was made so that you would think. Often, when you get a quest, it¡¯s important to listen and understand what needs to be done in the first place. When you understand that, you can gather information. Gathering information is extremely important. As we heard, many of you are now a lot more prepared for the quest. You know what beings or monsters or demons you could meet. You''re prepared.

    ¡°Why risk with the failure, if you can increase the chance for the success? If your mission is to kill goblins, you should know everything about goblins. You might be fine as well, but if you do simple research, you might learn that goblins like to live in caves. And caves often aren¡¯t wide or tall. So you might want to have a knife or shorter short-sword for that quest. You want your sword to hit a goblin, not the wall. Otherwise, you might do a rookie mistake, slash sword too wide, hitting the wall instead, and the next thing you see is goblin''s sword stuck inside your guts.¡±

    I looked over all of them, slowly. ¡°You will learn to fight, or how to handle your magic by others. As you adventure, you''ll get stronger. But one thing that everyone can do is prepare for the adventure about to come. Sometimes it can be annoying, or boring. But when knowledge saves your life, you¡¯ll be grateful.

    ¡°However, don¡¯t forget that not everything is written in the book. If the goblin army is lead by a human, you shouldn¡¯t expect the typical goblin behavior. And sometimes, some information changes.¡±

    There was a moment of silence. I clapped my hands together once more. ¡°That¡¯s all. It¡¯s very late, and you¡¯re all probably very tired. I want all of you to donate your bought books to the school¡¯s library. Have a nice weekend. And make up with your friends, if you need to! As I said, no hard feelings! Now go!¡±

    It was a nice lesson and a nice reminder for myself as well. And after getting thanked by many students, I also went home. Of course, Aldrynte was waiting for me - in her usual sleeping gear - and wasn¡¯t happy about my sneaking away.

    And as a final side note; I also heard many stories that happened in the city between the students. It was amazing how much drama there was. Thank god I¡¯m not like one of them.

 Chapter 18 - Part 1

    Constant tapping sound echoed throughout the room.

    Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

    But you see, I¡¯ve learned. I¡¯ve gotten smarter. After reading enough adventure and romance books, I¡¯ve learned to adapt to situations like those. The tapping sound was the main giveaway. Only one person could do that when I''m in my own bed and Aldrynte is supposedly next to me. It¡¯s Alice.

    Now there¡¯s only one reason why Alice would be tapping like that. She either entered the room when Aldrynte was sleeping next to me, or Aldrynte opened the door with her sleeping gear - which would be very hot view, by the way - and giving a very wrong hint to Alice. I would''ve preferred the second one.

    But in the end, it only meant that she had misunderstood the situation and was now there, waiting for the so-deserved explanation.

    All of that leads to my first point - I¡¯m now smarter. There¡¯s only one correct answer to this situation. I kept pretending that I was asleep like I was a heavy sleeper. I was waiting for Aldrynte to take the first arrow, and explain it first.

    That was my plan, at least until someone who was already fucking me (not in a literal way, since no fucks were given) decided to fuck me even more.

    ¡°We know you¡¯re awake. You¡¯re not that heavy sleeper,¡± Aldrynte said next to me.

    That bitch.

    But I was smarter. I''ve read many romance books, and they all lead to the second possible thing to do in such situations.

    I sighed, slowly turned around, opened my eyes - almost as Aldrynte had just woken up - and looked around. As expected, I saw Alice still tapping in front of the bed, staring at me, while Aldrynte was casually sitting next to me, leaning against her pillow.

    ¡°Oh, hello there. Care to join us?¡± Yes, the second strategy is to own it, as if there was nothing wrong with it, and invite her in. ¡°I don¡¯t mind even more protection,¡± I said, winking my eye.

    The tapping finally stopped. It had become rather annoying, to be honest. Alice opened her mouth a few times, but closed it immediately, ending up only snorting. ¡°I¡¯m speechless,¡± Alice finally said it.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be, if you learned to knock,¡± Aldrynte said, fingers playing with her hair.

    ¡°Or if you learned to lock the door!¡± Alice responded.

    Aldrynte grinned. ¡°I can¡¯t close one of the escape routes, can I? If we get attacked by assassins, we need to have a way out, not lock ourselves in. An assassin can pick the lock anyway.¡±

    Thank you, Aldrynte. Finally, you¡¯re defending me, I thought.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what it¡¯s all about? You''re sleeping in his bed to keep an eye out?¡± Alice said, hands crossed, fists tightened.

    Thank you, Alice, for being the smart one, I thought. If only now we could-

    ¡°Don¡¯t be jealous. If it makes you feel better, we haven¡¯t had sex¡­ yet,¡± Aldrynte said.

    And I will never thank you again, I thought, my eyes rolling. Dammit, Aldrynte...

    ¡°...yet?¡± Alice looked at me.

    I take it back. Of course, it only makes sense that you focus on the least important part of that sentence. She''s only teasing you, silly, I thought.

    There was a moment of silence as both of the women looked at me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, nothing has happened,¡± I said, purposely leaving out the yet part.

    ¡°Nothing? So that kiss was nothing?¡± Aldrynte murmured.

    I frowned. ¡°You¡¯re not helping, Aldrynte!¡±

    Like father, like daughter.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°You kissed?¡± Alice said.

    ¡°It was nothing. Really,¡± I said.

    ¡°Ouch, and twice," Aldrynte said, looking at me. She then turned to face Alice. "Why do you care so much?¡± Aldrynte asked, finger going over her lips. ¡°Are you really that jealous?¡±

    Alice opened her mouth again, but no words came out.

    ¡°Come on, sweetheart. You¡¯ve had a chance to make your move for ages, yet you haven''t done so...¡±

    ¡°I have known him for one month. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s-¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t. I¡¯ve known him as long, and yet here I am,¡± Aldrynte said, raising her hands and arms.

    There¡¯s nothing better than listening to how two girls are fighting over me. Great. I can already imagine how Elbert is using his magic to spy on us, laughing his ass off. Harem, huh?

    Alice suddenly changed her tactics, looking at me. ¡°And you¡¯re okay with this?¡±

    ¡°No. But you don¡¯t refuse her,¡± I said.

    Aldrynte giggled. ¡°Admit it, you¡¯ve enjoyed every moment of it.¡±

    ¡°Not every moment¡­¡± I said, proudly. For once, I was not lying. I just worded it badly, because now Alice¡¯s stare got even stronger. ¡°Oh come on,¡± I said.

    ¡°T-this is immoral and bad and¡­ Y-you¡¯re an idiot!¡± she said, threw me a final gaze, turned around and speed-walked out of the room.

    There was a moment of silence.

    ¡°This turned me on. Want to have sex?¡± Aldrynte said as she looked at me, tongue going over her lips. I would be lying if I didn¡¯t consider it.

    ¡°Eh,¡± a voice came from the door, as Alice quietly peeked back into our room. ¡°I forgot that I came here for a reason,¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°Alice,¡± I said, standing up. Thankfully I never managed to remove my pants while sleeping. Mostly because of how insecure I was around Aldrynte. Normally I would sleep in my underwear. Too much information, I know. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s not really what you¡¯re thinking. Aldrynte has¡­ a very good senses. She only sleeps here because of that. She''s keeping watch - so to speak.¡± But I couldn''t tell her that she was a dragon. It would explain everything.

    Alice sighed. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you think about getting the actual guards in front of the door?¡±

    ¡°You of all people should know why I don¡¯t want guards here,¡± I said. Aldrynte threw me a quick look but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Alice looked at me, finally releasing a sigh. ¡°There has been another assassination. A body was found. You¡¯re summoned to the scene immediately. I¡¯ll wait in the corridor,¡± Alice said, closing the door behind herself.

    ¡°Alice¡­¡± I managed to say just before the door closed. I finally threw my look at Aldrynte, staring.

    ¡°What? Did I do something wrong?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Sorry. I forgot that a hundred years old half-dragon can still be a kid,¡± I said.

    Aldrynte grinned. She moved closer to me, taking hold of my hand, and pulled me back on the bed. As I was lying down, she climbed on top of me. It was both exciting and nervous, mostly because of the knowledge that Alice was just outside of this room.

    She pushed her hands on top of my lips to make sure I wouldn''t talk. ¡°Hiro, I was serious. I find you¡­ very intriguing and attractive. The only reason why I¡¯m waiting is because of you. You¡¯re the one who isn¡¯t sure. I knew I wanted you the moment laid my eyes on you. I knew it the moment we walked to the platinum theater, and we simply... clicked. How do the humans call it, again? Love at first sight?¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s not that easy, Aldrynte. I care about Alice as well. And it really sucks if she¡¯s unhappy. If we have situations like that¡­¡±

    Aldrynte shook her head. ¡°No, that¡¯s on you. You need to either choose or fix it. Let me tell you something. Right now, I don¡¯t mind waiting. I wouldn''t mind getting more serious and making love with you either. But I also don¡¯t mind if you choose Alice, leaving me. I would be okay to have just a patron, observer and just a friend relationship. I¡¯ll probably be jealous of Alice, but I¡¯ll manage. I also don¡¯t mind if you want to have us both, or maybe even more¡­ Okay, I do mind that last part. I¡¯d want to have you all for myself.¡±

    I raised my eyebrow, opening my mouth behind her fingers, but she already knew. ¡°Oh, Hiro. I might have a human part in me, but I¡¯m still a dragon. I view it all slightly differently. And you wouldn¡¯t be the first one to have many wives. Many heroes had multiple wives before you. But it¡¯s a decision that you and Alice have to make. I have made mine.

    "In the end, the solution with Alice could be simple. You just tell her that we are a thing, and suddenly all of this isn¡¯t a problem. Not anymore.¡±

    I looked at her, as she slowly lowered her face towards mine, her warm hands now resting on my cheeks.

    ¡°But you¡¯re not ready. And I can wait. Unlike most women, I¡¯m fertile for a long time.¡± She gave me a wink, making me slightly blush. ¡°So take your time. But until then, I¡¯ll enjoy myself, and I¡¯ll tease you, and flirt with you. And I¡¯ll certainly enjoy making fun of Alice, teasing her, and making her jealous. In the end¡­ I¡¯m a fire dragon.¡±

    She lowered her face more, giving me a soft kiss on my lips. ¡°Now, get dressed up, we have to go, before Alice gets suspicious,¡± she said. She got herself off of me, walked towards the wardrobe, and changed her clothes, not really caring if she was being seen naked. Of course, I didn¡¯t watch. I was just staring at the ceiling, thinking about what she had just told me.

    It was funny. Not long ago, I was trying to look wise to all those students. But now it was Aldrynte who just gave me a lesson of her own. And she was right. It was me who had no idea what to do. It was me who wasn¡¯t ready.

    But was that really a bad thing?

    ¡°Thank you, Aldrynte. Thank you for being honest,¡± I mumbled. At least she said out her feelings, not hiding them. But she was still such an asshole sometimes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± she responded.

    At least one thing was certain, I had to read even more romance books.

 Chapter 18 - Part 2

    We all stopped in front of a house doors, lead by another guard. As the guard went to talk with the other two, I took my chance and turned towards my companions.

    ¡°How strong are guards, compared to adventurers?¡± I asked.

    Aldrynte looked at me. ¡°So-so, but far below average. They are mostly meant for the simple citizen,¡± she responded.

    ¡°Then it feels really weird that we are escorted by them for protection reasons, don¡¯t you think? If anything, they¡¯re in our way,¡± I said.

    Alice raised her eyebrows. ¡°You aren¡¯t saying that¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s probably just a formality, and he just showed the way. But it¡¯s kind of ironic, don¡¯t you think? Me, the hero, is being escorted by mere guards,¡± I chuckled. To be fair, those guards might actually be stronger than me. But for the first time, I felt that if everything went according to my plan, I finally might actually do something in fights. I might actually do some damage.

    The guard got back to us. ¡°The others are inside. You may enter,¡± he said, as the doors were opened by the guards protecting the entrance.

    We entered the building, and immediately felt a strong iron smell hitting our noses. But it wasn¡¯t as bad as I had imagined. Now, this is a moment to mention that before coming to this place, I did take secretly some herbs that calms my mind and helps me not to puke if I see something truly disgusting. I do consider myself having a strong stomach for things like those, but I didn¡¯t want to take any chances. Even Aldrynte and Alice didn¡¯t know that I had consumed such herbs. Unless Aldrynte smelled it back in my room.

    It was a house that belonged to a noble, placed upper part of the city, which made the whole situation very alarming. The house and all the rooms were full of fancy furniture, paintings and such. We were immediately lead to the dining room.

    As we entered the room, we were met by a surprising, yet disgusting view. There were empty chairs around the table, some were lying down. But they were not under the table, except for very few. All those chairs that were pulled out, had a silverware placed in front of them, together with some half-eaten food. But there was one visible victim. At one side of the long table, there was a man lying on top of it, on his stomach. But his arms were stretched forward as much as possible, almost as he was trying to make sure that his arms wouldn¡¯t fall off the table.

    ¡°You¡¯re the hero¡¯s party, I assume?¡± a man stepped forward. I could see Qildor further away, talking to someone.

    ¡°Yes. We came as soon as we heard,¡± I said, looking at the man. ¡°And you¡¯re¡­?¡±

    ¡°Ah. John. My pleasure. I¡¯m just a guy who shares the information, so everyone would be in sync,¡± John said.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re like the first guy on scene?¡±

    ¡°Something like that.¡±

    ¡°Excellent,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°So, what¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± John said. He pulled out his notebook, searching for the proper page. ¡°To be fair, we are quite lucky. Usually they all just disappear and we can¡¯t find the family anymore. Sometimes it¡¯s part of the family,¡± the man says, seemingly finding the notes he was searching for. ¡°There we go,¡± he said, giving off a slight cough. ¡°We have lost a total of twenty-four families since it began around one month ago. Ten of them are noble. They all have been different parts of the city. But we have found a total of three cases where there¡¯s actually body, while all the other family members have disappeared, and we are thinking that they are all related.

    ¡°The first time, the family father was dead on a ladder, while others had disappeared.¡± He gave me a look. It was a look of don¡¯t ask me why. ¡°The second one, mother of three children, was on top of the fence, surprisingly balanced. One of her daughters survived, while the other two boys have disappeared. The daughter was out playing with her friends when it happened.¡± He gave me the same look. ¡°And this is our third case.¡±

    ¡°So, what-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not done,¡± John said, giving me a stare. ¡°All three have one noticeable similarity. Their lower bodies, legs and sometimes even hands are cut with something that could be a knife. So far we have concluded that all the victims have died from excessive bleeding.¡±

    He closed his notebook, looking at me.

    ¡°So, Is this it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s certainly more, but that¡¯s I can share right now. Most of the other information is irrelevant. Well, there¡¯s maybe one more information piece. All three times, including tonight, there has been a sighting of a figure. As we arrived on the scene, there were reportings of a suspicious figure once more. We only assume that¡¯s the one who killed them,¡± John explained.

    ¡°Anyone gave you any descriptions?¡±

    ¡°Not much. Descriptions have been different. Some say that it¡¯s just a shadow, while others describe it as something smile, while others say something large. Sadly three times is not enough to make much out of it. We assume that they purposely tried to hide themselves.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Alice leaned towards me. ¡°I can try to check out if it¡¯s a shadow magic?¡±

    ¡°You can?¡± I asked.

    She looked away, thinking. ¡°Normally one could not, unless they know what and where to look. Sometimes when you cast shadow magic, it can leave hints of magic behind. Well, it¡¯s really with any magic, but we mostly don¡¯t notice that, unless it¡¯s very visible, like the main spells.¡±

    ¡°Right. Well, I¡¯ll leave it to you, then,¡± I whispered. I turned to John after she walked away. ¡°Thank you. We¡¯ll have a look around now.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Hero. Go ahead!¡±

    As we had taken a few steps away, I faced Aldrynte. ¡°Anything your nose can tell us?¡± I whispered.

    Aldrynte raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not a dog.¡± I squinted. She sighed. ¡°What I¡¯m ready to do for love,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°This has nothing to do with love,¡± I hissed, quietly.

    She turned around, and I could hear her taking in few long sniffs. ¡°Oh my,¡± she said, turning to me.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± I got slightly excited. We were detectives here.

    She gave me a smile. ¡°I have no idea. I just smell the blood and iron,¡± she said, pushing her tongue slightly out.

    ¡°You can¡¯t take this seriously, can you?¡± I murmured.

    Aldrynte leaned slightly forward. ¡°I¡¯m taking this very seriously. But I think you¡¯re overestimating me. And¡­ I like to tease you.¡±

    I sighed, trying to ignore the last part. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± I turned towards the table and began to circle it, examining it. And not just the table, but also the body. Then I walked closer to the body.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t touch anything!¡± John said as I got really close.

    I gazed at him. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Then I slightly squinted my eyes, staring legs and arms. It was as John had said; his legs and arms were full of small cuts, almost as made with a sharp knife, or claw. If I hadn¡¯t taken that herb, I could be puking right now, because it looked really disgusting. But as I looked at the upper body and head, it was all fine. ¡°It¡¯s weird,¡± I murmured.

    ¡°Obviously,¡± Qildor said, approaching me. ¡°I assume that assassin is some kind of beast,¡± he said, thinking. ¡°Like a human cat,¡± he also leaned closer, looking at the arms. ¡°But sadly there¡¯s no such species. Or at least none of them would be registered.¡±

    I looked at Qildor for a moment. ¡°Even if it was, why wouldn¡¯t they attack any other part. It''s a very inefficient way to kill somebody. Unless¡­¡±

    ¡°...unless someone did it on purpose, to inflict a lot of pain,¡± Qildor said, sighing. ¡°That¡¯s what local investigators also think.¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s something else,¡± I murmured.

    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Qildor said, straightening his back, and reaching out his fingers to count. ¡°First of all, they all are positioned in a very strange way. Secondly, none of the family members that disappeared have left behind any kind of blood.¡±

    ¡°And thirdly,¡± I continued as there was a moment of silence. ¡°This guy¡¯s blood isn¡¯t on the floor or chair either. Only on the table. This sounds like a very unlikely scenario,¡± I said. Qildor examined the table, floor and chair. ¡°You¡¯re right. Interesting. This is something new.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s also too little blood on the table, taking into account how many cuts he has, and how much blood one can lose,¡± I continued.

    ¡°Which leads to one possiblity,¡± Aldrynte suddenly said as she had apparently been behind us for a while. ¡°Whoever was doing the killing, also liked to clean up. Perhaps they were cleaning up after this guy, until they were spotted, so he was forced to leave the body behind? It could¡¯ve been multiple people, thus different descriptions.¡±

    I slowly crouched, looking at the floor. ¡°What kind of magic can clean the blood up in a way that it leaves no trace of blood?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Water magic,¡± Qildor said without a second thought.

    I grinned. ¡°This would also explain the wounds. Water magic user doesn¡¯t need to harm fatal spot. They just need to cut. And they can clean blood without leaving a trace.¡±

    John was writing stuff down, pleased to hear our discussion.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned,¡± Qildor finally said, looking at me. ¡°We have learned a lot today. You¡¯re as smart as they say,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯m certain that you would¡¯ve figured that much out yourself. It¡¯s just that more heads are better than one,¡± I said, scratching the back of my neck.

    Qildor shook his head. ¡°Maybe. But you should just take the compliment,¡± he said.

    Alice entered back into the building, walking towards me. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a shadow magic,¡± she whispered into my ear, as she reached me. ¡°At least there¡¯s not a single trace of it around. Or whoever cast it is damn good.¡±

    Qildor stared at us for a moment, but decided not to ask. Alice, however, now examined the table, feeling slightly sick because of the view. But as she looked at the table, she slightly tilted her head. ¡°Was he hiding?¡±

    We all looked at Alice, confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.

    ¡°The way he¡¯s lying on the table looks like he was hiding. Almost like¡­ kids playing floor is lava?¡± she said, gazing at us. ¡°Also, if you don¡¯t want something below to see you, you make your body as thin as possible. I feel like that¡¯s what he was trying to do.¡±

    Qildor looked at the body, scratching his chin. ¡°That¡¯s also interesting. It would explain water user even more. He could¡¯ve¡­¡± - there was a spark in his eyes - ¡°Yes. Of course. It would explain it all. Including the other three incidents. In all those cases, victims stayed away from the floor. Or they escaped, ran away, trying to desperately hide.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Perhaps a remote controlled magic?¡± I suggested.

    ¡°It is very possible,¡± Qildor said, nodding. ¡°But this is also very bad¡­ A water elemental assassin sounds something very bad.¡±

    I nodded, and looked at Qildor. ¡°I heard that there was a hint that the assassin could¡¯ve been looking for me?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Qildor nodded. ¡°Come, look,¡± he said. He lead me to a nearby table. On it was a note - message.

    I picked up the note, reading it. ¡°I have a general idea who might be behind it,¡± I whispered.

    ¡°You do?¡± Qildor muttered, surprised.

    I sighed, nodding. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°What does it say?¡± Alice asked, looking at me.

    ¡°The bill must be paid by million cuts. The bill must be paid! You took one thing away that you shouldn¡¯t have. You will regret it!¡±

    Both me and Alice looked at each other. Alice¡¯s eyes were wide open, and she had slight shivers. I took a few steps forward, hugging her. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Aldrynte asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s Thomas, probably.¡±

 Chapter 19 - Part 1

    A week had passed. And this¡­ had become a daily occurrence. And before I get to it, let me tell you, no romance book could prepare me for this. In some sense, I really thought that this whole situation could only happen in books. We are all adults here, after all. But it turns out that I was very wrong.

    You see, unless we try really hard to compress it, there¡¯s always some childish elements in us. Sometimes it¡¯s harmless silly humor. Sometimes it¡¯s the way we act. But sometimes it¡¯s when the rationality goes away and we are ready to do anything to achieve the victory. Even if it¡¯s something that we normally never do.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. When will you stop abusing the situation?¡± Alice asked Aldrynte as she continued walking next to her. I was ahead of them, having a slight headache.

    ¡°As soon as the danger is over. In the past week, there has been reported ten more people who have gone missing. And there have been numerous hidden messages left for you!¡±

    ¡°So, we should hire some real adventurers to keep an eye on him. You, sleeping in his room, is not helping. Hiro looks more tired if anything,¡± Alice said.

    To be fair, I did agree with Alice on this one.

    ¡°Stop being jealous of me, Alice. None of them will be good enough. And we can¡¯t risk losing the hero!¡±

    ¡°Not good enough? Well, I think-¡±

    I finally stopped and turned around .¡±Get lost,¡± I hissed. Both of them looked at me.

    ¡°Hiro, we can¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Go and do your bickering elsewhere. I¡¯m tired of hearing such discussions every day!¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s because you can¡¯t say no!¡± Alice murmured.

    ¡°Because Aldrynte is also right!¡± I said. I didn''t like to admit it, but she was a dragon. Maybe the problem was that Aldrynte didn¡¯t want Alice to know.

    ¡°But-¡±

    ¡°Enough is enough. I want one day alone. Meet me in my room at sundown. We¡¯ll talk things through there.¡±

    I turned around and walked away, leaving both girls behind. It had become a silly problem that needed a solution.

    I spent most of my day walking around and enjoying my day off. The Capital is large, and it has many places to go to. And with my darker cloak, I wasn¡¯t even recognized.

    So, as a lot of time had passed, I finally decided to go home, and train my magic before sundown. But since I wanted to get there fast, I took some side alleyways. But before I could get too far, I noticed two shades talking at a side-street. As I tried to have a better look at them, I recognized one of them as Qildor, while his companion¡¯s face was hidden by a mask. I could only assume that his companion was an elf, from their ears.

    Deciding that it was something good to know, but where I shouldn¡¯t put my nose, I did a sharp turn to walk away. Sadly, the edge of my sword¡¯s sheath hit a nearby barrel, making a loud noise, telling everyone of my presence. Qildor looked immediately towards me, doing a slight hand wave for the guy to leave. He turned to face me, slowly walking towards him, hand on his sword¡¯s handle. I sighed. There was no point to run either.

    ¡°Qildor,¡± I said, removing my hoodie. As a reflex, my hand was on my sword as well.

    As Qildor had a moment of recognition, he released a long sigh, removing his own hand from his. ¡°Hero. You scared me there,¡± he said, crossing his hands. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Funnily enough, it¡¯s a coincidence,¡± I said, smirking. ¡°You need to choose better side-alleys for your shady stuff,¡± I continued.

    ¡°Shady? Ah, yes. It might look like that,¡± he said, laughing. ¡°Come, walk with me.¡± He walked past me towards the main street. I sighed and followed. As we reached the main street, I could feel the sun warming me up. ¡°Come!¡± he started walking normally at one side of the street. ¡°I met with my informant. As the head of security, I have many spies and informants working around the world. Especially right now,¡± Qildor said, motioning towards a nearby empty table, outside of the cafe.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    We went there and got ourselves seated. ¡°Meeting informants in a fancy place is not a good way to share information. Too much attention. But that¡¯s as much as I can tell you, Hero. I hope you understand.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°But then again-¡±

    A waitress appeared in front of us. ¡°Hello! What can I serve you?¡±

    ¡°Coffee,¡± Qildor said without a second thought.

    ¡°Same,¡± I mumbled. ¡°But with sugar and milk!¡±

    ¡°Coming right up!¡± And the waitress was gone.

    ¡°Where was I¡­ Oh right. There¡¯s one thing that I can tell you. I wanted to tell you that sooner or later either way,¡± Qildor continued. He looked quickly around and lowered his voice. ¡°We might¡¯ve found the wizard that¡¯s behind the killings,¡± he said.

    My eyes widened, just a bit. ¡°I¡¯ll be damned. You¡¯re actually doing your work?¡±

    Qildor chuckled. ¡°Please. Surprisingly enough, she doesn¡¯t live in The Capital. But she¡¯s not that far from here. But she comes here often, which also happens to be around the same time when people either die or go missing,¡± he said. There hasn¡¯t been a single recorded killing while she¡¯s away.¡±

    ¡°She?¡±

    Qildor nodded. ¡°Yes. A woman. You might¡¯ve met her. But that¡¯s also the problematic part. We can¡¯t take any action against her very lightly.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of it,¡± I mumbled.

    Qildor leaned even more towards me. ¡°Me neither. After all, the person is the king¡¯s very own advisor.¡±

    I moaned. ¡°Seriously? You mean Alwine?¡±

    Qildor nodded. ¡°This is why you can¡¯t tell this to anyone! Not yet.¡±

    I frowned. Coffee cups finally arrived and were placed in front of us.

    ¡°But doesn''t Alwine come to the city because of her line of work? Also, hasn¡¯t her family served the king for ages now? What would her motivations even be? This is¡­ really hard to believe!¡±

    ¡°And this is why we aren¡¯t taking this lightly. There are many other... reasons... that can prove her involvement. And she does have the perfect alibi. Too perfect. And she could have a reason for revenge. She could blame her king for her family¡¯s death. Even though it was an incident. If things continue the way they are, it could be only a matter of time before the king disappears.

    ¡°But there¡¯s also a chance that we¡¯re wrong. We don¡¯t have enough proof. Someone might be misleading us. A setup, perhaps? Or it might be a coincidence. We need to be very certain of her betrayal. Until then, we need to keep an eye on her. Maybe we can even catch her on her act.¡±

    ¡°And if we are wrong?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Then we must never speak of it again. The king must never know unless we are absolutely certain.¡± Qildor sighed, finally leaned back, taking his first sip from the coffee.

    ¡°There¡¯s an elven saying that has been born in our long service to this country. There are monsters that you can see and slay. And some monsters hide around us, look like us, dress like us, and talk like us. But they¡¯re still monsters. Our very own people can be the danger.¡± Qildor stared at me, seriously. ¡°As a hero, you shouldn¡¯t trust anyone. And those who you do trust, choose them carefully. Perhaps you¡¯ve been lucky that you¡¯ve met only prestige and trustworthy people.¡±

    ¡°Such as?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Your party, and Elbert,¡± Qildor said, grinning. ¡°I hear things. Well, at least I can vouch for Elbert and his daughter.¡±

    ¡°Do you also spy on me?¡± I asked.

    Qildor smirked. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you, Hero. Only I know.¡±

    ¡°Knowing that I caught you while you were exchanging information, I assume not,¡± I said, pouring some milk and sugar into my own coffee. I hated sour coffee. Qildor took a sip from his own. ¡°Either way, good luck with your mission!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not going to keep an eye on her. You are!¡±

    I almost spit out my coffee. ¡°What?¡± I asked.

    ¡°If I were to keep an eye on her, I would be caught sooner or later. Even you caught me. So, to make sure that she doesn¡¯t suspect anything, I asked the king to put Alwine under your service,¡± Qildor said, taking another large sip of his coffee.

    ¡°Excuse me? Under my service? Why?¡±

    ¡°What? Shouldn¡¯t you be happy? Alwine is a beautiful human woman. She¡¯s a very young advisor. But then again, you¡¯re into cougars, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    This time I did spit some coffee out.

    Qildor began to laugh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t resist. How do you even know Alwine?¡±

    I sighed. ¡°The ceremony when I was named as the hero... She was the one who did the ceremony.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Right. That does make sense. Either way, she was told that since you¡¯re new around here and such, you could use her council. King approved it really fast, so I assume that she¡¯s going to make a report to king too, so try to behave.¡± As I frowned, he hurriedly took yet another sip from his coffee. ¡°The information that we found the other week has been truly helpful. Things go faster if we know what to search for,¡± Qildor murmured, looking at me. ¡°But enough of that. How¡¯s school? How¡¯s teaching?¡±

    I frowned. Not that great side-topic. ¡°Well. It hasn¡¯t been that bad. I¡¯ve had like three lessons now. Since every student is present, I assume they like it. But they are more practical lessons if anything.¡±

    ¡°Fighting?¡± Qildor asked.

    ¡°No. Nothing like that. Mostly simple things that even some greater adventurers forget about,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°But I do start to take a liking of my students.¡±

    Qildor chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t get too fond of them. I¡¯m saying that from experience of my own. How long are you staying here?¡±

    ¡°It officially ends in two weeks,¡± I said. As I opened my mouth to tell him about my extension, I decided against it. I had to think of a better excuse for why I was extending my stay even longer. Sword wasn¡¯t good enough, and it was a secret.

    ¡°I see. Well,¡± - Qildor stood up, finishing his last bit of coffee - ¡°I have to go. Duty calls.¡± He pushed a few coins on the table, gave me a wink and began to walk away. But just as I was about to look away, he stopped, turning around. ¡°I almost forgot. Alwine is going to come to your room around sundown. Which should be soon. It was supposed to be a surprise, but oh well. So, I recommend going back soon!¡± And he walked away.

    So, I slowly took another sip of mine and looked at Qildor leaving. It was finally quiet. Mostly thanks to the fact that those two were arguing elsewhere...

    Those two¡­

    Fuck, I thought. Something clicked. Three women were coming to my room in sundown. Normally I shouldn¡¯t even stress about it. But we are talking about those two...

 Chapter 19 - Part 2

    I walked nervously around my room, waiting for the first one to arrive. That¡¯s all I could do at this point - wait. I had different kind emotions going through my mind. There were moments of panic, where I overthought everything. And there were moments of calmness when I told myself that it can¡¯t be that bad.

    Knock, knock, knock.

    I quickly rushed to the door, took hold of the handle, ready to pull the door open. But just before doing so, a doubt entered my mind once more.

    Knock, knock, knock.

    I took in a long breath. ¡°Yes!¡± I pulled the door open.

    In front of me was someone who I recognized immediately. It¡¯s pretty hard not to recognize her. She had short wavy brighter orange hair. Her eyes were blue as the sky. There were many visible red freckles around her nose, while her cheeks were always slightly red. She wore simple blue stress, that had hints of white everywhere. She leaned against her staff that she was holding in her hand.

    ¡°Alwine,¡± I said, trying to give her a surprising smile. ¡°I¡¯d like to say what a surprise, but I can''t.¡±

    Alwine gave me an immediate smile. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great. Makes it more simple. I was thinking hard how to explain or-¡± she stopped and coughed. ¡°I think we¡¯ve never really talked before?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Only at the ceremony.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I remember. Great day, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    No, it wasn¡¯t, I thought. ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡±

    She looked at me for a moment, coughing once more. ¡°May I come in?¡± She was thankfully an early person. There was still time till the other two came. Hopefully.

    ¡°Yes, of course. Please! Make yourself home,¡± I said, opening the door. Somewhere I hoped that her stay wasn''t long.

    Alwine entered the room, looking around for a moment. ¡°Well. I was told that I should be your advisor for the remainder of your stay,¡± she said, finally sitting at the edge of my bed, pushing one leg over another. It was the only obvious choice. The only chair in the room was behind the table that was filled with my writings and books.

    ¡°So I heard. Weren¡¯t they specific?¡±

    ¡°They said that I should answer any questions you might have and help you with anything related to the school,¡± she said, giving me a quick smile.

    I looked at her, nodding. And suddenly I got an idea. It was a weird idea, but perhaps that was the best way to approach this.

    ¡°Everything I ask stays confidential, right?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    I nodded once more. ¡°I have girl problems,¡± I said.

    Alwine just stared at me. She hadn¡¯t expected anything like that. ¡°Maybe I should add professional advice?¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°Do you give the king only professional advice?¡± I asked.

    She sighed, slightly. ¡°Eh¡­ well. I just didn¡¯t expect you to ask something like that¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°Me neither. But your timing is perfect. And it is kind of important.¡±

    She sighed. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m listening!¡±

    So, I told her most of it. I told her parts of my adventurers, and that both of them probably liked me a lot. I told her that they were jealous of me, and told her about the fights they were having last week. Of course, I left out some parts or modified others. If she''s the potential assassin, she probably shouldn''t know that Aldrynte is sleeping in my bed to keep the guard.

    ¡°So, I¡¯m very disappointed in all those research materials. I¡¯m not getting better at this!¡± I said, looking at Alwine.

    There was a long moment of silence. Alwine released a long sigh. ¡°First of all, reading romance books won¡¯t give you any answers. They are fiction. They are made up stories. Forget them!¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯re holding some things that are true!¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. But they are written to be dramatic,¡± Alwine said, sighing once more. In some sense, I felt her. Who would expect that the king¡¯s advisor was here, giving me advice about girls?

    ¡°Well, I can understand your problem. Aldrynte is a dragon, so she doesn¡¯t accept refusal that easily. And yes, I know that she''s a dragon. As an advisor, I have to know many secrets. And while I don¡¯t know Alice, she seems like she¡¯s fighting hard to keep her foot between the door. I find it very cute if I¡¯m being honest.¡±

    I looked at her, nodding. To be fair, I hadn¡¯t seen Alice that way. But it did make sense. And I couldn''t help but just listen.

    ¡°Dragons are interesting creatures. They are often perfectionists, but even more narcissists. The world circles around them, and so do their needs and their interests. Well, not all the dragons, but most of them. Usually older they get, less it becomes visible. But when they¡¯re young, exploring the world, it¡¯s very apparent.

    ¡°And since Aldrynte has fallen in love with you, you¡¯re her prey, her obsession. And she''s having her own battle over you. She might try to look like tough women who can accept the loss, but she¡¯s probably as scared as Alice. But she does have less to lose. It might make it easier for her, since she has a long life ahead, even after you die.¡±

    To be fair, I wasn¡¯t expecting such wise words from her. Suddenly I understood and saw things that I didn''t before. There was something in her voice, even though she was barely older than me.

    She gave me a quick smirk, noticing how I was listening to her. ¡°Dealing with her should be quite simple, though.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°You just need to apply dominance, as silly as it sounds. Right now she has the feeling that she''s superior. She''s a dragon, after all. But the truth is that you¡¯re the hero. She¡¯s in your party, not the other way around. And it seems that she¡¯s too attached to you, so she has more to lose than you. So, you need to make her listen to you. When you decide something, you need to stay firm and make it understood.

    "So, if you tell her that she can¡¯t be with you every single second, then this is it. She might not like it, but she has to accept and respect your wishes.¡±

    I chuckled. ¡°To be fair, today I told both of them to leave me alone, and they did.¡±

    ¡°There you go,¡± Alwine said, smiling. ¡°Regarding Alice¡­ I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a problem. She¡¯s just fighting for something she cares about. Right now she feels injustice and left out. She feels that there''s a chance to lose you. So, she''s fighting. You just need to reassure her that there¡¯s nothing to worry about. Or if you don¡¯t love her, tell her that the war she¡¯s having is¡­ fruitless!¡±

    I sighed. ¡°If it was that simple. The truth is I do care about both of them. Maybe I care too much." I went silent. I shouldn''t have said that. If she was the enemy, she could abuse that knowledge. With a slight sigh, I continued. "And I can¡¯t say that I care for one more than another. I care about both of them, equally.¡±

    Alwine smiled. ¡°Then maybe the best thing to do is honesty. Tell them you care about them. And then put them under ultimatum.¡±

    ¡°Ultimatum?¡±

    ¡°Give them two choices. One is where they make up and try to get along. And the other is something neither of them wants. This will make them work towards the better one.¡±

    ¡°Does the king use that?¡±

    ¡°He uses that a lot. And it works surprisingly well. Very rarely the worst choice is being made. But that¡¯s only when it¡¯s really the only option. However, if you do that, you must be willing to do the worst choice as well. And you need to look genuine. You need to be ready to do both of them, not hope that they work towards the better one.¡±

    I sighed. To be honest, I had already similar thoughts, but this one confirmed it for me.

    ¡°If you want, we can also do the third option,¡± she said, looking at me, smiling, giving a wink.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I was slightly afraid to ask that.

    ¡°You said that they might be coming soon, right? I can get half-naked, and kiss you when they come in.¡±

    I suddenly blushed, leaning slightly back. ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°That will make both of them jealous and frustrated. As an act of revenge, they will ignore you for at least a week. You¡¯ll have your quiet.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯d be willing to do that?¡± I asked.

    She leaned forward. ¡°You¡¯re the hero. You said it yourself, women find titles attractive. They find famous people attractive. Especially a hero, who''s still very young. So no, I wouldn''t mind,¡± she said, giving me another wink.

    I looked at her, eyes slightly wide. ¡°I-I¡­¡±

    Alwine began to laugh. ¡°But I think you don¡¯t want that. The last thing you want to do is hurt those two, right?¡±

    I sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    Knock, knock.

    ¡°Speaking of the devil¡­¡± she said, standing up, raising her staff. ¡°You¡¯re young, and inexperienced in many things. You shouldn¡¯t feel pressured to be amazing and great at everything. You should be allowed to fail. Sadly, others don¡¯t see that. So, if there¡¯s anything you need or want to know, ask me.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°One moment!¡± I shouted. To be fair, I wanted to ask many questions. And maybe some I will. But the fact that she was under the suspicions of being assassin made it harder. I already took the risk of telling her about the girls.

    But perhaps the fact that she¡¯s literally assigned under me is keeping me safe. After all, if she was going to attack me while we were here right now, everyone knew that she''s the one. And while I know that she could easily defeat me, she didn¡¯t know that. In some sense, Qildor was genius, but also an asshole.

    ¡°I hope they don¡¯t get the wrong idea,¡± I said, sighing. We both stood up and began to walk towards the door.

    ¡°I¡¯ll come back tomorrow morning,¡± Alwine said, smiling.

    As I opened the door, I got immediate proof that romance books are real, or have some truth behind them. While they are fiction, those things can really happen in real life. Just as the door was opening, she managed to trip, landing towards me. As a reflex, I turned towards her and managed to catch her.

    I could feel her hugging me. But I also felt two pair of eyes on me, staring, judging.

    Of course. Of course, that had to happen.

    Aldrynte and Alice were both frozen, staring at us. The fact that I managed to freeze Aldrynte was an accomplishment of its own.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡°Hey! Careful now! Are you okay?¡± I said after a few moments had passed, placing my hands on her waist to help her get away from me. I already saw two of them jumping on me, demanding an explanation.

    Alwine hugged me a moment longer, which was weird even for me. Finally, she got herself up, giving me a small shy smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you. You''re so... nice." She then gazed at Alice and Aldrynte. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m so clumsy,¡± she said, releasing a sigh, skimming her skirt straight.

    ¡°And what are you doing here, Alwine?¡± Aldrynte asked, hands crossed.

    ¡°I was assigned to advise Hero. Official business,¡± Alwine said before I could say anything.

    ¡°Advice, huh¡­¡± Alice said.

    Alwine looked at both Alice and Aldrynte, examining them. Finally, she gave them a wide smirk. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It was only an accident.¡± She passed me, looking at me one last time. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry once more. It¡¯s such a pity that I stumbled at that moment. Talk about fate.¡± As she said those words, she occasionally gazed at the other two. She smiled once more. ¡°Bye. I''ll see you tomorrow!¡± she waved with all her fingers, turned around, and walked away, slowly.

    I was just stunned, not understanding what had just happened. But I was preparing for a fight. But we all were quiet until Alwine was far away.

    ¡°Hiro,¡± Alice said quietly, still looking after Alwine.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t let other women take advantage of you!¡±

    ¡°Alice is right. You¡¯re the hero now. You just can¡¯t let every woman flirt with you,¡± Aldrynte said, looking at Alwine as well. The jealousy two of them had was stunning.

    ¡°She totally faked that stumble. It¡¯s so obvious,¡± Alice said.

    ¡°Trust us, we know,¡± Aldrynte approved. They both finally looked at me and entered the room.

    As I took my seat once more, both Alice and Aldrynte got themselves seated at the edge of my bed. But both of them knew what was coming as well. Or at least I assume that they did. But they didn''t say anything, waiting for me to start.

    ¡°So, the past week has been really horrible,¡± I began, looking at them. ¡°Don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Both of them nodded. I could see Aldrynte visibly having a hard time to stay silent.

    ¡°So, I decided to be really honest. And trust me, I feel really awkward telling you all of this. But I feel that honesty might get us somewhere. I hope that you¡¯ll be as honest as I am.¡±

    Both of them nodded once more. It almost felt like they both had agreed to stay silent until I was done with my speech. And I did appreciate that.

    ¡°I care about both of you. A lot. A lot more than I¡¯d want to admit. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s love, but I do know that I care. So, seeing you two arguing with each other, it really hurts me. And I can¡¯t really spend any time with you, without worrying what the other might think. And I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a healthy relationship."

    I sighed, leaning slightly forward. For the first time, I felt my fingers slightly shaking. I was afraid of the outcome. I was afraid to lose them both. I felt my inner insecurity creeping out. I remembered those moments when I was stuck at home, alone.

    But I had to embrace it. Better sooner than later. I could see how both of them were slightly taken aback. Alice was slightly blushing, while Aldrynte just smiled. But as the last part reached them, they went back to their serious selves.

    ¡°And most importantly, we are a party. But we aren¡¯t functional party. Right now, we can be thankful that nothing has happened yet. But at some point, we¡¯ll run out of luck, and we need to work together. We need to fight together. You can¡¯t get jealous of every woman I talk to. I''m now the hero. There will be many others who will flirt with me.

    ¡°So, here¡¯s the deal. I¡¯m going to give you two a choice. And you have to pick one of those two options.¡±

    Both stared at me, waiting for the options, ultimatums. I had a hard time to keep my voice straight. But after a quick cough, I continued.

    ¡°The first one is that both of you talk to each other and reach some kind of a deal. It means that you both stop fighting and try to be friends. I''m not saying that you have to agree with each other all the time, but no stupid arguing that¡¯s nothing to do with the argument itself, but me.

    ¡°The second option is that both of you will drop out of the party and go your own path. We might still meet again. We might talk. We might flirt. But we aren¡¯t a party anymore. There¡¯s no in-between choice.¡±

    I sighed, leaning finally back, hands grasping each other tightly behind the chair. ¡°Now, if you do talk about what you could work out, here¡¯s what I¡¯m ready to accept.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but blush. It was a hard moment. But I felt it was necessary. ¡°As I said, I care about both of you. So, I¡¯m willing to date both of you¡­ romantically. Which includes only one of you, as long the other agrees with it. And I¡¯m also ready to continue adventuring as just friends.¡±

    Both of them stared at me. If they didn¡¯t really feel the same way, it might¡¯ve been the biggest failure of my life. Definitely the most awkward moment, for sure.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s up to you.¡± I stood up, looking at those two seriously. ¡°I¡¯m now leaving you be. I¡¯ll be back in a few hours or so. Until then¡­ Good luck, I guess?¡± And I continued walking towards the door. I wasn¡¯t stopped. They let me leave. But as I took one last look over my shoulder, I could see both of them thinking, serious. They both looked a bit ashamed of themselves, or the situation as a whole. Even Aldrynte looked slightly miserable.

    And I left the room.

    The moment I was out, I felt my legs weaken. I had never expected that something like this could be so intense. And I would¡¯ve never thought that I would find myself in a situation such as this. Not that long ago, I was a mere worm-book. Now I was a hero, loved by two. And I couldn''t help but think if there was going to be more.

    I walked outside of the dorm, catching some fresh air. Immediately, I heard quiet giggling. Alwine walked towards me, pleased.

    ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I took a chance and talked with the headmaster. I let him know that I''m staying here for a while and asked for a room. I assume that you¡¯ve talked with those two?¡±

    I gave her a weak smile. ¡°What you did earlier¡­ Did you¡­?¡±

    ¡°...do it on purpose?¡± she asked. ¡°No. I did stumble. I just decided to take the heat. I felt like you had enough on your plate.¡±

    I gave her a nod. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome. Even though I do have to admit¡­¡± she went silent. ¡°Never mind. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked. As we talked, we slowly got ourselves seated on an empty bench.

    ¡°It¡¯s not my place to say it. Plus, you have two very jealous followers already,¡± she said.

    I sighed. ¡°Are you also falling for my charms?¡± I was straightforward.

    She returned a small smile. ¡°Perhaps. Your chest was warm.¡±

    ¡°Please¡­¡± I chuckled. To be fair, talking with her like that, it was really hard to believe that she could be an assassin. It didn¡¯t make any sense. She also had many opportunities to kill me, already. Unless it wasn¡¯t her intention. ¡°What do you think about all those assassinations?¡± I asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s a sudden change of topic,¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°Well, yeah. It¡¯s kind of a big deal right now,¡± I said.

    She nodded. ¡°Well, yes. As much as I¡¯ve heard, I wonder if they¡¯re even assassinations.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.

    Alwine pulled one of her legs over the another. ¡°It feels more like murders than assassinations. It¡¯s so obvious and attention-grabbing. They''re not even trying to hide it. I feel like there¡¯s more to it than a single person. And the messages left to you feel more like a totally different person altogether."

    I leaned backward, looking at the sky. What she said made sense. ¡°Have you told that to Qildor and the king?¡±

    She sighed. ¡°Only the king. Qildor doesn¡¯t really accept feedback from outside. Qildor and I don''t get along. He might it even find offensive if I try to suggest anything. Might be because I''m so young.¡±

    To be fair, it did sound something like Qildor would do. But it was also interesting. And it sounded like there''s a conflict between Qildor and Alwine even before the murders.

    ¡°In the end, I¡¯m the king¡¯s advisor, not Qildor¡¯s.¡±

    I looked at her. ¡°I heard that you¡¯re one of the youngest advisors?¡±

    ¡°We are quite alike, aren¡¯t we?¡± she said, smiling at me. ¡°My parents died a few years ago. Or well, they were murdered. There was an assassination attempt on the king. My parents protected the king, throwing their own lives away, so the king could escape.¡± She sighed. ¡°Or well, they could¡¯ve survived, if the king would¡¯ve tried to save them. But instead of sending someone to help them, he ordered himself to be saved.¡±

    I was slightly taken aback. I wasn¡¯t expecting her to tell me all of it like that. Unless it was her plan. ¡°Don¡¯t you hate the king for that?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Every day,¡± she said, laughing. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to work for the man who¡¯s responsible for my parent¡¯s death. But life is more than revenge. And it was my parent''s decision to protect the king. And I feel that I''m partly his advisor because he does have regrets. Plus, what would revenge give me? The fact is that he¡¯s still a good king. He still keeps the country running. He¡¯s surprisingly open to changes. And he still listens to my advice."

    I could see the sadness in her eyes, as she kept looking at the sky. I could almost see all the stars reflecting in her eyes.

    ¡°Sometimes forgiveness can be the greatest revenge you can give," Alwine said, smiling at me.

    I looked at her, eyes slightly widened. Just listening to her, I couldn¡¯t believe that she was under suspicion. Of course, she could say that, while secretly working towards revenge. But it still felt weird. And if she was the assassin, planning to assassinate the king, it felt even sadder. But I understood why she was an advisor. I couldn¡¯t help but listen to her. Something was captivating in her words.

    ¡°I should go,¡± she said, sighing, and standing up. But as she hastily stood up, she lost her balance, falling on top of me, head touching my chest once more. ¡°Dammit,¡± she mumbled, but didn¡¯t move yet.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± I asked, slightly frozen. And she said that romance books were fiction.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t joking when I said I¡¯m a bit clumsy. I get easily dizzy. They say it''s my blood,¡± she whispered. But she still leaned against my chest, resting.

    ¡°Okay. Alright. But¡­¡±

    ¡°Give me just a minute? My head is still slightly dizzy.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± I whispered, still frozen, hands resting against the bench. I didn''t know what to do. "The two girls in my room told me that I shouldn¡¯t let you abuse my kindness,¡± I said, smiling.

    ¡°They''re right. You shouldn¡¯t,¡± Alwin responded. We were there for a few minutes, until she removed her head, looking at me, blushing, and stood up once more. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. It might sound like I¡¯m making it up, but I¡¯m really not. But you''re really kind." She gave me a slight bow. "But I did check out why those two are into you," she said, showing her tongue for a moment.

    I sighed. ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°You do have a very nice chest,¡± she said, giving me a wink and turning around. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow,¡± she said, raising her hand to wave, walking away.

    She was an interesting woman. Of course, like every other woman I happened to meet, she was beautiful. And she shared words that I still thought about.

    And even more importantly - she did smell great. Hey, man can enjoy moments like those, right?

    I took a deep sigh. ¡°I¡¯m overthinking this, aren¡¯t I?¡± I told myself. ¡°Sometimes I wish I could be wiser, and smarter. I wish I knew what to do. But life ain¡¯t simple.¡± And now I felt silly for talking myself. But if I was a dummy anyway, might as well do that.

    After a while, I finally walked back to my own room. I was ready to accept any results, even though I was hoping for the best. We needed to find a way to solve this. The moment I reached the door, I pushed my ear against it, trying to understand what was going on in my room. Quiet laughter echoed.

    I smiled. That was the first good sign. I prepared myself, standing there and taking in a few more deep breaths. I was nervous. Perhaps more nervous than during the life-threatening moments.

    Knock, knock, knock.

    ¡°Yes, come in!¡± two sounds echoed to me at the same time. I pushed the door open, seeing two of them sitting on the bed, looking at me.

    I closed the door and walked towards my chair.

    ¡°Come here!¡± Alice said, patting one side of the bed. I gave a sharp nod and got myself seated there instead.

    ¡°So?¡± I said.

    ¡°Me or you?¡± Alice asked, looking at Aldrynte.

    ¡°I can do the start,¡± Aldrynte mumbled, gazing at Alice just a moment. They both turned to look at me. ¡°Hiro. First, we want to apologize. We both realize that we have been pretty terrible to you, and you were right. Things got out of hand. We are sorry.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡±

    ¡°We talked things through, and shared some events and stories. In the end, we realized that we both want the same thing. We also care a lot about you.¡± It was a moment when Aldrynte visibly blushed. It was obviously hard for her not to be her usual self. ¡°We want you to be safe. We want you to be more careful.¡±

    Aldrynte released a sigh, gazing at Alice. Alice nodded in return and continued herself. ¡°Both of us leaving you would be the worst. So we talked and reached a resolution.¡±

    They looked at each other once more. I could almost see them burning up. It was cute and all, but the way they looked at each other made me nervous.

    ¡°Hiro,¡± Alice said a lot more sharply than usual.

    ¡°Yes!¡± I responded with the same sharpness.

    ¡°I love you. After our travels together, I¡¯ve only fallen more in love with you. You made me change. You made me into a better woman. And I want to be with you! Please go out with me!¡±

    Before I could say anything, Aldrynte coughed. ¡°As I told you before; after I saw you the first time, I felt this attachment. Every moment we spent together, I have felt this need to be with you, to get to know you. And when we were apart, I thought about you more often than I''d want to admit. It¡¯s now when I realize that I probably love you, as well. So I ask the same thing as Alice. Please go out with me! It sounds a bit weird, but we both care about you and want to work it out. So, go out with both of us, and we''ll see what the future brings us.¡±

    I was probably like a tomato. Even though I had prepared for something like that too, it was still very unexpected. I was blushing like crazy.

    But my face had a smile on. I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s decided. It¡¯s harem.¡±

    There was a moment of silence.

    ¡°You had to say it like that, didn¡¯t you?¡± Aldrynte mumbled. ¡°That¡¯s definitely my father.¡±

    Alice just giggled.

    "You make it sound so perverted," Aldrynte added.

    I leaned forward and grabbed hold of both of them, pulling them closer. I just hugged them. Few tears even escaped from my eyes. It was a strange feeling. I felt many things. It was warm, it was great. It felt special.

    "Thank you," I whispered into their ears. I could feel them squeezing me as a response.

    ***

    ¡°So, for the sake of equality, we decided thatboth of us are going to sleep in your bed,¡± Aldrynte said as she stood up.

    ¡°Eh?¡± I mumbled, looking at her.

    ¡°The bed is big enough for the three of us,¡± Aldrynte continued. Alice was slightly red but didn¡¯t protest. Instead, she stood up as well, walking towards the door. "I''ll get my... stuff."

    Alwine¡¯s words echoed in my mind. I should be protesting. I should be telling them no, and send them off.

    But that would be silly...

 Chapter 20 - Part 1

    The fortress was huge and large. Every corner was filled with darkness. The only light was coming from the Great Demon King¡¯s breathes, who was sitting on his massive throne.

    ¡°You have done well, getting here. But while you fooled around with women, I prepared.¡± And then he laughed. Laugh echoed throughout the chamber. And that laughter caused earthquakes. I could barely stand.

    ¡°Hiro!¡± he said with his deep voice, endlessly laughing. But I still stood there, watching the Demon King. And the demon stood up, raising his large two-handed battleax, which was two times larger than me, and swiped it towards my neck. And as his weapon was about to hit my face, he said one last time, with his higher-pitched voice. ¡°Hiro!¡±

    ***

    I winced, as I felt something touching my shoulder. ¡°Hiro!¡± I quickly opened my eyes and straightened my back.

    ¡°I¡¯m totally awake!¡± I said, looking at blurry Alwine in front of me.

    Alwine sighed. ¡°It has been two weeks, and you¡¯ve been non-stop tired. This is very alarming!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it! Those two are monsters. I have never slept with anyone in my life, yet now I¡¯m between two women! Two!¡± I said with a slightly louder voice. ¡°This is all happening in the wrong order. I haven¡¯t even kissed Alice. I¡¯ve barely kissed Aldrynte once. And we are supposed to be dating. Yet nothing has happened. Instead, it¡¯s them who get along well. I think I misunderstood them, and they are now dating each other!¡±

    Alwine sighed. ¡°Have they been fighting for the past two weeks?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°So, enjoy at least that part! They¡¯re just getting to know the other wife! That¡¯s fine!¡±

    ¡°The other wife?¡±

    Alwine giggled. She was making fun of me.

    ¡°But what¡¯s the point if I can¡¯t sleep at night?¡± I asked.

    Alwine sighed once more. ¡°You¡¯re a very unique person, Hiro. I never expected that someone like you would have problems like those.¡±

    ¡°And I thought you were wise. At least you understand me. If I was talking about those issues with Elbert, he would laugh his ass off. He would tell me to ¡®enjoy the moment¡¯.¡±

    Alwine got herself seated next to me, pulling one leg over the other. ¡°So, tell them to sleep in their own beds?¡±

    I looked away, slowly.

    ¡°Hiro¡­ If it¡¯s a problem for you, and you can¡¯t sleep¡­ then perhaps you should take care of yourself? I assume that you¡¯re enjoying sleeping next to the two beautiful wonderful women for some reasons as well. But I can see that you¡¯re not sleeping well, and that¡¯s bad.¡±

    I looked at her. She was absolutely right. ¡°I¡¯m like a kid, aren¡¯t I?¡± I mumbled.

    Alwine couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Well¡­ yes. But that¡¯s fine. You¡¯re you. And everything has its own time. Just because you can¡¯t sleep well right now, doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t do that in the future. You¡¯ll get used to it. But you need to have nights where you can snooze off.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°Here. I got an idea. What about you give them some excuse that you¡¯re off for one night? I can even pitch in! But secretly you¡¯ll spend the night in my room?¡±

    I blushed, immediately.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be sleeping elsewhere. I have my own home too.¡± She then stopped, peeked at me. ¡°Unless¡­ You know, I can prepare you for those two.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    I began to breathe more heavily, which made Alwine laugh. ¡°You¡¯re so easy to make fun of.¡±

    To be fair, it felt like a fantastic idea. But it would¡¯ve been also fantastic assassination opportunity for her. But it was also an opportunity for me.

    ¡°Deal!¡± I said, smiling. ¡°I¡¯d really appreciate that.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Alwine said, nodding. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get down to the real madders, shall we?¡±

    I looked at her. ¡°Right. What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°First of all, your final class will be in three days. So prepare something special. Secondly¡­ this!¡± She pulled out two letters and gave them to me. ¡°Since you snoozed off, they gave the letters to me. Thankfully, I knew where you hide.¡± As I examined them, my eyes began to shine. I knew very well what one of them meant. A wide smile appeared on my face. The second letter - a simple letter forwarded to me without any seal or such - was something that I knew about and had gotten before. To be fair, normally someone else would deliver me these letters, so it felt slightly dangerous that she gave them to me.

    ¡°Now I¡¯m not gonna ask you why, but here¡¯s the request. It was something hard to gather, but I tried to get as much as I could!¡± She pulled out a very thin notebook, giving it to me. ¡°You can keep it. But when you¡¯re done with it, you should either hide it away or destroy it. You don¡¯t want it to land in the wrong hands.¡±

    I nodded. Of course, I didn¡¯t plan to do it. I immediately opened it and skimmed through it. ¡°That¡¯s all the information you have on the Cosmic magic?¡± I asked.

    She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s very little, I know. Cosmic magic is extremely rare. Especially written and known parts. There are some names in there, some of the currently known living cosmic magic users. Please do not tell anyone about these names. I hope I can trust you with that. I only gave you them because you¡¯re the hero, and you¡¯ve proven yourself.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± I said immediately.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I feel like I didn¡¯t help you much with that. But like a lot of other rare special magics, these magic knowledge usually go to the grave with the user. Only a very few tales live to tell the tale. And these might even be dismissed as rumors.

    ¡°Yet you know how they manifest on spyglass,¡± I murmured.

    ¡°That¡¯s because adventurer¡¯s guild often has someone with the user who tests their powers out,¡± Alwine explained. I began to skim it once more. There was a moment of silence. ¡°Sadly, I don¡¯t even know if all of that is true,¡± she mumbled.

    I frowned. So, I supposedly got the rarest one of the six elements, yet I can¡¯t even use it. Not only I can¡¯t cast it because of my limited amount of magic pool, but also because I don¡¯t know how or what. But for the first time, I saw images, drawings, ideas that I could try to test out.

    ¡°Thank you, Alwine. This means a lot to me,¡± I said, giving her a smile. Alwine blushed slightly. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m glad to help.¡±

    ¡°This will help one of my students out, for sure! Well, I have to go now. I got some good news, and I have to go, now!¡± I said, stood up, and stretched myself.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll see you in the evening.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°I still have to let you into my room, and such!¡± she reminded me.

    ¡°Ah. Yeah. Of course!¡± I quickly said. ¡°Anyway. I have to go. Bye!¡± I stood up and rushed away. In the process, I opened the unsealed letter. As expected, there was a piece of paper in it with no words.

    But as I stared at it, words began to appear, and I could read it. In the end, only I could read it. And if nothing happened, it would mean that someone else had tried to read it, destroying the message. It basically meant that Alwine didn¡¯t try to read my two letters.

    <hr>

    Hero.

    Our investigation has finally reached a conclusion. Every evidence shows that Alwine is the assassin. Every moment she has gone missing, there has been an assassination. And every moment she¡¯s with you, or under our gaze, there has been none.

    The last week when we managed to have an eye on her every single moment, there wasn¡¯t even a single reported disappearance. Yet we haven¡¯t caught her in the act, not even once. This leads us to believe that she knows.

    We have enough evidence, and we cannot risk losing any more citizens. We have to act now. As your time as a teacher is up, we¡¯ll attempt to arrest her the next evening after you¡¯ve left, at her place. We cannot risk doing it in the city, where casualties might be larger. Since it¡¯s in the matters of security of our kingdom, we¡¯ll ask you to leave this to us.

    We thank you for cooperating with us. Your work and pretense have been invaluable. We wouldn¡¯t have made as much progress without you. But with that note, we ask you to be careful and stay away from her. She might realize that we are after her, and she might become desperate.

    You¡¯ve done more than enough.

    Qildor.

    <hr>

    Honestly, I had a hard time believing him. Not that he was lying, but that Alwine was the assassin. The way she acted, the way she talked to me, didn¡¯t make sense. Of course, she could¡¯ve been just an amazing actor.

    But perhaps that¡¯s why it was a good idea to sleep in her room. She could think it was a trap by me, and I could actually sleep. Or I could also try to set up a trap of my own, ready to act if it was necessary.

    Either way, I was about to get a new toy, so I probably had something to do anyway.

 Chapter 20 - Part 2

    Imagine my surprise when I opened the door to the Phoenix Fire, just to see it has a completely different look. When it used to be an open room, full of beautiful swords, it now had many more displays around the room, filled with different swords - nad not all of them were meant to be only pretty. And what was even more surprising - all the overly expensive sword prices were cut down by at least half.

    What used to be a lonely reception, was now filled with 6 dwarves, stronger drinks in front of all of them.

    ¡°I still remember his drunken eyes when he saw all the haul we brought in,¡± one of them said, making everyone laugh once more.

    ¡°¡®Nobody hasn¡¯t been in abandoned mines for ages,¡¯ he said,¡± mimicked someone else''s voice.

    Kutrin looked at me, a wide smile appearing on his face. ¡°Hero! Welcome to my humble store!¡±

    All the dwarves looked at me. One¡¯s beard was longer than the other. But they all were fat - which was pretty normal for dwarves. Interestingly enough, Kutrin was least so.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s the bloody Hero?¡± the shortest said, looking at me.

    ¡°Yes, Dardir. This is the one who we owe our thanks,¡± Kutrin said, nodding.

    I laughed weakly. ¡°I¡¯m slightly confused.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Yes. Let me introduce you to my old and new friends. These two are Dardir and Banrum. They are brothers. There aren¡¯t many better fighters than those two. At least that¡¯s what I believe after what I¡¯ve witnessed these past three weeks.¡±

    The shortest and the fattest nodded. ¡°Pleasure is mine,¡± the fattest, Banrum, said. But it was slightly funny, as his voice was a lot higher-pitched than one would expect.

    ¡°Bloody hell, you¡¯re too drunk, brother. Stay silent!¡± Dardir murmured.

    ¡°Okay,¡± -- hick -- ¡°brother.¡±

    I smirked, looking at Kutrin again.

    ¡°This is Darren,¡± Kutrin continued, pointing at the dwarf, who definitely had the longest beard of them all.

    ¡°Fucking well met! This is a fucking honor,¡± he said, stood up and reached out his hand. I took hold of it, squeezing it. Instant regret. He squeezed my hand so hard I felt like my bones wanted to break.

    ¡°Bloody hell, sorry. I¡¯m a blacksmith like him. Can¡¯t control meself,¡± he said, beginning to laugh, loudly.

    As I recovered my hand, Kutrin continued. ¡°That¡¯s Bendan. He¡¯s the one who enchanted your sword, and he¡¯s pretty good at it.¡±

    Bendan gave me a nod, but didn¡¯t even say a word, just looked at me, seriously.

    Kutrin leaned slightly towards me. ¡°He¡¯s fun when he¡¯s drunk. Trust me.¡± He coughed and finally looked at the final, youngest looking dwarf. He barely had any beard, and it wasn¡¯t even that thick.

    ¡°And that''s my new apprentice. It¡¯s thanks to him that we even got into mines as fast as we did. Melnom!¡±

    Melnom did a quick bow. ¡°Oh, damn. I-I¡¯m truly honored, Hero!¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s the whole bloody crew! We had a wonderful adventure. The greatest. We went to Kul Tarum, went to the abandoned mines, managed to get the purest spyglass one has ever seen - all thanks to Darren.¡± -- Darren gave a quick nod. -- ¡°- and almost dying multiple times in the process. And then we made it back and made your beautiful sword! The greatest work I¡¯ve ever done. And only thanks to these guys.¡±

    I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not going to pay more because you involved more people,¡± I said, seriously, but with joking voice.

    All of the dwarves looked at me, for a moment. Serious. Almost as I had broken a promise. Then they burst into laughter. I followed them with my super fake and nervous laughter.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even ask a penny. Hero, thanks to you, I gained something more valuable than the coin. I recovered my old buddies, and I gained some new friends. I finally understand what it''s like to be Goldsmith. I was born for this. I never want to make even a single fake sword again. I want to get rid of all those pointless swords around here. And I want adventurers to come to me. I want to make swords of many.¡±

    ¡°And you won¡¯t rob your new clients from every penny?¡±

    ¡°Well, they still have to pay. But no. Creating a sword that will be used for good gives me the greatest pleasure! And they will get what they pay,¡± Kutrin said. He released a long sigh, sitting back on his seat. ¡°I wish to tell you the tale of creating this sword one day. But I don¡¯t think today is the day!¡±

    I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m interested, for sure. But sadly I have more places I have to be, and today."

    ¡°Melnom! Get the sword!¡± Kutrin said.

    Melnom stood hastily up. ¡°Yes, master!¡± He rushed to the back room.

    ¡°I and my company are going to move to the lower town,¡± Kutrin said as small talk. ¡°As soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Heh. Why?¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°We need more room. We need to set up a proper forge. And we need everyone to have the opportunity to visit my shop. The Phoenix Fire died the day you came. But it has risen from the ashes. Phoenix Fire shall be no more. It will be known as Phoenix Forge.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a wonderful name!¡±

    Melnom rushed back to the room. A sword-shaped object in his hand, except packaged into a lot of clothes.

    ¡°Ah. Here it is!¡± Kutrin began to slowly remove clothing until a sword handle and sheath was revealed. The sword¡¯s grip was black, just like the scabbard. But the Pommel was white. The hilt was filled with black and white. It was designed as a butterfly. But it wasn¡¯t too fancy either, just like I had asked.

    ¡°The handle and Scabbard are made of obsidian. But not the same obsidian many know of. A slightly more special one called Enhanced Obsidian. It has the power to keep magical essence locked in, not letting it escape. It is used for prisons, meant for powerful mages. So, even if the blade is as pure spyglass as it is, the sheathe will make sure that even the tiniest amount of element can¡¯t escape. And the handle is made of obsidian because¡­ well, it looks beautiful, mostly.¡±

    ¡°It is¡­ beautiful," I murmured.

    ¡°Luckily for you, this obsidian is very good for staying hidden as well. I know that your job might require stealthing. It will not reflect much light. Especially if there isn''t much."

    I lifted it up, holding it in my hand. Just because the room was well lit, I could barely see any reflection on it. ¡°It¡¯s not that heavy, but not that lightweight either."

    ¡°Ah. Apologies for that. Obsidian is not that light material. We worked hard on the handle to make it as light as possible, using other materials as well. There¡¯s a very thin line of obsidian on the handle, mostly just for the visuals. The sheath, however, is a different matter. It had to be made entirely of obsidian. But it should still be fine if you just use it as sheathe.¡±

    Just as he said those last lines, I removed my old sword, placed it on the counter, and connected my new sword to my belt. I could feel that there was a slight weight difference between my old sword, and the new - new being heavier. But not a lot. ¡°I can get used to it,¡± I said, nodding. I finally placed my hand around the grip. It was a nice grip. Not obsidian, but a leather of some kind. ¡°That¡¯s nice," I said.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Darren said immediately. ¡°This fucking leather is from a dragon. There can¡¯t be a fucking greater leather than this.¡±

    I looked at Kutrin. ¡°Did you slay the dragon as well?¡±

    Kutrin began to laugh. ¡°Bloody no. We bought it. Cost a lot. Dragon¡¯s leather is a true rarity to get. Even a tiny bit.¡±

    I thought of Aldrynte. I wondered if she approved it. Or perhaps she didn¡¯t care. But for some reason, knowing her, I assumed the last part.

    With a small sigh, I began to pull out the sword. It came out smoothly. The sheathe was perfect. But it was only meant for this sword. Immediately I saw glass, but not the one I had expected. It was more white than transparent. But I could still see through it.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Bendan said. ¡°There¡¯s still a bit of my element in there. We had to test it, after all.¡±

    I could feel it. There was some air element in there. ¡°You¡¯re an air elemental user?¡± I asked.

    Bendan nodded.

    ¡°I can release it. Should I?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but not as a weapon. You can weaponize only the elements that you¡¯ve placed in there. Whenever you push your magic in there, it will remember your blood. And only you can use it the way you want. But you can always release the unwanted elements, the ones you can¡¯t control,¡± Bendan continued. ¡°That¡¯s what I understood after testing it.¡±

    ¡°To be fair, that¡¯s even better. I wouldn¡¯t want my weapon''s element to land into wrong hands,¡± I said. I focused on it, and I could feel how the air element just slowly discharged, disappearing. There was a very slight wind coming from the sword. And the color began to change from white to fully transparent.

    ¡°That''s something we can¡¯t control,¡± Kutrin said as he noticed how I examined the sword. ¡°Whatever element you put in there, the sword will take the color of that element. We thought of painting the blade¡­ but that would result in the sword not being as effective.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°But you can always insert the transformed element into the blade without unsheathing it. There¡¯s a very tiny line going to your hilt that you can use. You just need to touch the sword¡¯s grip. This is why we used a bit of obsidian for your handle as well.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a fantastic idea.¡±

    ¡°We tried to think of everything,¡± Darren said.

    Kutrin sighed. ¡°As I said. This is the greatest piece of work I¡¯ve ever done. And it truly works. Your idea works, Hero. This sword is amazing. It¡¯s¡­ legendary.¡±

    I smiled.

    ¡°What¡¯s its name?¡± Melnom suddenly asked, excited.

    I smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know, yet. But I also want to hear what people will name it, once they see me using it.¡±

    All the dwarves smiled.

    ¡°Hero,¡± Bendon said, abruptly. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing. It¡¯s the sword¡¯s only weak point that I want you to remember.¡±

    I looked at him.

    ¡°The spyglass can never be as strong as many other materials. So, the only way to make it strong, and always as sharp as it is, we had to enchant it. Good news is that I didn''t have to use anything stronger than just strengthening enchantment. It means that it¡¯s a quite strong enchantment.¡± He sighed. It was coming¡­ the but.

    ¡°However¡­ it can be still only that strong. No normal or usual blades will be able to beat destroy it, but there are definitely many stronger blades. There will be a time when one might destroy your enchantment. When the enchantment breaks, you¡¯ll feel it. But it will not damage the blade, not yet. This is the type of enchantment I have with it. You can still use it when the enchantment breaks. But my recommendation is to not use it as a simple sword. It will break. And if it does, it will never be the same. You might not be able to repair it, ever.¡±

    I sighed, looking at it. ¡°Is there a way to make it stronger?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s definitely are,¡± Darren said, sighing. ¡°There are many better enchanters than me. I just don¡¯t know anyone. At least no other friendlies. There are those who are hard to find. And some might or will not help you.¡±

    I nodded, finally pushing the sword back into sheathe. It was as easy to push it back in, as it was to pull it out. I took hold of the other sword, connecting it at the other side of my belt.

    ¡°Thank you all. You might¡¯ve saved the world. What is a hero without his legendary sword, right?¡±

    The dwarves laughed, agreeing, and mumbling something.

    ¡°You know what... when you have time, and the world doesn¡¯t need saving, come and say hi. I have a wonderful story to tell.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°I will, for sure. One day!¡± I turned my back to them and began to walk outside.

    I stopped, looking over the shoulder. ¡°Oh, and Kutrin!"

    ¡°Aye?¡±

    ¡°Your shop is now great. It¡¯s finally not lonely!¡±

    We both smirked. And I finally left the store. I was excited.

 Chapter 21 - Part 1

    ¡°Thank you, Alwine,¡± I said, taking the key, looking at her. ¡°What are you up to?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been at my home for a while, so I¡¯ll stay there for a few days,¡± she said, giving me a smile. ¡°After all, our official time is over. I was dismissed, and given a chance to have a few days off. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be there when you have your last lesson!¡± she said.

    ¡°Well, Alwine, it has been a pleasure! I can¡¯t thank you enough for all the advice you have given me,¡± I said, looking at her. I was considering telling her about Qildor, but not yet. One more night. Then I¡¯ll consider. Until then, I can¡¯t act hastily.

    ¡°Of course. It was my pleasure to work with the hero. I consider myself very lucky that I get to experience with my age.¡± She leaned slightly forward. ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect to advise you about girls¡­¡±

    I grinned, leaning slightly even more forward. ¡°Me neither.¡±

    We both chuckled.

    ¡°Goodnight,¡± she turned around, losing her balance once again.

    After I have worked with her for a week, I¡¯ve learned how clumsy she can be. So, almost expecting it already, I reached my hands out and caught her. She landed on my arms, hands on my chest, looking up at me, very close.

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know you that well, I¡¯d say you did that on purpose,¡± I mumbled, looking at her very close.

    ¡°Maybe sometimes I don¡¯t? But I am rather clumsy...¡± she pushed herself up, her lips touching mine, giving me a kiss.

    Yeah. It was unexpected. The last thing I needed was another woman to fall for me. And while I did not really kiss her in return, I didn¡¯t push her away either. I did let it happen. As her teeth were over my lips, almost biting, she removed herself, slightly forcefully.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just couldn¡¯t resist picking up one last memory,¡± she whispered. ¡°Especially after all of the talks about¡­ things.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t very wise. But I guess what¡¯s done is done,¡± I responded.

    She smiled, finally pushing herself away from me, hand on my shoulder until the last moment. ¡°Goodnight, Hero!¡± And like that, she left the room, pushing the door closed behind her.

    I would be lying if I said I didn¡¯t enjoy it. But it was our secret. Something that Aldrynte and Alice wouldn¡¯t know. It just happened, an accident. And I didn¡¯t do it. Or at least those were the excuses I told myself.

    I walked to the door and locked it. As I yawned, I removed some of my clothes but leaving most of them on. I had to be ready¡­ ready for anything. My hand approached my pocket, taking out a small potion.

    ¡°If everything goes well, it will end soon either way,¡± I mumbled to myself. After all, if we left the capital and I was safe again, there was no reason for those two to sleep in my bed. I removed the cork and drank it all.

    First, I felt nothing. But as five minutes had passed, I felt energy taking over my sleepiness. Every sense was sharpening. It was a good potion, but with a heavy cost. It would hit me later hard. And it was a very expensive potion.

    But I couldn¡¯t take any risks. Not tonight. I only hoped that this potion would be wasted. But meanwhile, I took out some papers and began to examine them. It was finally time to learn cosmic magic!

    ***

    A weird sound echoed from outside, not far from my window. But it was a momentary sound. In normal cases, I would dismiss it, but not today. I immediately, but quietly, stood up, and grasped my new sword¡¯s handle, while pushing the notes into my pocket. Slowly but surely, I walked towards the window, looking through it. It was just dark outside. But there was no moon. So it was a lot darker than normally.

    But something felt off. So, I opened the window slowly and then looked directly town.

    Just right below the window, I saw something small, trying to not be seen. But whoever they were, they were also looking at me, possibly as surprised as I was. There was a quiet moment when we both just stared.

    As I began to pull out my sword, he climbed up - a lot faster than I¡¯d expected - standing on the windowsill. I abandoned the idea of pulling out the sword. Instead, all I could do was pushing the window shut. But whoever that person... or being... was, was small and nimble enough to quickly jump into my room, landing on my bed.

    I almost drew out my sword but managed to keep myself in check and not do it. It wasn¡¯t time. If I had any chance, then only one shot.

    ¡°Who dares to enter my room?¡± I said, looking at the smaller figure, standing on my bed, body and face hidden by a cloak.

    They moved, removing their hood and revealing themselves. ¡°Hiro?¡± a voice echoed as a white mousefolk looked at me.

    ¡°Squeek?¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°What are you doing here? What are you doing in Alwine¡¯s room?¡± Squeek asked, crossing his hands.

    ¡°I should ask you the same! Are you the assassin?¡± I asked. To be fair, I felt stupid asking it like this.

    ¡°Me? Assassin? Ridiculous! I was asked to come here around this time!¡± Squeek said.

    ¡°By whom?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± he said, squinting at me.

    ¡°Alwine?¡±

    Squeek clapped his hands together. ¡°Congratulations. You¡¯re correct!¡± He began to look around the room. ¡°My only question is why and where is she?¡±

    I looked at squeek, hand still on the handle. ¡°Squeek. Who are you to her? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Squeek looked back at me, sighing. ¡°First of all, I¡¯m no danger to you, alright? I¡¯m a¡­ like a knight¡­ working under Alwine. For now. She saved my life, a long time ago. So, for now, I¡¯ve been serving under her. At least until my debt is paid.¡±

    For the first time, I let go of my handle. ¡°Did she sent you to spy on me at school?¡±

    He froze. Then slowly looked at away. ¡°Noooo,¡± he said. It was an obvious lie.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop!¡± Squeek suddenly said, raising his hand. He took two long sniffs. ¡°Get on a bed! Now!¡±

    I was confused. But something told me to trust him. I did so, almost immediately. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°This smell. It¡¯s weird. It¡¯s offsetting. But familiar. Something is coming.¡±

    And as he said so, we both looked at the door. It was slightly vibrating, but there was no sound. None. But we could see how water began to pour into the room from every hole there possibly was.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± I whispered. As I wanted to step off the bed, Squeek took hold of my leg, stopping me.

    "It''s too late!" We both looked at the floor. There was already a thin layer of water.

    ¡°That¡¯s water magic. Alwine? Dammit!¡± My hand turned into a fist.

    Squeek squeek for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why would she¡­¡±

    There was a moment of silence ¡°...to silence you?¡± I offered my help. ¡°Perhaps you know too much?¡±

    ¡°Or maybe she sent me to warn you?¡± Squeek mumbled.

    I began to scratch my chin. We both just stared at the door, water slowly filling the room. It wasn¡¯t that we weren¡¯t trying to escape, but there wasn¡¯t much we could do about it, yet. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t she warn me before? She had a perfect chance!¡±

    "Maybe she couldn''t?" Squeek sighed. ¡°We need to get out of here. This magic is strong. We don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s hers. But for now, we need to escape. But we can¡¯t touch the water.¡± Squeek took hold of a pillow and threw it in the water. Almost immediately sharp thorns came out of the water - almost like knives - cutting and piercing the pillow into pieces.

    ¡°Okay,¡± I whispered. ¡°That¡¯s definitely the assassin. This explains every scene.¡± I swore under my teeth. How could I be so foolish? In the end, Qildor was doing his work, and he was going after her for a reason. And I thought I was wiser. Why didn¡¯t I trust him? He was in the council for a reason. He was the first elf for a reason.

    ¡°Okay. We need to escape,¡± I said, sighing. I immediately looked towards the window. ¡°Fuck. I don¡¯t know how good climber I am.¡±

    ¡°The water won¡¯t stop until it gets its victim. Probably¡­¡± squeek mumbled. At this point, we were walking around the edges of the large bed, looking around. For some stupid reason, Alwine¡¯s room was a lot larger than mine as well. So there weren''t many things to jump to. Besides...

    ¡°Okay. Okay. If we get to the window, I can help!¡± Squeek said.

    I immediately looked at the window, that wasn¡¯t that far off, but still not exactly next to the bed either.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I mumbled, walking near the edge. ¡°Maybe I can do it?¡± I whispered.

    ¡°I wish I could help you, Hero. But this room is too small for it,¡± Squeek whispered. He went close to the wall and began to use his claws to climb towards the window.

    ¡°You lucky f-¡±

    But I didn¡¯t have time to think too long. The floor was raising and fast, and the level of water started to reach the bed¡¯s edge. So I took some steps back, looking at the window.

    ¡°Okay, Hero. I know we have known each other for only a moment. But you need to trust me on this!¡± Squeek said the moment he stepped on the windowsill. I raised an eyebrow but kept listening to him.

    ¡°Tumble out of the window! Take as long leap you can, and just jump through. Fall down! Let yourself fall down!¡± As squeek said those words, he pushed the windows wide open, so I could do that.

    ¡°Death by water''s painful piercing, or death by fall?¡± I said, looking at Squeek. ¡°Well, at least it won''t be painful.¡±

    It was a moment of desperation. I was thinking hard, but I couldn''t think of any other plan. There wasn''t one.

    So I took one last step back and began to run forward. I could see how the water began to climb the bedsheets. Very tiny thorns soared out from every spot I pulled my steps away. But there was too little water to do any harm.

    Do you believe in the tales that when things are climactic, and you might die, the time might slow down? I never did. But for the first time, it felt like it was true. Just for a moment. Just when I felt how the spikes were about to reach me, I jumped. I could feel this weird iron taste in my mouth. I could feel this weird smell below me.

    I could see the image of myself flying, almost as the water was a mirror. And then I saw Squeek below me, flying over his head, straight out of the window.

    Squeek was smiling. What was that smile? Did I fuck up? Did I just jump to my death? But as I began to fall, I saw him jump off too. And as we fell, he followed my fall. But squeek began to change the shape. Fur turned into feathers. And his hands turned into claws.

    A large eagle had replaced small Squeek''s position. And the eagle took hold of my clothes, stopping my fall. Instead, I was lifted higher into the sky. Higher, and higher.

    I saw all the town below me, going smaller. It was filled with small torch lights. It was an incredible view.

    And then I was let go, once more. I began to fall, immediately. I still couldn¡¯t say anything. I was taken aback, and trying to grasp what was happening. I was probably also in shock. But I didn¡¯t fall for long before the eagle flew below me, and I landed on his back.

    ¡°Squeek?¡± I shouted as the wind blew against me, and I tried to keep my head low. ¡°Is that you?¡± A loud higher-pitched sound was returned, as the eagle looked back over his shoulder. ¡°Thank you. You saved my life!¡± I screamed. And as we had done a few circles, we finally began to lower ourselves to land in the king castle¡¯s garden.

    ¡°Squeek. Don¡¯t change back. It might be better if they don¡¯t know,¡± I said. Another loud higher-pitched sound came from Squeek.

    The moment we landed, we were surrounded by guards who were holding swords, pikes, and bows. As I dramatically jumped off the eagle, landing down on my own two feet - like a hero - I looked at all of them.

    ¡°I¡¯m the hero. I need to speak with the King and Qildor. Send emergency summons! And get me someone important!¡± I raised my hero¡¯s emblem as well.

    The guards began to dissipate, and someone familiar was sent to meet me.

    ¡°Captain!¡± I said, smiling. ¡°It¡¯s good to see a familiar face!¡±

    The captain reached out to me and gave me a warm handshake. ¡°We¡¯ve sent an emergency summons, as you asked. But it¡¯ll take some time. Until then, we¡¯ll provide you a room where you can rest!¡±

    ¡°Yes, please. Thank you!¡± I said, groaning. I could suddenly feel many parts of my body screaming at me.

    ¡°Do you need some medicine, Hero?¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Your lip. It¡¯s bleeding pretty hard!¡±

    I immediately touched my lips with my two fingers. As I removed them, I saw blood on it. That would explain the taste of iron. But more importantly¡­ I knew where the blood was coming from. The place Alwine had kissed me, and also apparently had bitten.

    As we got into our separate room, I began to curse. ¡°Dammit!¡± I said. The eagle began to transform back into the original Squeek, the mouse.

    ¡°This is troubling,¡± he said, sighing, and walking to the nearby table, filled with food. He began to eat everything there was. Especially grapes.

    ¡°It''s Alwine,¡± I mumbled, getting myself seated. I felt the potion to wear off as well. Probably the adrenaline had sped up the process, as well. ¡°Before she left, she caused me this wound,¡± I said, pointing at my lip. It was now treated, but it still hurt. ¡°The water magic can affect the blood itself if there¡¯s a wound.¡±

    Squeek sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to believe that. She¡¯s a kind soul. She can¡¯t be-¡±

    ¡°Me neither, Squeek. But no matter how I look at it, she¡¯s the one. She made sure that I had vulnerability before leaving, just to make sure that I would fall.¡±

    ¡°Then how do you explain me being sent into your room. And just in time?¡± Squeek mumbled.

    I frowned. ¡°Did Alwine know about your power?¡± I asked. Squeek shook his head, slowly. ¡°Then there you have it. You were sent there to be silenced. You were sent there to be just in time to be eliminated. She didn¡¯t expect you to be our saving grace.¡±

    Squeek looked at me, frowning as well. ¡°You might be right.¡±

    ¡°I need to tell this to king and Qildor. She¡¯s a danger to citizens. If she finds out that we¡¯re still alive¡­ she might do something rash. She might escape. She might do something that we¡¯re not prepared for. People might die!¡±

    ¡°I know!¡± Squeek finally shouted. ¡°I know. I¡­ just¡­ don¡¯t want it to be true,¡± he said, sighing.

    There was a moment of silence. "Me neither." I closed my eyes for a moment, thinking. ¡°Was it you?¡± I finally asked. ¡°The one that was seen and described in different crime scenes?"

    ¡°Yes. I knew there was something weird going on. I could feel or smell it. Every time. Just like today. So I always ended up getting there. And to many others that didn''t leave a body behind. But always when it was too late.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know who to trust, anymore. But you saved my life, even though you could¡¯ve not. For that, I¡¯m thankful.¡±

    ¡°What can I say¡­ I¡¯m a fan!¡± Squeek said.

 Chapter 21 - Part 2

    ¡°I told you¡± -- Qildor forcefully pushed his voice down -- ¡°not to do anything stupid. Yet you did the stupidest thing you could possibly do!¡±

    ¡°But now you got confirmation that she¡¯s the assassin!¡± I said.

    ¡°Thank you for confirming something that I already knew. You made this whole thing a lot more complicated. I don¡¯t think you realize what you¡¯ve done.¡±

    I opened my mouth but closed it immediately after. I wasn¡¯t expecting Qildor to be that mad.

    Qildor released another long sigh. ¡°She¡¯s a water mage. And a really strong water mage. So, we need to do a lot of preparation to arrest her. We need a different kind of special magic to be ready to take her down. And we need a lot of ice and fire wizards, so they can freeze any water magic she tries to use until she runs out of magical essence.

    ¡°And getting such force together takes some time and preparation. Right now, we are not ready. And if before we knew she was at her home, now we don¡¯t even know if she really stays there. We were prepared to take care of her tomorrow evening, away from the city. Everything was perfect. But you might¡¯ve just ruined it. Entirely.¡±

    I raised my eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why can¡¯t you do it tomorrow then?¡±

    ¡°Because if she finds out that you actually managed to survive her attack, she might escape. She can assume that you know. And if you know, we know,¡± Qildor said, walking back and forth.

    ¡°Qildor. Relax. You¡¯re the head of our country security. You¡¯re the brightest head when it comes to this. You can figure this out!¡± Rowley said, leaning back.

    ¡°You¡¯re awfully calm, taking into account that it¡¯s your advisor we¡¯re talking about!¡± Qildor said out loud, stopping, and looking at the king.

    ¡°Because you¡¯re my security. I trust you, Qildor. I may not like this since I¡¯ve known Alwine since she was only a baby. But what you told me can be real. She might still feel the hostility towards me, even if she never showed me one. It breaks my heart, but I''m the king.¡±

    Qildor looked at Rowley, sighing. ¡°Sometimes I think you''re an ass, human king. But at least when it comes to politics, you know when to listen, and when to trust.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the biggest compliment I¡¯ve heard from you, the first elf,¡± Rowley replied.

    Qildor sighed. ¡°There is a way. It¡¯s a long shot, but the best one we have.¡±

    I crossed my hands. ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°You leave the town, together with the hamster.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a mouse-¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. You leave now, and you''ll take your companions with you. You will stay inside a hidden cart, and go to the next town. And you will stay there for the next few days, hidden. If Alwine hears that you¡¯ve disappeared, she thinks that she succeeded.¡±

    Rowley began to scratch his beard. ¡°That might work."

    ¡°We will spread a whisper that the hero has disappeared. But we will deny and keep it quiet publicly, just to not create any chaos. We will ask Alwine to stay at her own for now, since she was with you and might be in danger. This is how we would¡¯ve acted if you really did disappear, either way. Then we have to hope that she takes the bait and that her magic isn¡¯t powerful enough to actually tell her if she caught you in your room or not.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°Is there anything I can-¡±

    ¡°You have done enough!¡± Qildor shouted. ¡°Hero. I have huge respect for you. You¡¯ve already done a lot for our country. You¡¯ve revealed some information that no other hero could. And you¡¯ve saved us from a possible catastrophe. But your time here is up. Go back to Kirkwall. Deal with the demon problems. This here is no business for the hero. This is where I draw the line.¡±

    ¡°But-¡±

    ¡°Hero!¡± Rowley interrupted, leaning towards me. I was slightly irritated by the fact that they kept interrupting me. ¡°You have no power here. While we have beyond the wall, elves have before it. His word is final. Qildor will provide you a secret carriage, and you will take it with your companions.¡±

    Qildor looked at Rowley. ¡°Thank you.¡± He turned dramatically towards the big doors and began to walk away, showing me his super beautiful fancy colorful red cape. At least something nice to eye at this late hour. I love capes. I need a better cape.

    I turned to Rowley, sighing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Alwine. I liked her. Even though her clumsiness was¡­ something.

    Rowley looked at me. ¡°I always felt that she was loyal. But her betrayal¡­ clumsiness¡­ that¡¯s one way to call it.¡± He stood up and began to walk towards the door as well. ¡°Go rest while you can. We¡¯ll call you when the time is right," he said out loud without looking back.

    ***

    I had a long sleep. Since the potion had stopped working, I was hit by unbearable fatigue. So, the next time I woke up, I was in a carriage, head resting on Alice''s lap. To be honest, I didn''t even remember going in the cart.

    "How long did I sleep?" I asked immediately.

    "Twelve hours," Aldrynte said, looking down at me. I slowly pushed myself up, getting seated.

    "Here!" Alice took hold of her backpack and took out some bread. "Eat!"

    "Thank you," I said as I took it. "So, we''re already past the first town?" I asked.

    "Change of orders," Squeek muttered. "Get them as far as you can. One town is not enough," he mimicked Qildor. I turned and looked at him. "You''re here too."

    Squeek frowned and gave me a slow nod. "Didn''t have much of a choice."

    ¡°Okay, before I kick your ass, I want to ask you something,¡± Aldrynte said, comfortably sitting next to Alice, looking at me. Next to Aldrynte was Alice, who was also in front of me. And finally next to me was Squeek.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I said.

    ¡°Somehow, you manage to attract all the women whose name starts with A. Aldrynte, Alice, Alwine,¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure that Aurora has also a thing for you,¡± Alice said, thinking.

    Aldrynte gazed at Alice, and then back to me. ¡°There you go. What¡¯s up with that?¡±

    I was utterly confused. ¡°I¡­ What?¡±

    Aldrynte smirked. ¡°I just think it''s very funny. It''s probably just a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°Come on! Not every affection is love. Aurora probably just admires me,¡± I said.

    Alice shook her head, slowly. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen how she looks at you.¡±

    I leaned slightly towards Squeek. ¡°They¡¯re evil. Alice used to be innocent, but she has changed. And now that they are besties, first they burn me, and then they apply cold to burn.¡±Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°Leave me out of it,¡± Squeek mumbled. Both Aldrynte and Alice stared at me, hands crossed.

    ¡°Hey. I fucked up, alright? I was supposed to keep the whole Alwine thing as a secret. I promised that to Qildor. You two would have acted differently. Plus I enjoyed seeing you two jealous.¡±

    ¡°Did you now?¡± Aldrynte asked.

    Alice sighed. ¡°I can understand though. But I don¡¯t understand the risk you took with the sleep. You could¡¯ve told us the truth. Something. Anything! It feels like a stroke of pure luck that Squeek happened to be with you.¡±

    Squeek shook his head. ¡°Pure skill.¡±

    ¡°Stay out of this,¡± I told to Squeek, gazing at him for a moment. ¡°You two were fighting. And now you finally got along and began to talk to each other, properly. I didn¡¯t want to make you worried.¡±

    ¡°I think you don¡¯t understand, Hiro,¡± Aldrynte said.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Alice agreed, nodding.

    ¡°We are getting along because of you, and for you. You¡¯re the connection. If you died, what¡¯s the point? I understand your concern, but do you understand our concern?¡±

    I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, alright? I fucked up. And we¡¯re all paying the price.¡±

    Aldrynte sighed, leaning slightly forward and taking my hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We''ll figure this out!"

    Alice stared at Aldrynte, at took my other hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    Squeek slowly put his hand on my leg. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± We all turned to stare at him. ¡°It¡¯s a joke, alright?¡± Obviously, he found it all hilarious.

    I sighed, pushing myself away from everyone. ¡°You bullies! All of you!¡±

    ¡°Well. If it makes you feel better, we are slightly at fault as well. Alwine, she fooled us pretty well when she ¡®accidentally¡¯ stumbled against you in front of us,¡± Aldrynte said, sighing. ¡°That made me jealous, and that made you wary.¡±

    It hit me. Something weird. Something that didn¡¯t make any sense. Something that I should¡¯ve realized sooner. But perhaps it was the fatigue that didn¡¯t let me think straight?

    ¡°Squeek. You were right,¡± I whispered. ¡°Speak¡­ very¡­ quietly, and come closer!¡± Slowly, we all got our heads together. ¡°SI think she did send you to save me.¡±

    ¡°You''re saying that she didn¡¯t attack us?¡± Squeek whispered, getting his hopes up.

    ¡°No. She probably did attack us. However... How long have you known Alwine? Years?¡±

    ¡°Years. But I haven¡¯t been in contact with her the past few months, besides getting basic information, such as this.¡±

    ¡°How clumsy is she?¡± I asked.

    ¡°She isn''t. Why?¡±

    I grinned. ¡°She has been really clumsy this past few weeks.¡± Aldrynte and Alice stared at me with slightly stronger intense. ¡°I mean real clumsiness. Not what you saw the very first time,¡± I said.

    Squeek looked at me. ¡°But she¡¯s not¡­¡±

    ¡°Exactly. Which means that¡¯s not her. Or it¡¯s her, but she¡¯s being controlled. The clumsiness must happen when she resists whatever charm she has on her.¡± I turned to look at Squeek. ¡°When Alwine told you to come to her room, was she unsurprisingly clumsy before that?¡±

    Squeek began to scratch his fur, as he was thinking. ¡°She fell, just before that. Then she stood up, looked at me, and told me to come to her room at that time when I did. Then she cleaned her shirt, said she had to go, and left.¡± Squeek sighed. He seemed to understand. ¡°You¡¯re saying that¡¯s the moment she fought against the charm. And as she had a moment of control, she managed to give me a singular order?¡±

    ¡°And whatever that order was, the charmed Alwine couldn¡¯t remember it,¡± I said.

    ¡°We need to save Alwine!¡± Squeek, said, starting to stand up. I immediately put my hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down. ¡°This carriage is Qildor¡¯s. His direct order was to take us to away, no matter what. We aren¡¯t allowed to interfere. Not anymore.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that Qildor¡­¡± Alice was the first to say it.

    ¡°What? That¡¯s impossible,¡± Aldrynte said immediately.

    I sighed. ¡°I think he might be deceived, and not know the truth. Which means that he might be heading for a trap. Especially if Alwine is not the real mastermind.¡±

    ¡°Then who is it?¡± Squeek asked.

    ¡°I think there¡¯s only one person who knows for certain,¡± I said. They all looked at me. ¡°Alwine herself.¡± I turned to look at Aldrynte. ¡°Do you know anything about charms? Any potions?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s only one potion that¡¯s considered as a charming, and that¡¯s a love potion. However, it¡¯s a very illegal potion. And that wouldn¡¯t change Alwine herself. She would still be herself, just falling in love with whoever is being targeted.¡±

    ¡°Which means only one thing,¡± Alice continued. ¡°It¡¯s a special magic.¡±

    I continued looking at Aldrynte. ¡°Anything?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a library!¡± Aldrynte hissed, leaning back, and trying to remember. ¡°I can remember only a single occurrence of such a possibility. The Harem King.¡±

    I looked at her, thoughtfully. ¡°Really?¡± It felt like she was mocking me.

    ¡°I¡¯m not joking around. I find it as amusing as you, taking into account our recent¡­ events,¡± Aldrynte said. Alice was just giggling. Squeek was trying to stay as straightforward as he could.

    ¡°So, what do you know about this Harem King?¡± I asked. For once, I wish I could have read about him. Maybe my father had a special section. But I had no memories of this guy. Not even a single mention.

    ¡°He was an adventurer who had around fifty wives. It happened a long-long time ago. But he wasn¡¯t really strong or special. Nobody really understood why he had so many wives. Yet some of them, who even questioned him, changed very suddenly and followed him mindlessly. The story ends with his death, killed by his own wife. After that, all the wives changed¡­ once more. Some say back to who they were. Others say to entirely something different, broken.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°Nothing about specifics?¡±

    ¡°There might be. But nothing I can remember. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve only heard the tale, told by my father. You know Elbert very well now. He likes weird stories like those. I don''t even know if he made it up or not.¡±

    I turned to look at Alice and Squeek.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I have no idea,¡± Squeek said immediately. Alice just shook her head.

    "Okay. Listen here. I want to save Alwine. And I want to figure this out. But that means going against Qildor''s orders. This means going against the king''s orders. You know what that means. Are you still willing to join my plan?"

    I looked at all of them. They all stared at me, smirking in their own way. It was a good-enough answer to me.

    ¡°Alright. So. Here¡¯s my plan. We escape here and break into two groups. Group A is me and Aldrynte. Group B is Squeek and Alice. Group A goes straight to Alwine. We need to protect her, but also to buy some time. Group B goes straight back to the capital. You¡¯ll contact all my students, and make them learn information about this Harem King. Once you gather this information, you¡¯ll come to Alwine¡¯s place and deliver us the information. If there''s any ingredients or such, bring that too.¡±

    Squeek raised his tiny hand. ¡°Why such groups?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re fastest of us all, Squeek. You¡­¡± I looked around the group and sighed. ¡°No secrets. Alright? We need to be honest to do it. We need to be a group!¡±

    They all took a moment but finally nodded.

    ¡°You can transform into something fast, and carry Alice back to the capital. Eagle, perhaps? You need speed. And after that, you also need to rush to Alwine. We need you to be really fast. Alice knowns my students. And she¡¯s a bit nerd like me. So while you rest, she will deal with the rest.

    "Now, I know Alwine, so I can pretend to be still at her side and buy us some time. Now since Aldrynte is a dragon¡± -- only Squeek¡¯s eyes widened. It seemed that Aldrynte had told Alice her secret. I was so proud of her -- ¡°and things go bad, we need someone strong. She probably has firepower, so she can keep water at bay for a while. While Alice¡¯s ice could be more effective, I can¡¯t risk her magical pool. I think the pool size difference is day and night. And we might need her magic later.¡±

    There was a moment of silence, as they all consumed the information, thinking. ¡°Alright,¡± Squeek said, nodding. ¡°I will trust you, Hiro. I hope you¡¯ll do everything to protect Alwine. I owe her my life.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°I promise.¡± I then turned to face Alice. ¡°One more thing. When you''re flying to Alwine, bring Aurora.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Alice asked.

    ¡°She might be the key to our problem.¡± It chuckled. If only they could understand the joke. ¡°It¡¯s very important. Bring her no matter what.¡±

    Alice nodded. ¡°Okay. Alright.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wish I could tell you more, but this is something I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I trust you," Alice said.

    ¡°And if Loid demands to be brought, bring him too. I bet he refuses to let Aurora come alone,¡± I said, smirking. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that Loid is very fond of Aurora.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Alice said.

    ¡°The way he looks at her¡­ You have no idea,¡± I said, smirking.

    Alice and Aldrynte both sighed, understanding my reference. ¡°Fair enough,¡± Alice murmured.

    ¡°What about those?¡± Squeek said, pointing towards the elves who were steering the carriage.

    I sighed, ¡°I have no idea. Any suggestions?¡± There was a moment of silence. ¡°Nothing fatal, please,¡± I added.

    Squeek sighed and began to search for something from his bag. He finally removed a tiny vial. ¡°One sip and they will sleep for a few days. Takes around five minutes to start working.¡±

    I smiled, taking out my own bag, removing an expensive wine from the bag. ¡°Remember this?¡± I whispered, looking at Alice.

    ¡°Hey. It¡¯s that wine we got from Cornwall¡¯s tavern!¡± Alice responded.

    ¡°What better time to open this than now. I bet Bill would be proud.¡± I opened it, and let Squeek pour the sleeping potion in it. ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask why or where you got this,¡± I whispered to Squeek. "That only leaves the question of delivery."

    Aldrynte and Alice smiled, looking at each other, nodding. ¡°Leave the rest to us.¡±

    I smiled. "I hope everything goes well. Let''s meet again at Alwine''s."

 Chapter 22 - A calm before the storm

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Aldrynte said as we had a moment of pause, letting our horses rest.

    ¡°For what?¡± I asked while searching for something in my bag.

    ¡°You told them I¡¯m a dragon, but you didn¡¯t tell them that I can¡¯t transform that easily, and fly,¡± Aldrynte murmured, looking at me, and standing in front of me.

    I sighed. ¡°Damn. You¡¯re right. You can do that. Why didn¡¯t I think of that?¡± I said, looking up at her.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. When it comes to making plans, you''re a genius. You would be lying if you didn¡¯t consider¡­¡±

    There was a moment of silence until I chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re right. I did think of it. But I know your story. And we can¡¯t let every dragon know that you exist, and where you are, can we? And to be fair, I don¡¯t think they would even notice. But it would attract too much attention if a dragon was suddenly seen flying too close to the capital. It would be literally telling Qildor that we aren¡¯t planning on going to the next town.¡±

    Aldrynte sighed, sitting on my lap, each leg at a different side of my body, while also pushing her hands over my shoulders. She slowly got her head closer to mine, finally touching my forehead with her own. I could hear her breathing. Her skin was slightly hotter than any other skin I¡¯ve touched. Not that there are many. ¡°Aren¡¯t you nervous?¡± she whispered, closing her eyes.

    I slowly raised my hands, letting my bag fall down into the grass, hands slowly going around her waist. I closed my eyes as well, just listening to her breathing. ¡°If I didn¡¯t have such a sexy woman on my lap right now, I might vomit,¡± I whispered, making her chuckle. ¡°Now that I think about it, it¡¯s your first adventure, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯re finally away from your dad¡¯s protection.¡±

    I was expecting a lot from her, but not her silence. I could hear her heavy breathing. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s my first adventure. But that doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she whispered.

    I opened my eyes, raising my hands and gently placing them on her chin, pushing her slightly away, caressing her cheeks. And as she opened her beautiful dragon eyes, I looked in She wasn¡¯t her usual know-it-all who had a strong skin and could take anything. She was more like one scared girl.

    ¡°Then what is it?¡± I asked, tilting my head slightly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Aldrynte?¡± She breathed heavily, looking at me. ¡°Talk to me. You can trust me. Anything!¡±

    She finally released a sob. And that made her shiver. She looked as she was humiliated for crying. She wanted to look away, hide her tears, but she struggled not to. And as the tears were halfway down her cheek, they evaporated. I could feel her cheeks way unusually warm.

    But she didn¡¯t say anything. She just stared at me. I finally lowered my hands, and pulled her closer, hugging her. Aldrynte pushed her eyes against my shoulder. I could her occasional sobbing sounds. I could feel her hot tears touching my skin for a moment.

    ¡°According to the books, dragons are ultimate creatures. They are considered as the smartest, and greatest beings in the world. It''s a bit funny how we praise dragons, almost as they have no faults,¡± I said, looking at the sky. Some clouds were going over us, while the sun was trying to lower itself down behind the horizon. It still had a long way to go.

    ¡°But in the end, you''re you, Aldrynte. You''re not what your father tells you. You aren''t what dragons want you to be. In the end, you''re just... you. And you''re allowed to be different. You''re even allowed to cry.¡± It was slightly funny. We were going to save Alwine, yet it was she who had told me those exact lines with slightly different wordings. And she wasn''t even her normal self. ¡°I think, besides the first time we met, I''ve never really seen you as a dragon. Only as a woman. After all, you¡¯re not entirely a dragon. You¡¯re a half-dragon. So, sometimes you can have those human moments as well.¡±

    Aldrynte finally pushed herself away, shaking her head. ¡°You don¡¯t understand me at all,¡± she whispered, giving me a grin. ¡°The problem isn¡¯t me. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m amazing. I¡¯m magnificent. I¡¯m aldrynte, the fire dragon, dammit. Don¡¯t you dare to downgrade me.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Then what is it? Tell me.¡±

    She looked at me. She raised her hand, pushing it against my heart. ¡°This week, I felt it for the first time.¡±

    ¡°Felt what?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Your presence. Your power.¡±

    I looked at her, slightly confused. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. How¡¯s that a bad thing?¡±

    ¡°Remember when I met you the first time? I told you that I¡¯m not sure if you have no power, or you''re just amazing at concealing it?¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± I murmured.

    ¡°Well, feeling your presence has given me the answer. You''re not that great to conceal your power, after all.¡±

    I finally realized what she meant. I immediately chuckled. ¡°Aldrynte. I think you¡¯ve misunderstood. I-¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t. I understand very well that you¡¯re constantly using your magical pool, pushing it inside that sword. This is the exact power that I''m feeling.¡±

    I raised my hands once more, taking softly hold of her chin once again, caressing her cheeks with my thumbs. ¡°Then what is it? I don''t understand.¡±

    ¡°I finally understand how weak you are. And you never were strong. Back then, you had nothing in you. I assume you didn¡¯t even know how to use your magic. That¡¯s why I never felt anything. Usually, every adventure always has something going on in them. Maybe it''s simply magic recovery. But you had nothing. And now there''s life inside you. I can feel it even now. You¡¯ve learned to use your powers. And while this is fantastic, it''s also terrifying. And... And...¡±

    I sighed, taking hold of her hands. ¡°Aldrynte. I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t tell you. I didn''t want anyone to worry our doubt in me. But now I got this. I¡¯m dealing with this. I-¡±

    ¡°I know that you will. I even know that Alice knew it, somehow, and you both secretly worked on your magic, I assume. It hurts a bit that you didn''t trust me.

    "But none of this matters to me, Hiro. I''m not the jealous one. I understand why you didn''t tell me.¡± Aldrynte sighed, grasping my hands, raising them against my cheeks once more. ¡°Back then, I didn¡¯t know you enough. Back then I thought that you were probably strong enough. How else did you become the hero? You even convinced my father that you''re strong. But now that I know the truth...

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid, Hiro. I''m afraid to lose you. I¡¯m scared that you¡¯ll do something reckless. I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll do something stupid, something that will cost you your life. I don¡¯t want to lose you, Hiro. I love you. I¡¯ve come to love you so much that it hurts. Yet you''re taking all the risks, all the heavy burden. Even if that woman was just trying to kill you not that long time ago. Even if it''s not even your battle.¡±

    I looked at her, starting to laugh. ¡°Aldrynte. My love. You got me worried!¡± I got one of my hand behind her, pulling her forehead against mine once more. I closed my eyes. ¡°For a moment, I thought you got something serious. But you truly have the human side in you.¡±

    ¡°Hiro, please. I¡¯m a fucking dragon. I¡¯m billion times stronger than you¡¯ll ever be," Aldrynte murmured, hand reaching behind my head as well, caressing my hair.

    I kept laughing. ¡°All of this just because you¡¯re worried about me? I feel that even Alice can be more cold-hearted than you.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Aldrynte murmured. ¡°Don¡¯t you mention another woman name right now.¡±

    ¡°But-¡±

    Aldrynte pushed herself away from me, still sitting on my lap, though. ¡°We get along. I¡¯m even willing to share you with her. But right now I¡¯m with you. It¡¯s you and me. Idiot!¡±

    I chuckled. "Aldrynte. I''m a hero. Risking my life for you, and many others, is my life. If I didn''t do it, it wouldn''t be me. I would hate myself. And even if I fail one day, falling to my death, I don''t want to have any regrets. So, I''m sorry, but you have to keep worrying about me."

    Aldrynte sighed, hands going around my neck. "Idiot. Fine. I''ll do it. Until the end of your days," she whispered. Her lips touched mine, kissing me. I couldn¡¯t help but kiss her back. I could feel one of her hand landing on my chest and slowly going down towards my belt. As a response, I grabbed that dragon¡¯s ass, of course.

    But before it could go any further, she slowly pushed herself away. ¡°We can¡¯t,¡± she murmured. "Not yet."

    Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re probably right,¡± I said calmly. ¡°I need my strength before the battle.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. But that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t kiss a bit more, right?¡± Aldrynte whispered close to my ear.

    I nodded, very slightly. ¡°Would increase my morale as well.¡±

    She smiled, kissing me once more, while one of my hand stayed where it was, while the other was in her hair.

    As we later got back on our horses, Aldrynte got next to mine. She then reached out her hand, touching my skin near the lips, cleaning something. ¡°You got some make-up over there,¡± she said, smiling.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m falling for you,¡± I mumbled, looking at her. ¡°And not just because you¡¯re really¡­ hot.¡±

    She chuckled. ¡°Was about time,¡± she whispered. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to seduce you for a while now.¡±

    ¡°If you continue like this, it won¡¯t be a harem anymore,¡± I whispered.

    Alice looked at me, eyes pleased. ¡°Alice and I get along very well now. We have worked out our differences. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not counting on that." She gave me one last flirtatious wink. But her expression changed. ¡°You weren¡¯t that truthful with Squeek, though."

    I glanced at Aldrynte. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We are too far from Alwine¡¯s place. There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll make there in time. Qildor will act first,¡± she said.

    I sighed. ¡°But technically, I didn''t lie either. I did say that I¡¯ll do everything I can. And I will. Plus, I slightly doubt that Alwine will be easily defeated.¡±

    Aldrynte looked at me. ¡°It feels like you¡¯re certain of that.¡±

    ¡°I have my reasons. I have my doubts,¡± I said. There was a moment of pause. ¡°But until I know for sure, I won¡¯t say anything.¡±

    ¡°Hiro, you can trust me.¡±

    ¡°And I do. But that doesn¡¯t mean I should tell you everything, always. Sometimes the less you know, the better. And some words can''t be taken back. I¡¯ve learned from my mistakes, Aldrynte.¡±

    Aldrynte sighed, but she gave me a smile afterward. ¡°Fine. I''ll trust you too. Now, let¡¯s hurry!¡± And as she pushed forward, I took a potion from my bag quickly, drank it, placed the empty vial back into my bag, and pushed forward together with Aldrynte.

 Chapter 23

    ¡°This should be it,¡± I mumbled as I stopped my horse. Aldrynte settled next to me. ¡°The luxurious country-side. Only the noblest of families can afford or own a house here. Well, can¡¯t see much because of the dark, but the sky is nice,¡± I said, jokingly.

    Aldrynte sighed. ¡°You know that you¡¯ll probably get home around here as well?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to. I''d like more excluded place.¡±

    I got myself off the horse, Aldrynte following my lead. We tied the horses down to the nearby trees and continued going forward on foot. The idea was that it was too risky to go on with a horse.

    ¡°Maybe I should go alone?¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°Not a chance.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°But she knows that you¡¯re a dragon. It¡¯s a dead give-away,¡± I said.

    Aldrynte slowly turned to look at me. ¡°She shouldn¡¯t,¡± she said. ¡°Only the five, and those you have told know.¡±

    ¡°But she¡¯s the king¡¯s advisor. Isn¡¯t it obvious that the king would tell her?¡±

    Aldrynte sighed. ¡°It is. But even so, she shouldn¡¯t share that knowledge with anyone. Not even you. What happens in the meeting, stays in the meetings. And that includes all the personnel. What if someone faked to be you, and they'' are told the information that could be a huge deal? They have ways to confirm that it''s you first.¡± Then there was a moment of silence. ¡°Then again, it¡¯s you who we are talking about. And if she was sure that it was you, she might''ve told you that just because it was you.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°Okay, this is a problem. Why the hell is a hero allowed to know everything? What if I¡¯m actually an evil guy? What if I¡¯m greedy?¡±

    ¡°Then you wouldn¡¯t be a hero,¡± Aldrynte said. I was surprised, confused even.

    ¡°I¡­ what?¡±

    Aldrynte sighed. ¡°Do you really think that we¡¯ll just make every person who kills the Demon King into a hero?¡±

    ¡°Yes? That¡¯s the law?¡± I mumbled.

    Aldrynte giggled. ¡°That¡¯s funny. You said it yourself. People are corrupt. Many might do it just to gain the title, and abuse it. So, having something simple like the law would never be enough.

    "Do you really think that the five would trust you as easily as they have? You¡¯re very naive if you do. Have you ever wondered why all the heroes in our history have been competent? Why they''re all known as someone good? And why do we have one hero every hundred years or so? Why do we have only one hero at the same time?

    ¡°So, to answer your question; no, you don¡¯t know everything. You do know more, but not even nearly enough. We don¡¯t tell you everything for a reason. But we know that you can be trusted. And you do have a chance to learn almost everything in time. Most heroes have.¡±

    I stopped for a moment, looking at Aldrynte. ¡°I have never thought about it. Not really. Just the information I''ve been given is overwhelming alone. I think I''ve probably had my doubts... but how do you know that I¡¯m good?¡± I asked.

    Aldrynte smiled, raising her hand, and touching where my heart was. But before I could say anything, she gave a sharp knock, making my hero¡¯s emblem give away a quiet metallic sound. ¡°Before the ceremony, what was the one thing that happened?¡±

    I looked at her, reminding myself of that day. ¡°I was presented the hero¡¯s badge.¡±

    ¡°And you took it. The moment you took it, you became a trustworthy hero. This emblem¡± ¡ª she pushed her hand against my hero¡¯s badge that was inside my leather armor¡¯s pocket ¡ª ¡°is an ancient heirloom. It¡¯s a piece that every single hero has owned. Nobody knows how it works. But if you could take it, you deserved it, and it also proves that somehow you did slay that Demon King.¡± She gave me a smirk and continued walking.

    ¡°So, is there a way to see my ancient previous heroes, and gain their powers? Or maybe communicate and ask their advice?¡± I asked.

    ¡°What? Nothing like that.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°I got my hopes up.¡±

    ¡°Sorry to disappoint you, but there you have it.¡± She then turned to face me one last moment. ¡°It goes without saying that it¡¯s a huge secret. Don¡¯t tell anyone.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that there are those who haven¡¯t been able to take it?¡±

    Aldrynte grinned. ¡°Many. More than you can count for. More than there have been heroes. Thus, be happy, you¡¯re the chosen one.¡±

    ¡°Or I just slew the Demon King,¡± I murmured. Even though it was by accident.

    ¡°Many others who couldn¡¯t take it also slew a demon king,¡± Aldrynte said, stopping. ¡°But here we are.¡± She crouched. I followed her lead.

    "Here we are..." I agreed.

    "No. I mean literally. We are here." As I was about to ask if she was serious, she smiled.

    ¡°Fuck, it¡¯s dark. I can¡¯t see much,¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°Qildor chose the moonless night for a reason. Elves can see in the dark very well, after all,¡± Aldrynte whispered. She then stopped, closed her eyes for a moment. She finally sighed.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I said.

    ¡°I know where she is. I can feel her presence. She¡¯s recovering from the battle,¡± Aldrynte whispered, taking hold of my hand. ¡°Come.¡± She led me towards one particular house, separated from others. And as we got closer, even I saw them.

    There were bodies. Mostly Elven. None of them moved. Many were dried up.

    ¡°Aldrynte¡­ They are all dead,¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°Thank you, I couldn''t see," Aldrynte said sarcastically. "You were right, Hiro. Alwine did win this battle. I have no idea how much essence she has left, but seeing the battle and how recent this was, we could probably try to kill her right now,¡± Aldrynte mumbled.

    ¡°Aldrynte!¡±

    ¡°Relax. I know. No killing. But I can¡¯t guarantee some wounds.¡±

    As we reached the house, we began to circle it, until we reached the front door. I stopped, making her stop as well. ¡°I¡¯ll enter alone. Get ready to run in. But only if you must! You can probably feel her magical essence anyway, right?¡±

    Aldrynte looked at me for a moment. Slowly, her head got closer to mine, giving me a kiss. ¡°Be careful. Please.¡± I felt a slight blush.

    I nodded, resting my hand on my new sword¡¯s handle and pulling the broken door open with the other. As I entered the room, it was a mess. Everything was in chaos. Except for the one table and chair where Alwine was sitting. She was staring at a mirror in front of her. But she looked straight past herself. I was her target. However, neither of us did anything harsh. Not yet.

    ¡°Alwine,¡± I said softly.

    ¡°I heard you died,¡± she said, finally continuing bandaging her hand.

    ¡°Someone tried to kill me. But I escaped just in time. Then I heard that they were going to attack you. I tried to get here as soon as I could. But as I can see, I was too late,¡± I said.

    Alwine sighed, turning herself around and looking directly at me. ¡°Well, I''m the lucky one. Apparently, I¡¯m stronger than them. They didn''t have even a chance.¡±

    ¡°And Qildor?¡±

    Alwine shook her head. ¡°If you look carefully around outside, I¡¯m sure you can find his body,¡± she said, lamenting. ¡°But you can stop your bullshit, Hero. We both know that you¡¯re here for other reasons. For example, I know that you have an ally straight behind the door. I don¡¯t know who, but someone who can use fire magic. My bet would be Aldrynte.¡±

    Aldrynte entered the room, hands crossed. ¡°Is it the air?¡±

    ¡°You have no idea,¡± Alwine said. She also crossed her hands. ¡°So, why are you here, Hero? Are you here to kill me as well? If yes, I¡¯m a bit disappointed. We got along so well. We even kissed,¡± she said, sending another kiss on my way.

    Aldrynte sighed. ¡°Is that your way to provoke me? It¡¯s hardly working. I can only assume that you forced yourself on him, not the other way around.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Alwine said. ¡°But that¡¯s because I love him. And I wanted a memory.¡±

    ¡°You know, that¡¯s the biggest bullshit I¡¯ve heard in a long time,¡± Aldrynte said.

    "That''s funny, coming from you," Alwine said, giggling. ¡°But I¡¯ve already accepted the fact that it''s unrequited love. So that¡¯s why I¡¯m going to kill you, Hero.¡±

    ¡°You say what?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but mumble. ¡°You lost me there. I never knew that love means killing them...¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you reading lots and lots of romance novels, Hero?¡± Alwine asked.

    ¡°You are?¡± Aldrynte whispered, looking at me.

    I faked a smile. ¡°I am,¡± I whispered. ¡°I needed some help with all that bullshit that¡¯s been happening around me, alright?¡±

    ¡°And you decided to seek help from romance books?¡± Aldrynte mumbled.

    Alwine coughed, getting our attention once again, rolling her eyes in the process. ¡°There¡¯s often an act where the bad guy says: ¡®If I can''t have you no one else can have you.¡¯ Have you forgotten?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Right. Now that I think about, there is one. Aldrynte. I think she might be actually right. She might actually love me,¡± I said.

    Aldrynte leaned slightly closer to me. ¡°Or I think she¡¯s being controlled and under the love potion!¡± she whispered. ¡°What¡¯s our plan?¡±

    ¡°We have to deplete her magical essence, and then capture her! If she has no essence, she''s powerless,¡± I responded.

    ¡°I have no idea how much essence she has left, so let''s hope for the best!¡±

    I frowned. ¡°At least, we have to buy some time. For the others!¡±

    Alwine stood up. ¡°Your whispers bore me. Time¡¯s up. Time to die!¡± she said, raising her left hand, which went into a fist. I hastily grasped my sword''s handle, ready to pull the sword out. But I hesitated, immediately. I didn¡¯t know much about this power I was holding. I haven''t even had a chance to test it ¡ª not really. Maybe I could kill her in one shot. Or maybe it was absolutely nothing. Either way, I didn¡¯t want to risk it. ¡°Aldrynte. I¡¯m counting on you!¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Aldrynte sighed. She had her hand already raised as well. ¡°I have one question,¡± she said, as her hands burst into flames.

    At the same time, Alwine¡¯s hands were surrounded by liquid, obtained from the very air around us. ¡°Yes, Aly?¡±

    ¡°How did you know that I¡¯m a dragon?¡±

    A wide smile appeared on Alwine¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re a half-dragon. Of course, you wouldn¡¯t understand." She hesitated for a moment, but then her smile widened even more. "Hell with it. I could smell you out the first time we met and shook our hands.¡± And as she finished her last line, her sclera began to turn blue, almost like blue water filling a bottle. Her pupils grew, overtaking irises. And then they began to sharpen, while width became thin. I gasped for air, placing my hand on Aldrynte¡¯s shoulder. I could feel her shaking. She was as terrified as I was.

    ¡°You''re a... water dragon?¡± she murmured. I could see Aldrynte¡¯s eyes doing the same. Except her eyes were dominated by fiery red. It was as her pupils were releasing the heat around her burning sclera.

    Alwine looked at us, raising her head slightly, just to show-off her glorious self. "Surprise."

    ¡°So here¡¯s the good news. There¡¯s no need to hold back against you,¡± Aldrynte said, trying to smile as well. "And you''ve already used a lot of your essence." She threw a gaze at me. "Get behind me,¡± she hissed. I did as she told me.

    Two watery sharp thorns emerged in front of Alwine and were thrust towards Aldrynte.

    Aldrynte immediately raised her hands forward, creating two large fire blasts, pushing herself back with high speed, together with me. But no water reached us. Instead, they evaporated. The next thing, both me and Aldrynte were outside, standing up.

    "Sorry, I had to!" Aldrynte didn¡¯t wait. She raised her hands towards the house, creating a volley of fire, setting the house on fire, and also spreading light everywhere. The house was already engulfed in flames.

    Alwine walked casually outside of the building, while we took some steps back. I could sound of fire extinguishing around her. But Alwine¡¯s face had a twisted smile on her. And as she stopped, we could see water droplets coming from the air, and from the ground, beginning to circle around her.

    ¡°This is much worse than I anticipated,¡± I moaned.

    ¡°You think so?¡± Aldrynte responded. ¡°We better hope that our friends are coming soon and before she decides to transform.¡±

    Alwine''s fueled her as she raised her hands forward once more, going into a fist. Immediately even more water raised from the ground. But not just around her, but from all sides. looking like glass shards, they began to race towards us, wanting to slice us up.

    But Aldrynte lowered her hands. Her teeth were pushed against each other. And then she lifted her hands, fingers as separated from each other as possible. A circle of fire began to burn around us, raising immediately at least ten feet above us with a small inclination at the very end, hiding every possible attack angle around us.

    All I could hear were the sounds of water hitting the hot fire and turning into steam. It was as the water was thrown on top of a liquid metal.

    With a sharp gasp of air, Aldrynte lowered her hands, releasing the fire. There were still batches of fire burning around us, but mostly it was all steam, flying up. Alwine still stood where she was seen last time. But even her breathing was slightly fastened.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Aldrynte? You¡¯ve only been on the defensive. Is that the difference between half-dragon and a real dragon? Are you really that weak?¡± She began to walk circles around us, while we were still, looking at her. But I always tried to look at the surroundings as well. We didn''t need a sneak attack.

    ¡°Yet, here I stand,¡± Aldrynte said, smiling, and pushing a bang behind her hair.

    Alwine stopped, starting to laugh. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that I had to use a lot of my power on the others. Qildor really did gather the best. But even they were more trouble than you.¡±

    ¡°Yet they are dead, and I¡¯m still standing,¡± Aldrynte responded.

    "For now."

    Seeing the battle, I felt really weak. There was nothing I could do. Or at least those few things I could do wasn¡¯t an option.

    "You don''t have to do this, Alwine. Just give up!" I threw out my few useless words.

    Alwine chuckled. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re not attacking. I am,¡± she said. More water than before was circle her. It felt stupid to give her a chance to rest and gather the water. But I trusted Aldrynte. And if she didn''t do anything, there was a reason. Perhaps she also needed to gather her strength.

    Alwine raised her hand. But not in a way to cast a spell, but to catch something. A staff flew into her hand, inside a thin layer of water. The staff and her body were immediately covered by a larger layer of highly compressed water. ¡°Normally, I would just win you by pure power. But since I can''t risk it, I guess I have to use some martial arts,¡± she said. She began to run a circle around us. ¡°But I¡¯m wondering, why aren¡¯t you doing anything, Hero?¡±

    I chuckled, letting go of my main sword and taking hold of my another one,p out my other sword. ¡°I don''t want it to end too fast,¡± I said. That made even Alwine laugh. I was lucky to think that I should swap out my other simple sword as well. Not that it''s something super strong.

    I rushed at her, and slashed the swords towards her. Immediately the staff and the sword met each other. But as expected, it barely touched the staff itself.

    It was back and worth until we had a moment of stalemate moment ¡ª me pushing my sword against her staff, while our faces were pretty close.

    "That''s it?" Alwine asked. "Sweety. I must show you how to use a sword," she whispered, leaning towards me, and giving me a quick kiss on a cheek.

    ¡°Can you please keep your mouth away from my boyfriend?!¡± Aldrynte shouted as a long fiery whip burst out from her hand.

    It was my turn. I pulled my sword away, which was already engulfed with water, and crouched. Without waiting for a second, Aldrynte slashed her whip towards Alwine, who immediately tried blocking it with her staff. But the whip burnt through the compressed water immediately, tying itself around the staff. With one sharp pull, she tore the staff away from Alwine¡¯s, catching it in the process. Immediately fire began to spread around the staff, removing the water completely.

    ¡°Fuck. Curse you,¡± Alwine roared. ¡°Or that¡¯s what you¡¯d expect from me, right?¡± she continued with her calm voice, slight smirk at the edge of her face.

    I realized why she was like that. Immediately, I turned to face Aldrynte, to tell her to let go of it. But I was too late. With a snap of fingers, water forcefully pushing itself out from the staff, extinguishing all the fire around itself, and surrounding Aldrynte quickly. There was no fire around her, not anymore. Only water.

    Aldrynte got her hands into fists, grinding her teeth together, groaning. With a roar, a burst of fire was released from her body, immediately destroying every bit of water around her. But almost immediately, she lost her balance. I was already rushing to her, catching her just in time. Aldrynte leaned against the staff as well, keeping herself up. I could hear her heavy breathing.

    Alwiwne burst into laughter. ¡°Ouch. I can¡¯t imagine how much energy you must¡¯ve converted to turn your body back to normal and then release that blast,¡± Alwine said, crouching slightly, looking at us. Her tongue went over her lips quickly. It was as if we were her prey, and she was thinking about how to season us. "You''re falling for my traps too easily. Are you really that silly?"

    ¡°Fuck. She got me there,¡± Aldrynte whispered, coughing out some blood. Two sharp water thorns flew towards her. Of course, she immediately raised her hand, creating another blast of fire, reducing the thorns into mere steam. ¡°This is pretty bad. I have only that much essence left,¡± she added.

    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m impressed by your skill, Aldrynte. You¡¯ve calculated perfectly how much energy I¡¯ve added into each shot, nullifying it. And I¡¯ve been adding a lot into every single blast.¡±

    Aldrynte snorted. ¡°I see that the stories are true. You, water dragons, truly are our natural enemies. Talk about luck,¡± she said.

    ¡°You¡¯re still young and inexperienced. Maybe if you had another century under your belt, things could be different,¡± Alwine said, reaching out her hand. A water orb began to gather on top of her hand, pushing itself together as much as it could.

    Aldrynte got herself straightened, raising a hand of her own. A fiery orb began to gather itself on her hand, every second turning even darker red, but also brighter. I couldn¡¯t even imagine how much energy those orbs must have in them.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m impressed. You could be a prodigy. But your biggest mistake is fighting not just any water dragon, but soon-to-be ancient water dragon. For your age, any normal dragon would be only a child. But you''re already that good. I guess human genes are helping you.¡±

    Aldrynte almost bit her finger, managing to stop herself last second. She couldn¡¯t risk with any wounds. That¡¯s one thing she has managed to avoid until now. But a smile appeared on Aldrynte¡¯s face. ¡°It seems they are almost here, Hiro,¡± she said, gazing at me for once.

    ¡°Tck,¡± Alwine said, looking into the sky. ¡°Backup?¡± Without waiting any further, she suddenly pushed her hand forward, making the water burst out from the orb insanely fast. Aldrynte did the same thing, exactly at the same time, except there were only flames that burst out. There was only the sound of steam bursting everywhere, mostly into the sky.

    ¡°Hiro!¡± Aldrynte hissed, as she tried to keep her ground. ¡°I don¡¯t have enough magic left after this. You need to get out of here!¡±

    I walked behind Aldrynte, putting my hands around her waist, hugging her. ¡°What. You idiot! It¡¯s really not the time. I might burn you!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I whispered into her ear, giving a kiss. ¡°You¡¯ve done more than enough. It¡¯s now my turn.¡± I let her go and walked next to her, sheathing my useless sword, and taking hold of my real sword¡¯s handle.

    It was a huge gamble. But perhaps Alwine was the perfect candidate to test it out. She was a dragon, after all.

    It ended at the same time. The steam was rising into the sky, while some of it stayed around. Alwine began to laugh where she had been last time. But we didn''t see each other ¡ª too much steam. "It''s over. I know it."

    "So are you, aren''t you?" I shouted, looking at Aldrynte, who was now kneeling, gasping for some air. "You forgot something. I¡¯m still here. Sometimes I¡¯m amazed at how people forget about me. Almost as I don¡¯t exist. But it never was a fight between dragons.¡±

    ¡°Tck. Your existence feels so puny that I forgot about you. But honestly, I don¡¯t-¡±

    "Tactics. First, we weaken the enemy. Then we finish them off."

    There was a moment of silence.

    "We''ll meet again, Hero."

    Steam burst away, as a massive water dragon looked down on us. But I had expected her to be more massive. The books did say that they were smallest, yet strongest elemental dragons. She was also visibly injured. A lot more injured than I had expected.

    Was she going to fight with me in a dragon form? I thought.

    She spread out her wings, taking off, forcing me to take a few steps back. "She''s going to escape?" I murmured.

    It was bad. If she escaped, our plan was fruitless.

    Yet I was smiling. It was either do or die time.

    Alwine threw one sharp look at me, as I saw some new water thorns making their way towards me.

    "It¡¯s time to bring light to this darkness," I whispered, closing my eyes for a moment.

    The blade was easy as ever to pull out. It was almost as it was talking to me, being part of me. The moment even a tiny bit of blade was out, a blinding light spread everywhere. Aldrynte immediately covered her eyes, but still trying to look at me. Alwine flew in place; roaring, and looking away from me, blinded.

    I couldn¡¯t help but keep up the grin. It didn¡¯t affect me at all. I could see everything clearly... everything. From the single glance I got, the blade was yellow like the sun. But I didn¡¯t have time to inspect. The moment it was out of the sheath, I slashed with it in front of me, almost like trying to cut the air itself.

    But the light element inside my sword was bursting forward, leaving the sword behind. It happened instantly. The two water shards evaporated instantly by the light.

    Like a sharp knife, it hit the dragon''s stomach, disappearing an instant later.

    And then it was over. The light disappeared, and the night got its darkness back. It was truly over.

    When the light was disappearing, I had already pushed my sword back inside its sheath, not being out longer than it has to.

    There was a very small moment of silence. And then there was a loud sound, coming from the water dragon hitting the ground.

    I quickly began to rush towards her, already taking two potions from my backpack. One was red liquid, known as a healing potion, while the other was watery liquid ¡ª sleeping potion.

    And as I rushed forward, I saw the dragon change shape back to a human.

    ¡°H¡­ H¡­ Hiro? W-what was that?¡± Aldrynte shouted. I could bearly hear her.

    I was terrified. Terrified of something very specific. But as I reached her, rotating her on her back, I could see that she was still breathing. She also seemed fine. There weren¡¯t even any scars on her stomach. I released a sigh of relief. As expected, she probably converted all her magical essence into a shield of some kind. But it seemed to be enough. I opened both bottles, ready to pour them into her mouth.

    Alwine''s hand grabbed my hand, as she eyed me, breathing heavily. I looked at her back. "Do it fast," she mumbled. I nodded, pouring them into her mouth, which she had opened. Almost instantly, her eyes closed, and she was in a deep sleep.

    I released a heavy sigh, standing up. I picked Alwine up, carrying her to Aldrynte, and finally placing her down next to her.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Aldrynte asked once again, while I stood in front of him.

    I chuckled. ¡°I told you. I¡¯m a hero. I will protect you. And I¡¯m now stronger than before.¡± And for the first time, I did feel stronger. My plan had worked out. And the sword was exactly the sword I needed.

    ¡°Hiro!¡± Aldrynte mumbled, pushing herself up. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding!¡± I looked at my waist and back, where she was pointing. Blood was slowly streaming down under my leather armor. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said. But as I said that, I could feel my strength leaving. ¡°She must¡¯ve secretly attacked from a different angle as well,¡± I mumbled, falling on my knees. Aldrynte took hold of me, letting my head rest on her breasts.

    A large eagle landed close-by. But it was too blurry to make anything else out of it. "Damn. I''m so tired!"

    ¡°Hang in there, Hiro! Don''t be such a pussy. It''s barely a cut.¡±

    ¡°Listen to me, Aldry¡­ Aldryn¡­ Aly!¡± ¡ª I took hold of her hand, pulling her head closer to my mouth ¡ª ¡°If nothing works, she¡­¡± ¡ª I couldn¡¯t remember her name. What was it again? Right! I remember! ¡ª ¡°...Aurora has to use her power on Alwine,¡± I murmured. ¡°Also¡­¡±

    But that¡¯s all I could say, as everything turned even darker than the night. And first, there was cold. And then there was a burning sensation. And then there was cold once more.

 Chapter 24, Part 1

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

 Chapter 24 - Part 2

    We all stared at Alwine as she opened her eyes, looking at all of us. But we all had prepared our weapons, still careful and ready to take immediate action.

    Alwine sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you did, but I''m free. I can still feel its presence, somewhere. It''s like a fly, bouncing against the glass, trying to get out.¡±

    I sighed, reaching out my hand towards her, pulling her up. I could feel how my body screamed in the processes, but the healing potion definitely did its work.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Squeek immediately asked, standing on my shoulder. He was the other reason why it hurt.

    I grinned, leaning slightly towards Alwine. ¡°He was by your side every second once he arrived.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Alwine said immediately, looking at her dress, half-burnt. ¡°But I¡¯m annoyed. I¡¯m really annoyed. I¡¯ve been a prisoner for the past few months.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re tired, but just in case, I¡¯d want to get to the point. Who was it?¡± I said.

    Alwine sighed. ¡°I wish I could tell you. I was conscious of every moment, except when I was with them. It¡¯s all blank. I know the orders I received, but not from whom. They were wise to make sure that I had no memories of them. And that includes before I was¡­ controlled.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    A grin spread over Alwine¡¯s mouth. ¡°But sadly for them, I¡¯m not just anybody. If I lost my memories before being controlled, it means that it¡¯s something that can be fixed. And I do know a potion that will help me remember everything,¡± she said, turning to look at her home. ¡°But here¡¯s the sad part; I have no ingredients to create this potion. And I can only get those from the capital, I assume.¡±

    ¡°Then we have to get to the capital!¡± Squeek said, nodding.

    "We do. For one more reason than this."

    ¡°Hold on a minute,¡± I said, looking at Alwine. ¡°Just because you¡¯re out of control, which we only assume to be so, I¡¯m still not sure I can trust you."

    Alwine looked at me, sighing. ¡°At least you¡¯ve learned something out of this, Hero. It was truly painful to watch how easy it was to manipulate you. Then again, I did use a bit of my magic to affect you. Just slightly. Normally you¡¯re protected from such influences by¡­ something you own. But I¡¯m quite powerful.¡±

    ¡°But I need to get some answers. More than this,¡± I said, trying to ignore the manipulative part.

    Alwine sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll give you some. But as Squeek said, we need to move to the capital. And now!¡±

    We all stared at her, waiting for an explanation.

    ¡°Whatever their target was, it had something to do with The Capital. You were merely an inconvenience; a side dish for the main course. I don¡¯t know exactly what, though. I was only instructed to be here, wait and kill everyone who got here.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that¡­ this is not over?¡± Aurora mumbled. I, on the other hand, had immediately some other thoughts.

    Alwine shook her head. ¡°I feel that''s far from it. But I was never told about the larger image. I was only given introductions that needed to be done. But I do have a few pieces of information that might help you guys out. And I know that whatever they are planning, it¡¯s going to happen before dawn. Today.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± I said, straightening up. ¡°Okay. Alright. How many can you carry, Squeek?¡±

    ¡°Four, at best,¡± he said, looking at me.

    ¡°Okay. There¡¯s now a total of seven of us. And we need to get to the capital as soon as possible,¡± I said, figuring out a way to achieve that.

    Alwine sighed. ¡°There¡¯s an easy solution,¡± she said, stretching herself, as she began to transform into the same figure I had attacked not that long time ago. But unlike before, she wasn''t that massive anymore.

    Everyone took a step back, looking at her. Some were more intrigued than others. I couldn¡¯t help but look at her with awe. I had always found dragons fascinating. And here was the strongest elemental dragon. I was truly lucky.

    She let herself fall on the stomach, and looked at all of us. ¡°What are you waiting for? Get on!¡±

    One by one, they all climbed on top of her, searching scales to hold onto. Loid finally reached to me. All the small him-s disappeared one by one. ¡°Hiro. They couldn¡¯t find him.¡±

    ¡°Qildor?¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°Yeah. There were no signs of him. There were signs of small blood droplets leading away by those who managed to escape, though. I left one mini-me to follow a blood-path. Maybe he finds something.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Thank you, Loid.¡±

    Alwine kept staring at me, eyes half-closed. ¡°Hero. Get at the very front. I need to talk to you,¡± a very different, a lot deeper ¡ª yet still belonging to a female ¡ª voice reached me. I nodded, climbing up as the very last person, legs around the bottom of the dragon¡¯s long neck, hands holding onto her scales. It was surprisingly easy to hold onto them. And then I realized; her scales were filled with a super thin layer of water - making sure that we wouldn¡¯t fall off that easily.

    As we were all in place, I looked behind myself. ¡°Don¡¯t get jealous, but I¡¯m about to ride her, Aldrynte.¡±

    Aldrynte visibly frowned, hitting me softly. ¡°Idiot.¡±

    As we all were visibly ready, Alwine stretched out her wings. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not as crazy to go on full speed. Not even if I could.¡± With few swings, we rose and moved forward. Everything below us grew smaller gradually. But to our surprise, the wind was minimum. Something told me that it was some kind of Alwine''s magic that helped us out.

    After flying for a few minutes, I could hear a voice reaching me. ¡°Hiro. While I don¡¯t know who it is, I have my suspicions. I think it¡¯s Qildor,¡± she said. Surprisingly enough, only I could hear it, almost as it didn¡¯t reach any further than me by some kind of magical means. It was similar magic that Elbert had used.

    I tried not to show any emotions or surprise. ¡°I was thinking the same. The way he sent me away was as he wanted me to stay away from everything. And while you were controlled, you knew that they were coming after you. Not many people knew about this mission. But it doesn¡¯t make sense. Why would he?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. But maybe that¡¯s why. He has been too long in that position. He has seen too much. When one sees a lot of twisted things, time will change them. No matter how strong, or who you are,¡± Alwine said, sighing. ¡°And while Elves are strong-minded - even they can break. I can¡¯t think of anyone else who could have controlled me.

    ¡°And before I was controlled, I was in contact with Qildor. A lot. Mostly by presenting the king, while he was having his fancy dinners and parties.¡±

    This is bad, I thought. I had used my only weapon on Alwine. Yet, the danger was now in the capital itself. And I was also out of essence potion to speed up my recovery by a lot.

    ¡°How are you? Are you battle ready?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Not even close. I¡¯ve barely recovered enough to be able to fly you all. Every inch of my body hurts,¡± Alwine said, which made me notice that our speed wasn¡¯t really that huge. It was still faster than any other means, but slower than Squeek¡¯s eagle. But I needed everyone to recover as much essence as they could, not use them. That included Squeek. Essence has become an important resource.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°But what I do know is that every person that I had to kill, I had to move them into the sewers, and leave them there,¡± Alwine said.

    ¡°But they told me that they have¡­¡± I stopped. ¡°Qildor told me that.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Alwine said. I frowned, once more. I have had my suspicions for a while. At least, from the moment I had caught him talking with someone. But I told myself that it was just me being weird. I had told myself that this is normal, and I didn''t know enough. I still don''t know enough.

    Why shouldn¡¯t I trust someone who is one of the five, who has to follow the contract? Why wouldn¡¯t I trust elf who has been the one keeping peace in the country for the past few centuries? He has been doing it for much longer than I¡¯ve been alive. Why wouldn¡¯t I trust someone who is taking me to the scenes and making me useful. Not following the contract would also mean punishment to the elves. And that would be visible. Or would it?

    His every point has made sense for me. His actions have been wise. Especially after Alwine attacked me. But was it all orchestrated by him? Was it his plan to either kill me or transport me away, so I wouldn¡¯t get on his way?

    Or was it all one big misunderstanding? Was Alwine lying to me? Was Qildor actually trying to protect this country, while there was someone else trying to destroy us? Maybe it was Rowley instead? Our king was closest to Alwine and could¡¯ve also taken control of her. Advisor and controllable puppet ¡ª sounds perfect.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who to trust anymore,¡± I said, sighing, leaning forward, against one of the scales.

    Alwine turned her head to look back at me. She had a really long neck, compared to the other dragons. ¡°Look at that. A great hero, confused and lost. What a treat.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to be in love with me?¡± I said.

    I could see the dragon laughing. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I find you quite annoying and distasteful. To be honest, I don¡¯t even understand what Aldrynte sees in you. Must be her human side that finds you attractive.¡±

    ¡°Really? And it¡¯s gone like that? All this love? We even kissed,¡± I said.

    Alwine kept looking back, finally looking ahead once more. ¡°I¡¯m almost a thousand-year-old dragon. Do you really think that one kiss would mean anything to me? The only reason why I did everything I did was only because I was required to do so. I was told to charm you, mess with your head, and get your attention away from the other things. So, I even tried to make the girls jealous of you. Yet they made up with you. But that ended up working in my favor. And then I was told to kill you, no matter what. My controlled self would¡¯ve bitten your lips when we kissed if I hadn¡¯t tried to stop myself. And I even managed to send Squeek to help you out.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Alwine, I guess?¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°While we are at it, my name is Latilth. Alwine is my host¡¯s name. But keep calling me Alwine, if others are around.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Latilth. So, your parents decided to sacrifice themselves for the king, huh?¡± I said sarcastically. I knew it had to be a lie.

    I could see at the edge of her face curling up. ¡°I never lied, Hero. Alwine¡¯s parents did that. Just the story didn¡¯t end there. Alwine didn¡¯t survive it either.¡±

    I raised my eyebrow. ¡°Really?¡±

    I could hear a long sigh. ¡°I guess I can tell you. You would learn it sooner or later. I would normally never tell about us to someone like you.¡±

    ¡°Alright. I''m listening," I said. I couldn''t help but wonder if the hero''s charm worked on them again, making everyone spill the information at me.

    ¡°I¡¯m not one of them. I¡¯m one of the old ones. Those who think that half-blood is a plague upon our kind. I¡¯m part of the ancients, the first clan, not the second clan.¡±

    ¡°Second clan? Do you mean the observers?¡±

    ¡°So, they have told you something. That¡¯s great. Do you know about our transformation?¡±

    ¡°You can transform into anything you wish?¡±

    ¡°So, no,¡± Latilth mumbled. Her voice had a sound of disappointment in it. ¡°Since you¡¯re dating a dragon anyway, it¡¯s time for a biology lesson. You can thank me later. The talk about us changing into anything is a myth. Well, there¡¯s a truth in it, but it''s still a lie.

    ¡°Once a dragon is born, they will stay as a dragon, until they become adults. For us, that¡¯s around two-hundred years. That¡¯s when they gain the power to possibly change into someone. And that depends on what they eat. Once they consume something or someone, they may choose to take their flesh as their transformation disguise. And just to make sure, whatever we eat and decide to transform into, doesn¡¯t have to be alive. It can also be a corpse.¡±

    I just listened, fascinated by her talk. It was intriguing. Interestingly enough, it didn''t even bother me that she basically had told me that she had eaten Alwine.

    ¡°The only exception is half-blood. Half-blood comes from the result of bearing children with non-dragon. And it is only possible if we have transformed into another species. In Aldrynte case, it was a human and a dragon, bearing a child. In half-blood case, they will be born as whoever species a dragon bore a child with. So, for human¡¯s case, they are born as a human. When they become an adult, they¡¯ll be able to transform into a dragon instead. But they will never be able to turn into anything else. And both of their appearances age at the same speed. Unlike me, who starts aging from the point of the flesh I ate.¡±

    ¡°So, if you were to bear human¡¯s children, you¡¯d bear half-bloods?¡±

    Latilth seemed to get irritated from that suggestion alone. But there was a nod. ¡°Yes. But half-blood children will have even less powerful children. And so on, until the dragon¡¯s blood stays as a gene, but rarely appears.¡±

    ¡°So, only dragon-on-dragon can get the result of a real dragon?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Alwine said, nodding. ¡°But leaving that matter there ¡ª and you¡¯re welcome, by the way ¡ª, this leads to the point that I ate Alwine¡¯s body, of course, after she had died. One of the Assassin¡¯s decided to follow Alwine, killing her as well. She managed to escape quite far, away from the city. However, the assassin tracker her down and stabbed her.

    ¡°It just happened so that I was passing by and saw it happen. I took pity and killed the assassin, trying to save the girl from imminent death. But I was too late. After she uttered her final words ¡ª ¡®My only regret is that I couldn¡¯t serve my kind." ¡ª she died.

    ¡°I was already an old dragon, almost ancient. But I still hadn¡¯t taken or chosen a form. But I was interested in why she had such loyalty towards the king. I didn¡¯t understand. But I wanted to understand. So I consumed her and got her memories.

    ¡°And perhaps that made me decide to go back, pretend to be that girl, and stand next to the king, learning about all sorts of things. Maybe that would''ve helped me to understand why some of the dragons decided to become the second clan.¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling me this? Especially about the breeding part,¡± I asked.

    ¡°You know I¡¯m the water dragon anyway. I don¡¯t see any point to keep it as a secret. You¡¯re gonna tell about me to everyone anyway,¡± she said, as she started to lower herself slightly. ¡°And the second part is a reward for saving my life. You could''ve killed me. But you didn''t. Maybe it helps you to know what you''re getting into. The Elder Dragons hate half-bloods. And they will kill her if they ever meet her. Which includes your children, if you will have them.¡±

    I sighed. "Thank you," I murmured, looking up into the sky. ¡°Whether I tell about you to others, that depends on you,¡± I said, sighing. ¡°But have you found your answer?¡±

    Latilth looked back at me. ¡°Not even a bit. If anything, it has been a horrible mistake. I¡¯ve seen your greed and lust for power. I''ve seen the horrible qualities of rich. I was even controlled by someone. Not a great experience. But then you saved me. This might be one of the first good qualities I have seen in a long time.¡±

    ¡°Yet you¡¯re helping us, taking us to the capital,¡± I said, smirking.

    She turned to look down. ¡°I''m part of that created mess. We are here!¡± As she said the last sentence, everyone could suddenly hear her words, while she was descending.

    We landed outside of the capital at the nearby forest. The moment we landed, everyone began to hop off. Loid immediately took some steps away, vomiting behind a nearby tree. Aurora walked to him, patting his back. ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯ve landed now!¡±

    ¡°He almost puked last time as well,¡± Squeek said, as I looked at him for a moment.

    ¡°This is as far as I go,¡± Latilth said, looking at us. ¡°I will not meddle in human¡¯s business. I don¡¯t have any strength either way. I could barely get you here. Your hero knows enough to go on.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Thank you, Alwine. What will you do now?¡±

    ¡°I will keep an eye on the city. I can promise you that much. And I need to create a potion to fix my memories. But until then¡± ¡ª she turned around, raising her wings once more ¡ª "good luck!" And with one wide swing, she was already flying away from us.

    Aldrynte immediately walked to me. ¡°I saw you two were talking a lot. Are you alright?¡± she asked.

    ¡°As expected from Aldrynte. Of course you noticed.¡±

    She sighed. ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you on the way,¡± I whispered. Of course, I didn''t plan to tell her everything. Especially about sex education.

    I turned to face everyone. ¡°Alright. So here¡¯s the deal. We go back to the city. Squeek and Aurora, I want you to go and wake up all the students. You can speed things up, if necessary, Squeek. Fly inside the city. Prepare them to fight or evacuate. I also want you to go and tell about this situation to the adventurer¡¯s guild. Maybe do that first. We need battle-ready people, just in case.¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡± Loid said.

    ¡°The remaining people: me, Aldrynte, Alice and Loid will go to the sewers. If you¡¯re okay with that Loid. I feel that your power might come in handy.¡± I took a few steps towards Aurora. ¡°If you need to, use your fear power,¡± I whispered. ¡°I¡¯d want your help down there, but I can¡¯t risk it,¡± I added quietly.

    Aurora blushed, slightly. ¡°I understand,¡± she said loudly.

    ¡°Loid. Are you okay with this?¡±

    Loid nodded. ¡°Of course!¡± he said quickly.

    ¡°Excellent. Hopefully, we¡¯ll meet again. Until then, survive, and prepare for the worst. I have a really bad feeling about this.¡±

 Chapter 25, Part 1

    ¡°It stinks,¡± Loid was the first one to point out the most obvious fact. We all turned to slowly stare at Loid. ¡°What? I¡¯m fine. It just stinks! And not just here, but this whole situation. And I can¡¯t see anything.¡±

    I sighed, taking off my other sword, but sheathe, keeping the sword inside. With a touch, the handle began to spread light everywhere, showing us a lot more than any torch could.

    ¡°Holy shit. What¡¯s that?¡± Loid said. Alice looked a bit surprised as well. Only Aldrynte didn¡¯t show surprise. I raised my sword more up, almost as if it was a torch.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone,¡± I told Loid, giving him a wink, and began to walk forward. Others followed.

    The sewers were exactly as we had expected. While it had roadside at both sides, the middle part was a deeper canal where the water was mostly going down. The sidewalks were also very tight, making it almost impossible to pass each other. We ended up walking two at each side. Me and Alice at one side, while Aldrynte and Loid at the other side.

    But we promptly stopped at the first cross, leading to three separate ways. Left, right and forward.

    ¡°Shit,¡± I murmured, sighing. ¡°This was the main problem I was expecting.¡± I turned to look at Loid. ¡°I need you to send decoys everywhere, checking as much out as possible.

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary,¡± an echo reached us, as a figure stepped towards our light. The moment he became visible, we recognized him.

    Qildor looked amused but still surprised. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here,¡± he said.

    ¡°Neither should you,¡± I said, crossing my hands. ¡°I think sewers should be the last place to be in after all your companions died, don¡¯t you think? But seeing that you don¡¯t even have a scar, you never went there, did you?¡±

    Qildor released a long sigh. ¡°Oh, I was there. They would never go on a suicide mission without me. And someone needed to finish off the injured,¡± he said, a sharp smirk appearing at the edge of his mouth. ¡°However, it seems you were also there,¡± he mumbled. "I''m impressed. Truly, I am."

    ¡°Oh, yes. I was there. I wish I could have stayed there longer, give all of them a proper burial. You know, your loyal elves. But after getting intel that something or someone might be hiding in the sewers, I needed to check this place out,¡± I said, casually, connecting the sword back on my belt. Everyone else was already in a battle position.

    Qildor began to scratch his goat beard. ¡°Which means¡± ¡ª he turned to look at Aldrynte ¡ª ¡°I¡¯m truly impressed. Beating your strongest natural enemy. But it also means that all of you are exhausted, and out of energy. Wonderful.¡±

    ¡°So, I¡¯ll ask the golden question, are you also controlled?¡±

    Qildor began to giggle. ¡°You know, sometimes associates and companions have the strongest minds. Even stronger than a dragon. So, I needed to get rid of them. Everyone else, however¡­¡±

    ¡°Everyone else?¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°Oh, yes, Hiro. I didn¡¯t mumble. Every other guard, protector, an elf, and almost every adventurer in this town, they are all¡­ mine. And those few who remain, they will never be able to stop what¡¯s about to come,¡± he said. "Even though, you stopping Alwine is a bit bothersome. She still had a part to play. Oh well.

    "So to answer your question; no, I''m not being controlled.

    ¡°Why, Qildor? You¡¯re supposed to protect this country. You¡¯re breaking the contract as the first elf! Misery will follow you and your kind!¡±

    ¡°But I am not the first elf! I have never been one,¡± Qildor shouted, humor visible in his voice. ¡°Elves haven''t had a protector for a short time now."

    I coughed. ¡°Okay. Are you another fucking dragon? This is getting ridiculous. Suddenly, everyone is a dragon!¡± I said.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not a dragon,¡± Qildor said.

    ¡°Are you a shapeshifter?¡± Aldrynte asked.

    ¡°They don¡¯t exist,¡± Qildor said.

    ¡°Damn, I knew it,¡± she mumbled. I looked at her for a moment, surprised.

    ¡°Are you under a potion or magic that lets you change shapes?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m in the exact shape you see me as,¡± Qildor responded.

    Aldrynte sighed. ¡°So, he¡¯s under a control after all,¡± she said.

    Qildor shook his head. ¡°Nope. At least not the one you''d expect.¡±

    ¡°Oh, multiple personalities!¡± Loid suddenly participated in the guessing game.

    Qildor visibly got annoyed by that. ¡°No. But not that far off, I guess?¡±

    Alice sighed. ¡°So, you lost your memories and became a new person, becoming someone¡¯s pet?¡±

    ¡°Qildor looked at us. "This is ridiculous. I won¡¯t tell you!¡±

    ¡°Ah come on!¡± Loid shouted. ¡°This was so much fun. Now we will never know!¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty obvious,¡± Aldrynte said, hands crossed. ¡°Qildor is dead. It¡¯s his husk, controlled by another entity.¡±

    ¡°Psh,¡± Qildor made some noise.

    ¡°I told you he¡¯s being controlled!¡± Aldrynte said.

    Loid nodded. ¡°You cheated! You should¡¯ve said she¡¯s correct! And cheaters will get punished! At some point!¡±

    One thing that I learned last month, is that Loid has some balls.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Qildor sighed. ¡°You¡¯re too carefree. I find that annoying.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I¡¯m with the hero,¡± Loid said proudly, looking at me. I tried hard not to frown. I was out of everything. Meeting Qildor like that without finding any proper answers was a bad thing. And obviously, he was really powerful.

    ¡°Why are you telling us all of this?¡± I asked, crossing my hand. "You could just stay quiet."

    ¡°Because it doesn¡¯t matter if you know it or not. Tonight, the world will change. And I will own the world, as it is my destiny!¡±

    I frowned. ¡°Your destiny?¡± I said, looking at him.

    ¡°Hero. You¡¯re really something, you know? You were supposed to be out of my way, let this all happen. You were supposed to keep playing, giving people false hope. And then I kill you, destroying the final hope together with you. But now I have to kill you right here, and right now!¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s my job to deal with monsters,¡± I said jokingly. But Qildor didn¡¯t even blink.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way you can win this time. You¡¯re too late.¡± Qildor sighed, hand touching handle more properly. ¡°You¡¯re obviously not taking this seriously,¡± he said, a smirk appearing at the edge of his face. "So, let''s begin."

    I snorted, once. ¡°Oh. I am taking this very seriously. But by playing the fool, I got quite a lot out of you,¡± I said, moving my sword out of my sheathe slightly. Immediately, the whole sewer tunnel was filled with light. By strength-wise, it wasn''t even close to before, but still enough to take Qildor by surprise, and blind him for a moment.

    Alice pushed her wand against the sewer water, freezing the water, and building a wall between qildor and us, blocking the way forward altogether.

    ¡°Go!¡± I hissed, running and turning left. Everyone followed.

    ¡°Hero!¡± Qildor screamed from behind the ice wall, hitting against the ice wall, breaking it slowly. The old good ice wall saves the day again.

    ¡°Are we leaving?¡± Loid shouted as we ran.

    ¡°No, we are taking a side tunnel that leads to the same place as he came from. It¡¯s obviously the right way. I hope. Yeah!¡±

    "What? Are you serious?"

    We continued running forward, taking a few turns to the right, following the tunnel slight ascent.

    ¡°He¡¯s behind us,¡± Aldrynte said at one point, panting. ¡°But we are right now as fast as he is.¡±

    ¡°We need to figure out what he¡¯s hiding if we want to have a fighting chance!¡±

    ¡°But what if we are not prepared?¡± Alice asked.

    ¡°We are not prepared!¡± Aldrynte fixed it immediately. ¡°But we have no choice. If whatever it is is taking place tonight, we need to know what and act now. Think about escape afterward.¡±

    ¡°Aldrynte is right!¡± I said, panting hard. To be fair, my stamina has gotten a lot better after I became a hero. ¡°Damn it, if Qildor isn¡¯t really himself anymore, isn¡¯t he still supposed to protect the elves as an elf?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Aldrynte said, sighing. ¡°We would have to select a new first elf, who will continue their duties. We would know that at some point. But until we don¡¯t, they will suffer, but¡­ It''s a slow process, alright? It would take some time either way.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Alice asked.

    ¡°Can¡¯t tell you!¡± Aldrynte and I said at the same time.

    As we ran forward, my light began to spread into a larger opening ahead of the current tunnel. But as we got closer to it, we realized that it wasn¡¯t a room. It was a created cavern in the middle of the tunnel, with a hole at the center. And as we stopped near to it, we realized that it was an endless pit that even light couldn¡¯t reach its end. Or at least so it seemed at first.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Loid said. We all kept looking down. ¡°This is¡­ weird!¡±

    ¡°This is very unnatural,¡± Alice agreed.

    ¡°I wonder¡± ¡ª something massive below began to move, pushing themselves up, making all of us take steps back ¡ª ¡°what¡¯s down there¡­¡± Loid slowly finished his sentence, half whispering. The light from my sword showed us a dark figure making it''s way up. But not climbing, as it was a natural movement. And as it got closer to the top, we recognized a shadowy face and body. I¡¯m talking about hundreds, if not thousands of times larger body than me. And then I saw it open its eyes, pupils being the color of blood. As he opened his mouth, grinning, fiery whiff burst out from his mouth.

    Memories of past pushed itself into my mind ¡ª the day when I killed the Demon Lord. But this right here was a lot larger, scarier, darker.¡±

    ¡°This is¡­ really bad,¡± Aldrynte whispered towards us. ¡°We need to get out of here, now!¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Loid mumbled, looking at the face that finally reached up, looking directly down at us.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a new Demon Lord. And he''s... straight under Capital.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ impossible!¡± Loid said.

    A deep voice echoed throughout the chamber. ¡°Oh. But it¡¯s very possible." He turned to look directly at me. "When you ran away, Hero, I thought you were smart. But then you did the greatest mistake possible, you came directly to me.¡±

    Qildor voice echoed from behind us. ¡°Before you had a chance. But now you¡¯re truly ¡ª what''s the word? ¡ª screwed.¡±

    Almost like continuing the first sentence, the demon continued. ¡°Unless you give yourself to me.¡±

    ¡°And become Alwine?¡± Aldrynte asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the demon face got closer to us, looking Aldrynte really close. ¡°Tricking that dragon to give herself up to me wasn¡¯t an easy feat. But I assume that I cannot trick you. So, you have to be¡­ willing! But I do hope you''ll say no.¡±

    I laughed. Not even responding to his question. ¡°I wonder since when you had Qildor? I assume not that long,¡± I said.

    ¡°Around a month,¡± Qildor said, grinning. ¡°He found me, down here. He did his truly best to protect the kingdom. However, he failed. I had no choice but to kill him. Too bad I can take bodies over and use them for my cause.¡±

    ¡°You sick bastard. You¡¯re going to hell for this!¡± Alice shouted.

    The Demon Lord began to laugh. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m the devil itself. This country is going to become hell!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I said, looking at him. ¡°Why did you kill all the people? Why did you capture them? Unless¡­¡± I realized something.

    ¡°It seems you finally get it. Here¡¯s a desert before you die,¡± he said, face moving even more slightly forward.

    ¡°Oh, I love when they tell me their deepest secret just because they think we''re going to die,¡± I whispered to Alice behind me. She couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Such a cliche thing to happen.

    ¡°Today will be a celebration day. The lost will return. And they will be happy. That is until they get backstabbed by their own. Just thinking about it excites me.¡±

    We all felt the horror. I had many theories. Undead? Maybe someone used bodies to strengthen themselves? Maybe some kind of horrible magic? But this¡­

    ¡°And then I will come out, and destroy what¡¯s left of this capital. And the remaining world will look at it, with horror, as I, Valgrathan, will rule over the demons. And the others will walk to the wall, destroying it, while I ¡ª with my new human-demon army ¡ª will attack from the other side. And humanity will finally perish, together with every other species. You will hide again in your caves, hoping for the night to pass.

    ¡°This plan is¡­ perfect!¡±

    ¡°Thanks for telling me about it. We can stop you now,¡± I said, touching my sword, ready to fight.

    ¡°You think you can stop me? Kill me? I¡¯m stronger than any other demon lords. The one you killed is merely a puppet, compared to me. And even if you manage to stop me, or escape, it¡¯s too late. You can only watch how the capital is being destroyed. But struggle with your final strength. You¡¯re out of essence, aren¡¯t you? Fighting against Alwine must¡¯ve depleted most of your magic. And there''s only four of you.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Of course, that smile was fake as fuck. We were screwed. Really screwed.

    We could hear Qildor removing his two swords, grinning. ¡°I guess it''s time to dance,¡± Qildor and Valgrathan said at the same time.

    I guess that was as much time I could buy for others to think of an escape plan.

    ¡°Before we kill you¡­ I have one last question,¡± I said, touching my sword¡¯s handle.

    ¡°What was your name again, monster?¡±

 Chapter 25, Part 2

    Valgrathan snorted. Or perhaps it only seemed so. ¡°I still have a bit of time to kill, so fine, I¡¯ll play with you.¡±

    As he said those last words, I moved my head slightly towards Aldrynte. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to run past Qildor. Do it, escape, and get people to evacuate the capital. Only you can do it,¡± I whispered. I could see her not being happy. It was only to be expected. ¡°Please.¡±

    She sighed. ¡°Fine.¡±

    ¡°Now,¡± I said just loud enough so only my party could hear it. Loid was first to react, as he touched his medallion under the shirt, raised his feet and slammed the floor. Immediately the walls and the floor began to shake, and some rocks above Valgrathan began to break free, falling towards him. Of course, all he had to do was raise the hand to block them, seemingly only being a slight bother.

    But as he was busy, I got my sword unsheathed, spreading my sword¡¯s light everywhere, blinding the new Demon Lord and Qildor. While Valgrathan used his other hand to hide his eyes, being more disturbed by the light, Qildor didn¡¯t wait for even a second, but ran towards me, raising his sword to slash. I barely managed to raise my sword in response, blocking Qildor¡¯s sword.

    ¡°Go!¡± I shouted. Aldrynte immediately dashed past Qildor.

    ¡°No you won-¡± Qildor told, starting to turn around to step in front of Aldrynte, ready to unsheathe his other sword. But he couldn¡¯t move, as his foot was locked down with ice. Qildor threw a shark gaze at Alice, who was leaning down, hand touching the now-frozen sewer water. But it was too late. Aldrynte was already past him, dashing further and further. It wasn''t a hard thing to get his feet free, but we did achieve our goal.

    Qildor snorted. ¡°Helping one to escape while sacrificing the others, huh?¡± Qildor said, taking a few steps back, and raising his sword. He finally unsheathed his other sword, which was worrying. Qildor was well-known dual-fielder. ¡°Well. I don¡¯t mind that trade-off. She can''t do much, and the hero dies,¡± he said, eyes squinted towards my light.

    "However," Valgrathan continued, "that light is truly annoying. I was prepared for it, but it still came as a surprise. You truly are... the hero."

    Perhaps that light was the only thing that kept us alive, not allowing any brutal attacks. It was obvious that they were careful of that new unseen power. Even though I knew that right now it was merely a light, not holding much of a power, they didn''t know. In the end, I still held my title and had just defeated Alwine, the water dragon.

    "I have sad news for you. I don''t plan to die," I said, grinning. I wasn''t really that confident, but the bluff was all I had.

    ¡°Really?¡± Valgrathan said with his deep voice. "Let''s test it out, shall we?" A wide smile appeared on shadow demon''s face as his hand began to move towards the hole we were in, wanting to crush us. But Alice immediately lowered her wand against the ice below her. Like a snake, it moved towards Valgrathan, and then it began building a not-too-thick ice wall between us and the Demon Lord.

    ¡°Like something small like that could stop me!¡± a shout came from the other side. Alice pushed her teeth against each other, trying to thicken the wall. Loid ran past Alice, hands touching the ice wall. Abruptly, new ice walls began to appear next to each other, making the original wall a lot thicker.

    ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t ice magic?¡± Alice murmured.

    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Loid shouted. I smirked. Perfect use of his copy magic.

    A large hit was heard at the other side, as cracks spread everywhere and the walls were being pushed forward, towards Qildor.

    Qildor''s smile disappeared the moment he saw Valgrathan''s hand being stopped, and the wall barely moving forward. "I guess you really want to survive," he said, readying his swords.

    Loid walked to me, looking at my other sword. ¡°May I?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± I mumbled.

    He unsheathed my other sword. And as he swang it in place, second identical one appeared in his other hand.

    "You''re a dual-wielder too?" I asked.

    "Yeah. But not even as close as skilled as him," Loid said, staring at Qildor.

    A true gem for the future adventurers. In some sense, I couldn''t help but feel excited for him to grow up and become someone great. I couldn''t feel anything else than proudness.

    At the same time, Alice was looking at the other direction, trying to strengthen the thick ice wall, mostly at the sides, trying to lock the wall in place. A muted laughter barely reached us from the other side.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I said. Both me and Loid were sweaty. We were against Qildor, supposedly one of the greatest elves. Meanwhile, Loid and I both were weak sword fighters. Or at least I assume that much. Unless Loid managed to surprise me even more. At least it seemed that Loid wasn''t a stranger to the dual-wielding. Perhaps my biggest hope was that Qildor was truly dead, and the one controlling Qildor was nowhere close to the first elf¡¯s level. But it seemed that while they were one, they were also different.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    We both stepped forward at the same time, our swords being swung towards Qildor. He, however, easily parried away both mine and Loid¡¯s attacks. We continued attacking, pushing Qildor slightly back. But Qildor didn¡¯t allow even a single cut. For now, that was fine, since we needed some room from the moving ice wall.

    But one thing was certain - he might¡¯ve been controlled by the Demon Lord, but there was still a lot of Qildor in there.

    ¡°This is fun,¡± Qildor said, grinning. ¡°Quite a good warm-up,¡± he added. This made us even more nervous. Loid more than I, or at least visibly.

    There was a moment of all of us taking a step back, including Qildor. I was actually impressed that I was as okay as I was. Practicing had paid off - somewhat.

    ¡°Two of you escape,¡± Loid whispered, keeping an eye on Qildor.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I murmured.

    ¡°I have a plan. But I need you two to trust me,¡± he said. I glanced at him. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m not going to die.¡±

    ¡°For fuck''s sake... I can''t-"

    "Listen. I don''t have time to explain. We need to act now!"

    I frowned. "Fine. You better not lie, nor die!¡±

    Suddenly, the wall stopped, and Qildor visibly scowled.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked him.

    ¡°Nothing that will affect you. You¡¯re going to die either way. It just seems that the playtime is over.¡±

    I grinned. Whatever Aldrynte accomplished must¡¯ve worked. As I opened mouth, Loid shouted ¡°Now!¡± He rushed towards Qildor, while I grabbed Alice¡¯s hand and pulled her aside. Loid swung his both weapons from wide angels, forcing Qildor to block both of them with weapons of his own.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡± Qildor shouted, parrying one of the Loid sword''s aside, ready to slash towards Alice¡¯s back. But as his sword was moving towards her, a copy of Loid rushed out from Loid himself, taking the hit instead.

    ¡°What?¡± Qildor roared, snarling. Alice and I continued running away. I looked over my shoulder, expecting Loid to somehow follow. But instead, I saw Qildor parrying a few more swings off, and then thrusting his sword through Loid¡¯s stomach.

    ¡°Loid!¡± I shouted, stopping. But it was Alice who now grabbed my hand, pulling me a second later forward.

    "Hiro! We have to go," she said, tears running down as well.

    Loid looked at me, a smile on his face. ¡°Run!¡± he said.

    Memories of Bill went through my mind. The moment he sacrificed his own life. A new young adventurer, full of promise. Yet I was escaping again, letting them. Trust? I was such a fool. And as we reached the end of the tunnel, Alice pulled me to a side tunnel. All I could see was Qildor looking towards us, while he raised his sword to swing towards Loid¡¯s head.

    ¡°No. Not again!¡± I murmured, half-frozen, just being pulled away by Alice.

    The exit from our location wasn¡¯t that far. Just by following Alice¡¯s orders, I climbed up, leaving the sewer¡¯s smell behind us. But I wasn¡¯t thinking. There was nothing new in my mind, but the same dark thoughts of the past. I was a failure, once more. I still saw Loid looking at me.

    There was a heavy slap against my cheeks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

    ¡°Hiro!¡± I heard a familiar distant voice, as Alice was crouching in front of me. Coming out of the dreamland, I could focus on her face. She was also crying, but she was trying to keep up her appearance. ¡°Snap out of this! Others need you. So many others. You can grief later. But those who are still alive, they need you!¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± I looked at my hands, and then at the sword that had been sheathed by Alice at some point.

    ¡°Look!¡± Alice raised her finger into the sky. I looked. A large fire dragon was flying in the sky, breathing out occasionally fire, hitting the first stone walls with force, breaking pieces of stone into pieces. It wasn''t that effective, but it did its job, which was to gain people attention during the night. People on the main streets were panicking, running away from the capital. After all, The Capital was under attack.

    Alice looked back at me. ¡°I think you know, but that dragon is Aldrynte, and she''s destroying the walls, so people would panic and run. She is doing everything she can to save as many people she can. And she''s being right now attacked by our own people, who think she''s an enemy."

    Things were more clear. There were bell ringing to raise alarm. Now that I could take a closer look, I saw tiny things being thrown or shot at the dragon. But Aldrynte didn''t give up. She moved to a different angle, lowered herself, kept breathing fire at the wall, flying back up high in the sky, resting for a moment, and repeating the process.

    ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time before the Demon Lord acts. What do we do, Hiro?¡±

    I stood up, looking at my slightly shaking hands. ¡°He said that at least the majority of guards and adventurers are being controlled by him. But bells are ringing, which means not all of them. But we can''t take any risks. The only ones I don¡¯t think would be controlled by him is the place where I spent my whole last month. It would be too suspicious if Qildor was seen around this place. And I¡¯m pretty sure that the charming is Qildor¡¯s ability.¡±

    Alice nodded, slowly. ¡°So, academy? Yes. That would make sense.¡±

    ¡°We need to gather the students and ask for their help,¡± I murmured, sighing. "As silly as it sounds."

    We looked at each other, nodding. Alice turned her back to me and began to run towards the school. But before she could, I grabbed her hand, making her stop.

    ¡°What?¡± she said, looking back.

    I pulled her towards me, hugging her. ¡°Thank you. Thank you for everything.¡± Alice blushed, slightly.

    And then I kissed her. It was our first kiss. But not knowing the future, I didn¡¯t want to have any regrets. Alice immediately hugged me back, kissing passionately. It was as she had waited for it, forever. It was as she had been ready for it, just waiting for my approval. And perhaps it was so - I wasn¡¯t ready.

    And as we separated our lips, I gave her a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    We ran for a short while, until Alice said more silently, "But maybe next time don''t kiss straight after we got out of the sewers."

    "I agree," I said. We grinned.

    Sometimes you had to find humor in the most desperate circumstances and to forget the things that are hiding behind my neck.

 Chapter 25, Part 3

    Getting to the campus wasn¡¯t that easy. Especially since we had to actually get through the gates - which turned out to be quite difficult while a dragon flew around. But after some talking, they did open the gates so we could pass - probably in hopes that I would do my hero¡¯s magic against the dragon. All I told them not to worry about it, and that the dragon was actually an ally.

    I don''t believe they believed me.

    We also took out one of the guards who acted suspiciously and didn¡¯t really want to cooperate. They were probably panicking about the fact that I was there. So we told them that he was probably controlled by some kind of magic and that we need to deliver an important message to the king. I also ordered them to keep the gate open, so people could escape. I even encouraged them to tell people to escape.

    Of course, we didn''t go towards the king, but towards the campus, hoping that it was filled with all the students. But as we reached the campus, it was empty and quiet. Or at least so it seemed.

    ¡°Damn all the demons,¡± I swore, sighing. ¡°Of course they''re gone,¡± I said

    ¡°How? Where? The gates were closed?¡± Alice responded.

    As I was about to respond, I noticed one of the students rushing towards the campus, arms full of books. ¡°Eh? Hero! You finally made it!¡± They said.

    I raised my eyebrow. ¡°Where¡¯s everyone?¡±

    ¡°In the library. Follow me!¡± We casually took some of their books, following.

    As we reached the library¡¯s doors, we heard noise coming from inside, mostly talks. We entered the reception room, which was empty, and then followed the student to the main reading hall.

    The room was filled with students, all of them either going through books or searching for something. In front of us was a large table, also filled with books, Aurora standing behind it, looking up at us.

    ¡°Hey! You made it! Give me all the books!¡± All of us placed the books on the table. Aurora immediately took the books, read the title, and rerouted them to someone else. All I could think of was Loid. I had to tell her. She needed to know. Just like I had told Arryn.

    Alice placed a hand gently on my shoulder, stepping in front of me. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± she asked.

    ¡°We are researching information about shadow demons and Valgrathan. Also about controlling people and how to deal with it,¡± she explained, looking at us. We just stared at her, speechless. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ How do you know about Valgrathan?¡± I muttered, dazed.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because I told them!¡± a voice reached us from behind, as someone entered the hall. I turned around, looking at Loid, standing there casually, arms filled with books of his own.

    ¡°Loid¡­?¡± I said, frozen in place. Alice was taken aback, likewise. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ alive?¡± Tears began to run down at the edge of my eyes. Loid tilted his head slightly. And then he understood what was going on.

    ¡°Oh. Right. I-¡±

    I took a few fast steps forward and hugged him, letting all the books fall down on the floor. ¡°Fuck you. I don¡¯t understand, but that was bad for my heart!¡±

    Loid chuckled, hugging me back.

    Aurora smiled and walked around the table, collecting the books. ¡°I don¡¯t fully understand, but I¡¯ll get them. I feel you two need a moment," she said.

    ¡°Thanks, Aurora!¡± He nudged his head towards the entrance. All three of us walked outside, watching the dragon flying around. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This must be super confusing to you," Loid said after a short silence.

    ¡°No shit,¡± I said. Even Alice had her arms crossed.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a very good explanation for this. But I¡¯ll give you a short version. We don''t know how much time we have.¡±

    ¡°To be fair, I''m surprised he still hasn''t taken any action,¡± I said.

    "And I''m scared of why he''s not taking an action yet," Loid murmured.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    "So?" Alice said.

    ¡°Well, after I discovered two of my powers, I also found my conduit, quite immediately."

    I stared at him. "Okay?"

    ¡°Surprisingly, it¡¯s me,¡± Loid said, spreading his arms wide apart, making a wide smiling face.

    ¡°Really?¡± Alice asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m shocked as well. But I¡¯m not dumb. I know that I¡¯m a slightly lazy self-centered dummy. I¡¯m working on it, alright? So, I started experimenting with my power,¡± Loid continued, letting his arms fall down. ¡°During this month, after discovering my conduit, I haven¡¯t participated in any of the classes, not even once,¡± he confessed.

    ¡°What?¡± Alice said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you in every single class, I''ve been at, though.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. All of these have been my copies. Every single one of them. Meanwhile, I¡¯ve been at home, sleeping, or screwing around, or reading a book, or, well, let''s just say many things.¡±

    We both stared at Loid, mouth slightly thin-lined. Loid began to grin. ¡°I never intended to tell anyone about it, but it¡¯s out now, I guess? So either way, apparently my clones are exact me. That means they can cast spells depending on how much essence I give to my clone. They have my personality. And they have independent thinking. However, they will obey every command I give them, and they will do their best of ability.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°And your magical essence pool is stupidly large,¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Yeah. So, the clone you were with was actually my experiment. I made a clone, gave him almost all of my essence, and told him to be me, with a few usual conditions, one being not telling anyone about my powers. This is why my clone couldn¡¯t tell you anything, besides asking to trust him.¡±

    Alice got slightly excited. ¡°And when your clone dies, you receive the clone¡¯s memories?¡± she said a bit hurriedly.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Loid nodded. ¡°So, while my original body was back in here, researching about pointless stuff, I suddenly told everyone to research about shadow demons and Valgrathan.¡±

    "When did you create your clone?" I asked, scratching my chin.

    "A few days ago. But I was immediately out for almost as long. And I still haven''t fully recovered."

    I frowned. To be fair, his power was so cool that I wished I had it myself. If Loid wanted, he could actually become insanely good. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you want to take my job?¡± I said jokingly.

    ¡°Nah,¡± Loid said, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯d never want to become a hero. Too much stress, too much responsibility. Plus, it¡¯s probably going to be my clones that are going to do adventuring. Sounds so much safer.¡±

    Alice and I stared at Loid. ¡°I know this is right and fair, but fuck you, Loid,¡± I said it out. I was risking my life for everything, and he could do all of that. Life was so unfair.

    Loid grinned.

    ¡°Okay, here¡¯s a real question though,¡± Alice suddenly said, looking at him with squinted eyes.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Loid answered slowly.

    ¡°Are you right now a copy or a real deal?¡±

    We all just stared at each other for a moment. A few seconds passed and we began to laugh. ¡°I¡¯m original. But I do have a few copies running around, collecting books,¡± Loid said, nodding.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad. For a moment, I thought I had lost another one,¡± I said, giving a strong pat on Loid''s shoulder.

    Loid began to laugh. ¡°Please. If I was the original in that situation in the sewers, I would never do anything like that. I love my life, alright?¡± He began to walk towards the entrance to the library, we followed. ¡°Either way, let¡¯s gather the information that we have, alright? I think we need to get every bit of information we can before we run out of time,¡± Loid said, looking at the dragon one last time. I was proud of Loid, taking command of the situation. "That¡¯s Aldrynte, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    I looked at him. ¡°You¡¯re quite smart, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that hard to figure out, knowing that we let only her escape first. Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t tell the others.¡±

    I suddenly stopped. ¡°How many copies of yourself can you make that are functional for a night?¡± I asked.

    Loid stopped. ¡°It¡¯s easier if you tell me how many.¡±

    ¡°Twenty-five,¡± I said.

    ¡°Can be done. Why?¡±

    ¡°Tell them to go all the wall gates and check out the guards who are not letting people through, or are blocking. They need to be dealt with. They are most likely under Qildor¡¯s control. Once that¡¯s done, they should run through the lower city and help anyone they can.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an easy thing to do,¡± Loid said. ¡°But that¡¯s as much as I can do too. Any more, and I¡¯ll be quite useless for later,¡± he said.

    I nodded. ¡°Wait here, with all of the copies,¡± I said, rushing inside. I searched for a paper and quill, writing two letters. As they were done, I placed them inside separate envelopes, finally sealing them with the hero¡¯s badge. I rushed back outside, watching an army of twenty-five Loids standing in front of us. ¡°This is a letter to provide proof that your copies are coming with my authority. Make a copy of that letter to each¡­ Loid.¡± That was a weird thing to say.

    ¡°Easy thing to do,¡± the original Loid said.

    ¡°And one of you, deliver this letter to the King. It gives basic information about what''s going on.¡±

    We gave a letter to each Loid, as all of them began to run in a different direction. Funnily enough, all of them whined as they left.

    "Original, let me tell you this much that this is something you''d never do yourself!" the final one said as he began to run away.

    "I would if it was really necessary," he half lied. ¡°Sorry about that. I used to talk with them a lot, helping me understand some of the bad quirks I have. Either way, let''s go,¡± Loid said.

    We turned around and began to walk back to the library hall, to put together the information we could.

 Chapter 25, Part 4

    Everyone gathered around, making a long circle. ¡°Come on, hurry up!¡± Aurora said to get last of them stop their doings and join everyone. They all were looking at me, waiting for me to start with some speech.

    ¡°First of all, I want to thank you all for taking this moment and helping me out. I heard you all agreed to that, despite knowing what¡¯s hiding under this city. You¡¯ve all proven yourself to have the biggest quality one adventurer could have - courage.

    ¡°I¡¯m blessed to have all of you here, helping me. Weirdly enough, it¡¯s always the young and new who help me, while the adventurer¡¯s guild is nowhere to be seen,¡± I said jokingly. Many chuckled. ¡°But the problem is serious. Under this city is the new Demon Lord. Usually, it takes a long time to find a new one, but not this time. And this one is as powerful as the last, if not even stronger.

    ¡°So, I want you all to promise me one thing; promise me to run. If you run out of your magical pool - run. If you discover that you can¡¯t do anything with the weapons you have - run. If you feel that you¡¯re getting only on our way - run. If you¡¯re out of your resources - run. If you feel that your life is in danger - run.

    ¡°You can replenish your resources. You can lick your wounds and heal. But if you die, it¡¯s over. Even if the worst does happen - and it very well might do - there¡¯s always tomorrow. At least for now. People can rebuild cities. But lives will be lost forever.¡±

    I took a step forward, looking at all of them. ¡°Promise me!¡± I said loudly. One by one they all promised. Some were more serious, while others were smiling. And as Alice was the last one to promise me, I nodded.

    ¡°What about you?¡± Alice asked.

    I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m Hero. So don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    I could see Alice wanting to protest, but she didn¡¯t. She knew very well what I meant. She wanted to disagree with my thoughts, but she couldn¡¯t. Not now.

    ¡°So, our time is limited. That demon could come out at any moment now. Tell me what you got!¡±

    There was a moment of silence while I slowly walked back to my position in the circle and turned around to look at all those students.

    Four-Eyes was the first to cough. ¡°Yes?¡± I said immediately.

    ¡°Valgrathan is mentioned only once in the books. To be honest, I¡¯m lucky that I found it. It¡¯s in a book written by Zi Lai.¡± The reaction was as expected - there was mumbling. It¡¯s a rather known name. Interestingly enough, he was part of the Akagi family. Of course, that was around a hundred years ago, and he¡¯s long dead. But he had the power of scrying and contributed most to the knowledge of how the next Demon Lord was chosen. After all, he could look beyond the wall without going there.

    ¡°Heh. That¡¯s intriguing,¡± I said, crossing my hands. ¡°Joel was it? Continue.¡±

    Joel nodded. ¡°Well, it¡¯s only written in one spot. It talks about how the previous Demon Lord, the one you killed, got into the power.¡± It came without saying that I couldn¡¯t remember that demon¡¯s name I had accidentally killed. I could barely remember Valgrathan name. It was slightly embarrassing, but I kept up my straight face and nodded.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Long story short, there were two demons who were strong enough to become Demon Lords. So, there was a demon war. It was so brutal that adventurers didn¡¯t want to go deep into Barrel Lands either. According to the stories, Valgrathan was the strongest Demon; many times stronger than Egmomaun.¡±

    That¡¯s when I nodded once more. That¡¯s what was his name after all. Of course, I had read his name before, but I had a hard time remembering it. I was lucky that not many asked about that demon, the demon I had slain ¡ª or so they believed.

    ¡°But Egmomaun won the war because Valgrathan couldn''t stay out during the day - even if Barren Lands day is very short. Egmomaun attacked Valgrathan controlled lands during the day when Valgrathan was weak, while also protecting his lands during the night. In the end, the shadow demon lost and was banished from Barren Lands. He disappeared, and nobody knew where. Most assumed that he was dead. Even Zi Lai didn¡¯t know the truth ¡ª or didn''t want to share it.¡±

    I released a long sigh. ¡°Well, now we do. He was probably waiting his turn for Egmomaun to die. And now that he¡¯s dead, there¡¯s no stronger demon than him. First, he destroys The Capital, impressing all the other demons. And then he starts counterattack towards Barren Lands.¡±

    There was a moment of silence as everyone thought about it. I was first to chuckle. ¡°Of course, he made a fatal mistake. He underestimatedme. Now we know that he¡¯s here, taking out the element of surprise. We just have to stop him here and now, and everything is fine."

    Many grinned. Others laughed. And some stayed serious, even moaning. ¡°So, what do we know about shadow demons?¡± I asked.

    It seemed that many were much more prepared to answer that question.

    ¡°They are weak against the light, sunlight to be more specific.¡± I had to try hard not to grin. For once, I met an opponent who I countered perfectly. Except for the part that I had used all my stored magic on the water dragon. Dammit. ¡°That leads to the second best power, which is fire.¡± And of course, Aldrynte was also out of her firepower. Things just got better. I looked at the student, giving him a nod of approval.

    Another one continued. ¡°The strongest element against them is cosmic and air, though, and if we are looking at elements directly. Air element because of the shadow it can burst away. Cosmic because it¡¯s supposedly strong against anything. But I assume that no-one here has it." Of course, I had the cosmic power, but there was no way I could use it, yet.

    ¡°Anyone over here who can use air element?¡± I asked loudly. Only one hand raised slowly. It was a young shorter man, whose hand was shaking. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Leron,¡± he said.

    ¡°Alright, Leron. Do you have a focus?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°Well. Try to do the best with your wand. But once you¡¯re out, run.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± he murmured. "I don''t think I can-"

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Think about yourself first. We¡¯ll figure it out. If possible, we just have to delay him until the sun comes out, and backup arrives.¡±

    ¡°I don''t want to break your bubble, but that won¡¯t happen,¡± a voice reached us from behind, as a large mouse got himself seated at the edge of the table, gasping for air. ¡°I just checked out every adventurer¡¯s guild area. They have been all destroyed, filled with the bodies.¡±

    I bit my lip. So, we were too late. Valgrathan wasn¡¯t just doing nothing underground, but he had begun his move, giving orders and controlling the ground army.

    We could all hear a small earthquake. We didn¡¯t even need to ask what was going on. It was only so obvious.

    ¡°Remember your promise!¡± I shouted over the room, looking at all of the students. ¡°And if you want, you can still leave now. Nobody is forcing you to come. There''s a very huge chance that you might die. But it seems that time¡¯s up. It¡¯s time to go and protect this city, this country and our future.¡±

    I turned around and began to walk outside. The time was up, and it was time for a battle.

 Chapter 26, Part 1

    First, there was an earthquake. Or at least that¡¯s what everyone felt. And what followed was the shaking, cracks began to spread from exactly at the very center of The Capital. Those who were smart didn¡¯t waste any time and continued running further away from it. Those who were not so wise stopped and looked back, trying to comprehend what was going on.

    And then a lot of dust rose up quickly, together with a massive shadow that looked like an arm and a fist. Of course, that''s what the closest survivors explained later. But because it was dark, it was hard to notice something else that came together with that dust. Large pieces of debris flew everywhere, destroying buildings and such around. It might''ve also been thanks to the fact that the hand was at least three times larger than the largest building in the surrounding area.

    Many were smart and continued running. Others stayed back and kept staring at the shadow. Another earthquake followed, and even more dirt and dust were pushed into the sky. The hand rose even higher, and behind the hand was a massive body and a face. And with that, the second wave of debris flew everywhere.

    And then there was a peal of deep laughter spreading throughout the down.

    ¡°Humans! Welcome to your doomsday!¡± a voice echoed, as the shadow demon¡¯s two hands landed around himself and began doing full circles, destroying every building within thirty feet or so. Perhaps most people were far away from that body by that point. But what followed was a massive third wave of debris that flew close and far, with insane speed, destroying and shattering everything that was within the vicinity.

    I will not tell you the number of casualties, because it was too much for me to handle. Many who decided to stay in their homes, instead of escaping, died. Some hadn¡¯t run far enough and were in the direct path of the attack. Most casualties came from the debris. The only thing I can say with confidence is that the casualties would¡¯ve been remarkably larger if Aldrynte hadn¡¯t done what she did, and the alarm bells hadn¡¯t been used.

    But as we rushed towards the massive shadow demon at the center of The Capital, the shadow demon continued picking up more debris and catapulting them at any house that seemed to be holding up. The screams were heard everywhere.

    Perhaps that was our first mistake - we weren¡¯t ready, waiting for the monster¡¯s arrival. We let him attack first. All the time we got to research the monster was paid in blood. And the information wasn¡¯t even that useful - or so I believed.

    Every part of my body told me to retreat. The Capital was destroyed. There was no point to protect it. But there was one thing that pushed me forward - buying time. We needed to buy time for people to escape. I could try to do at least that much. And I still had a few backup plans.

    As we reached the area that showed more death and destruction, my eyes began to water. ¡°Loid,¡± I said as we all dashed towards the shadow demon.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re earth elemental, and you can copy yourself. Put all your efforts into saving as many people you can,¡± I said.

    Loid looked at me. He probably wanted to refuse. Or perhaps it was his dignity that wanted to fight the demon. But he knew that he would be best at helping people and working to save as many as he could. ¡°I¡¯ll do the best I can," he shouted.

    "Wait!" I said before he stopped. I pushed my hand into my backpack, removing a vial of blue liquid.

    ¡°Is that¡­?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll need it more than I do. It¡¯s my last one.¡±

    Loid hesitated for a moment, but he took the potion and finally stopped. We only shared a nod as I and the others continued running. ¡°Everyone who doesn¡¯t think they can contribute, go try to save as many people as you can,¡± I shouted. And even more, stopped. Some turned around and ran back to help Loid. Others ran different directions.

    The remaining party continued running towards Demon Lord. The party grew smaller and smaller every moment. But that was fine. The more I thought about it, it was all about buying time now, saving as many as we can, and trying to make him stop attacking the city.

    "If you plan to fight, hide and try to survive. Do one massive attack when he seems vulnerable. Then run away. Alright?" As we got close enough, I touched my sword¡¯s handle. ¡°Spread out!¡± They all did so. I unsheath my sword and raised it up, trying to get the light as far as possible. I got the immediate demon¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Ah, there you are." He turned around to face me, leaning slightly towards me. "I was disappointed that you weren¡¯t here, welcoming me!¡±

    I chuckled, stopped running and walked forward, slightly panting. ¡°I''m pretty sure that I told you to wait for me...¡± I shouted.

    He pushed his finger towards me for a moment, a large grin appearing on his dark shadowy face. ¡°I couldn''t wait. You¡¯ve ruined my plan already. You might¡¯ve helped this city¡¯s population live another day, but I¡¯ll be at least taking your life. I will diminish this light and destroy your people''s hope!¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°So, you¡¯re going to fight with me?¡± I shouted.

    ¡°No!¡± the demon said, mouth widely grinning. ¡°I have a useless army now. Remember, the one you made useless with your alarms? They''ll be dealing with you!¡±

    As he said those last words, figures began to appear out of his shadow, and behind him, walking in front of him, weapons out. We all felt sick. They were people who were kidnapped or had mysteriously disappeared. They were the people who used to have family members. There were men and women, old, and even children. But they all just stared at me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they are all dead,¡± he added.

    Finally, there was a rough cough. Qildor stepped forward, being at the very front of this fresh army. ¡°You¡¯ll never be able to defeat us with that tiny... army?¡± he said, smiling as widely as the shadow demon. And he was correct. While there were at least a hundred and more fighters, we had ten people standing next to me. Most of them were mere students.

    It was something I hadn¡¯t accounted for, or prepared. And everyone next to me looked very discouraged. At least we were buying time with this talk. Demon Lords have this weird curse of talking a lot to show off their obvious advantage.

    But something happened, giving me hope. The demon¡¯s smile disappeared very abruptly, almost as he had noticed something behind us. I turned around, looking at shadows walking towards us, hidden away by the darkness and dust. But my sword began to make them more clear. And there were many torches with those shadows.

    ¡°I¡¯m truly disappointed in you, Qildor,¡± a familiar voice reached us first before the shadow took its shape. A fully armored slightly fat man walked towards us. His armor was trimmed with gold, and his sword was definitely a high-grade magic sword. Behind him were more than a few hundred armored soldiers, ready to fight.

    Qildor spat on the ground. ¡°Rowley,¡± he said, doing a slightly taunting bow. ¡°I thought you¡¯d escape far away, leaving your city behind."

    Rowley walked next to me, giving me a nod. I wanted to cry and hug him, but I had to keep my hero¡¯s composure.

    ¡°I¡¯m the king. I might be an asshole of a king who goes to parties, takes people''s money and enjoys a lavish life, but I¡¯ve promised my people to do everything in my power to keep them safe. So, the last thing I would do is leave and let my people die. I will stay here and fight with Hero - even if it¡¯s the last thing I do!¡±

    Qildor was surprised. But it didn''t stay the same for long ¡ª wide smile returned. "Oh, it will be. It will be!"

    Rowley''s army and guards looked promising. It was larger and consisted of ex-adventurers and spellcasters. But at the same time, the shadow demon''s army consisted of beings that were almost like an undead.

    ¡°Hero,¡± Rowley said silently as he kept looking at Qildor. ¡°Do you have a plan? And be honest!¡±

    I gazed at Rowley. I had to take it all back. He might be annoying and sometimes even seem like an ass, but he was probably the best king humans have ever had. ¡°There¡¯s a very small chance that we can defeat him tonight. My original plan was to buy time for people to escape. But maybe with you here...¡±

    Rowley nodded. ¡°I already sent ravens to every town as well, letting them know of the message you sent me. If it only costs our lives to save the many, then so be it.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Thank you for trusting my word and thank you for coming here.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re our hero. And if anything, you¡¯ve proven yourself more worthy than anyone else. We will fight the demon¡¯s army. Can you deal with the demon?¡± He turned to look at my blinding sword for a moment, but he decided not to ask.

    ¡°I''ll try my best to make sure he doesn¡¯t attack your army. But try to survive, my king,¡± I said.

    ¡°Today, I¡¯m no king. I¡¯m just a warrior, trying to protect the people I love.¡±

    I looked at him for a moment, finally chuckling. ¡°Very well, just a warrior, may both of us survive.¡±

    Rowley raised his sword, pointing it towards the enemy army. "For our country. For our city. For our people! May our death save many!" he shouted. Everyone began to scream, as they all began to run.

    Qildor chuckled, looking at his two blades. For a moment, I saw humanity in it falter. But as he raised his head, all the undead began to smile and run towards the king''s army as well.

    Valgrathan raised his hand, laughing. ¡°You think that-¡±

    I raised my own sword, making the sword spread even more light. Valgrathan immediately lowered his hand to hide his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m here, you monster!¡± I began to circle the demon to reach a different angle from the king''s army. My party followed, which now consisted of me, Alice, Squeek and Aurora. It seems that the other six had either decided to join the king¡¯s army or hide as I instructed.

    ¡°Just four of us, huh?¡± I said, grinning.

    ¡°Against impossible odds as well,¡± Alice said, grinning as well.

    ¡°You two are crazy,¡± Squeek said, grinning together with us.

    Aurora seemed entirely focused, not even sure why she was even there. I gave Aurora a quick nod, making her use magic. It seemed that Valgrathan was considering something entirely different. But as Aurora''s magic activated, his attention moved entirely to us. He looked at us differently, almost as if there was a stronger presence around us, making us more important.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Valgrathan said, turning to look at me, smile gone. ¡°I will destroy you. With you, humanity¡¯s hope will disappear. Today the king and the hero will die, and the whole world will know about me, Valgrathan!¡±

    That¡¯s what I had wanted. Aurora¡¯s fright magic had made us feel a lot more threatening than we were. And that bought time for the king as well.

    ¡°Stay safe!¡± I said to Aurora, slightly worried. ¡°Just keep up the pressure and the feeling, but stay safe. Stay away!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me that twice,¡± she responded hastily. She separated from us.

    The situation was desperate. Things couldn¡¯t get worse ¡ª or that¡¯s what I told myself. Yet we all had a small smirk at the edge of our mouths. Perhaps it was to motivate ourselves. Maybe it was because the situation was so stupid that it made us laugh. We all probably had our own reasons. But we all kept running around the demon, ready to fight. And I, for one, was ready to die.

 Chapter 26, Part 2

    If this was the end of my story, I was alright with it. At least I went into the history books as someone who tried to save The Capital. I had the chance to live my life and even find some love. There was only one thing I was truly regretting. And that''s telling everyone that my real name is-

    ¡°Hiro!¡± Alice shouted, getting my attention.

    The demon¡¯s hand was descending towards my location. I raised my sword, making it give off more light than usual. The demon blocked his eyes with his other hand but kept lowering his main hand blindly. Of course, all I had to do was stop and take a few steps back, avoiding the massive dark hand. We could only see the shadow demon thanks to my light in the first place.

    ¡°That light is super useful!¡± Squeek shouted, climbing on top of my shoulder and standing there, while I kept running past the dark hand. We needed to get further away from the armies.

    ¡°First of all, you''re quite heavy. Get off. Secondly, I have some bad news; this light is only temporary. If I keep using it like this, it¡¯ll be out in no time. I managed to not use all the light in the last battle against the water demon. But I¡¯ve barely inserted any new energy within my sword,¡± I explained, sighing.

    ¡°Wait. You have the power of light? It¡¯s not a magic sword?¡± Squeek said, louder than he should. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. I¡¯ve never-¡±

    ¡°Not now, Squeek!¡± I half-shouted. ¡°We need to start doing some damage to him. Right now we¡¯re just buying time. But just because it seems impossible, doesn¡¯t mean we shouldn¡¯t try.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Squeek responded.

    ¡°You might be like flies, trying to dodge my attacks, but eventually I will squash you!¡± Valgrathan shouted, using the same hand, again and again, while we masterfully dodge his attacks. But with every attack, the light got slightly weaker. The energy pool inside the sword depleted ever so slightly, which the demon definitely had noticed.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Valgrathan shouted, raising both of his hands, ready to move his hand across the ground with a wide swipe.

    ¡°Shit. Prepare to jump high!¡± I shouted.

    A burst of fire touched Valgrathan¡¯s face as a dragon flew flow over the demon''s head. The demon screeched, raising his hands to hide his face. ¡°You irritating ants,¡± he shouted. As Aldrynte turned around and began to come down the second time, the demon threw a sharp look at Aldrynte, hand moving surprisingly fast at Aldrynte. It was a direct hit, blasting her body towards us, but over the head. A burst of dust flew into the air, as the dragon hit the ground not far from us.

    ¡°Aldrynte!¡± I shouted, running towards her.

    ¡°Emotions. Your greatest weakness!¡± Valgrathan said, laughing. He got this hands together into a larger fist and commenced to lower it towards Aldrynte dragon¡¯s body. It came as a slight surprise since it meant that the demon could increase the length of his hand by quite a long margin. It was Alice who stopped in front of us while Aldrynte began to change back into human form, gasping for air. She was full of cuts and bruises; some looked fresh while others were from older times.

    I gazed at Alice, ready to use my light slash to defend against the falling shadow hand. But Alice had a different plan. In his hand was her hairpin. Both of her hands were moved forward.

    "I got this," Alice shouted to me.

    ¡°Die!¡± Valgrathan yelled. A burst of shadow energy was released from Alice¡¯s hand, hitting against the demon¡¯s hand and pushing his hand back. ¡°What? You bastard. You¡¯re using shadow magic against me? The shadow Demon? How dare you!¡±

    The burst managed to keep Valgrathan back. The demon had to lean slightly back. ¡°?ou fool. I can make your shadow energy as my own!¡±

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you?¡± Alice asked.

    ¡°I was surprised. That¡¯s all!¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Alice said, putting the pin back into her hair. The pin began to slowly release a lot of shadow energy, surrounding Alice¡¯s arms and hands. ¡°You¡¯ll be surprised.¡±

    ¡°I like you, bug. I will take over your dead body and use you well. You will become my shadow generator, making me even stronger. Now, die!¡± He raised his hand once again, smashing the massive hand towards Alice.

    Alice, however, lowered her hand in response. The shadow energy gathered around her fist, almost as her hand was void itself. And as Valgrathan¡¯s fist was approaching, she raised her own fist as a response.

    ¡°Alice!¡± I murmured, terrified by the thought that she would lose. What if the demon was right, and she was really powerless? What if it was just a pointless gamble. But I had to trust her. She knew what she was doing. I just stared at her, sheathing my sword and letting my light essence rest.

    ¡°She¡¯s alright!¡± Aldrynte murmured, putting her hand on my shaking hand. ¡°Alice is a lot stronger than we think!¡±

    Both of their fists met, spreading shadow everywhere ¡ª almost as there was a thick mist, except it was pure black.

    But the mist disappeared quickly. We could see Valgrathan being shocked, while Alice stood there, arms still covered with the dark energy. ¡°How?¡± he shouted, confused. ¡°I couldn¡¯t take it!¡±

    ¡°You probably could¡¯ve, if it was simple shadow magic,¡± Alice said, closing her eyes for a moment. As she said those last words, we could see how her yellow hair began to slowly turn black from top to bottom. And it wasn¡¯t as the shadow was taking over it, but more like her hair had been black in the first place.

    Aldrynte and I just looked at Alice, eyes widened, speechless. Aldrynte more than I, because she had realized something. Alice turned to look over her shoulder, at me. Her eyes were still slightly closed as she had sorrow in her eyes. It was as she had now turned into a monster.

    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful!¡± I said out loud, making her blink fast a few times.

    ¡°Idiot,¡± she said, looking back at the monster.

    The realization hit Valgrathan. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ impossible,¡± he said. But he only began to grin even more. ¡°This is fantastic. To think I¡¯d find anything like this around here. You, humans, are truly amusing!¡± He raised his head to laugh straight into the sky. His laugh was chaotic and wild. As he finished his laughter, he turned sharply to look at Alice, head slightly cocked and leaned towards her. ¡°A girl who has shadowbeast blood within; I will kill you. And I will own you, and add you into my collection,¡± he spat the words, more excited than ever.

    Shadowbeasts. Perhaps the closest beings to compare them with are the werewolves. The major exception being that the shadowbeings are always in control of their forms. Like dragons, descendants all own shadow magic and can control themselves well. They mostly live at night, making traveling in certain parts of the world more dangerous during that time. There are saying that if you travel during the night at the most north-western part of the country, it¡¯s your funeral.

    Many have tried to find them, and very few have found and lived to tell the tale. It¡¯s not that they are necessarily aggressive. It¡¯s more that they¡¯re aggressive if you want to get yourself killed because they are hunted and are placed on the kill-on-sight blacklist. Many novels contain at least one shadowbeast and how the adventurers barely kill one.

    They are dangerous beings and mostly considered evil. Some say they are the demons that are living on the wrong side of the wall.

    And that confirmed one more thing for me ¡ª for some reason I¡¯m a magnet of the rarest beings. Not that it matters; for me Alice is still Alice.

    Valgrathan took in a deep breath, as it prepared to launch a flurry of blows at Alice. As he launched his first attack, Alice pushed her both hands together, creating a large shield made of entirely shadow. Immediately, black mist spread everywhere once again. With every hit, it only got thicker.

    I turned to look at Aldrynte, searching for a health potion from my backpack. ¡°You were fantastic. You saved so many lives,¡± I said, helping Aldrynte¡¯s head on my knees.

    Aldrynte coughed. ¡°I¡¯ve never been as empty of the essence as now. I¡¯d kiss you, but I¡¯m too tired,¡± Aldrynte said quietly. I removed the cork from the bottle and poured the potion into her mouth. Then, I took hold of her hand, raising it, touching my cheek.

    ¡°You should rest,¡± I whispered. I looked away, there was no other sound besides the attack towards Alice and her defense against the attacks. To be honest, I was worried about Alice. But I had to deal with one problem at a time. ¡°Squeek!¡± I shouted.

    There was a moment of silence before the pure white mouse ran to me. ¡°There you are, Hiro,¡± Squeek said.

    ¡°Get Aldrynte far away from here. She¡¯s in no condition to fight!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Aldrynte said immediately, trying to move. But that alone seemed painful.

    ¡°You¡¯re not fooling me. First, you fought the water dragon, then humans, pretending to be an attacker and now this. You¡¯ve done way more than anyone else! It''s quite a lot for your first adventure, don''t you think?¡±

    ¡°Please. I don¡¯t want to see you guys dying while I can¡¯t do anything,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°Silly. You¡¯d only get in our way. I won¡¯t die. I promise,¡± I whispered, reaching down and kissing Aldrynte. It was a quick kiss ¡ª there wasn¡¯t time for a long one. As I looked at Squeek, nodding, he turned into a large wolf. I helped Aldrynte on his back. Aldrynte pushed her face against the soft fur, hands around his neck. ¡°That¡¯s a promise,¡± she said to me, closing her eyes to hide her tears.

    Squeek ran away from the sounds of the hits, disappearing within seconds into the mist. ¡°Dammit,¡± I whispered. I knew that I might¡¯ve lied there. And it might¡¯ve been the last time I saw her. But if she lived, I had hope for the future.

    I turned around and began to run towards the sounds of hits. I also touched the sword¡¯s handle to unsheathe it once more. As I saw Alice standing still, blocking the punches with her massive shadow shield, panting heavily, I removed my sword and slashed it towards arriving hand, cutting the hand into two. The cut off hand fell against the ground, turning immediately into a black mist. But there was a massive roar far away, where the shadow demon supposedly was. I immediately sheathed my sword once again.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Aldrynte?¡± Alice asked, panting.

    ¡°I sent her away. She¡¯s in no condition to fight. It¡¯s just you and me now,¡± I said, looking at her. Alice lowered her shield, slightly, falling down on one of her knees. ¡°Praise the heavens. I was worried.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really kind,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°And beautiful. I like your new hair.¡±

    Alice blushed, slightly. ¡°Liar. It¡¯s not time to flirt.¡±

    ¡°You know me so well," I said sarcastically. "But it seems that you still manage to surprise me. And this might be the last time I get a chance to flirt with you.¡±

    Alice took a step towards me, pushing her lips on mine. ¡°I guess this might be the last kiss as well,¡± she said, smiling and slightly blushing.

    The fog was finally clearing. The shadow demon was holding onto his hand, which was regrowing at a steady pace. We could visibly see his ever-growing anger. But his panting began to slow down until he released a long gasp of air. I looked at Rowley''s army. It wasn''t very visible, but I could hear fighting. A quick smirk appeared on my face ¡ª they were winning. It was obvious.

    But that might¡¯ve been my mistake since Valgrathan noticed that, looking over his shoulder at his slowly disappearing army. He began to chuckle. Shadow began to spread from the bottom of his body, towards the battlefield.

    ¡°That fucker!¡± I readied my sword, ready to act. But I was too late. As I barely took a step, Alice took hold of my hand. I gazed back at her, just to see her shook her head.

    The moment the shadow reached the dead people of his army, they began to stand up, once more, forcing Rowley and his army to retreat slightly. ¡°Sorry, I forgot to mention,¡± Valgrathan said, still chuckling. ¡°My army is immortal.¡±

    But I was the one who chuckled next. ¡°No, they¡¯re not,¡± I said out loud. The shadow demon cocked his head, slightly confused. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as an infinite amount of energy. The energy comes from you. And every time you use it, there¡¯s less energy, helping us one step closer to victory. And once you''re dead, they are dead.¡±

    Valgrathan snorted. ¡°I¡¯ve been enjoying myself too little much. It¡¯s time to get serious!¡±

    Just as he said that somebody climbed up from my leg. I almost freaked out. ¡°Good news. The city is almost entirely evacuated!¡± Squeek said.

    ¡°Hey, Valguran!¡± I shouted.

    ¡°It¡¯s Valgrathan,¡± the demon responded.

    ¡°Usually it¡¯s us, adventurers, who knock on your castle''s doors. Funny how it¡¯s in reverse, right?¡± I said loudly.

    ¡°It¡¯s funny that one of your own got me past the wall, straight to this capital. Now that you mentioned it, I think you¡¯ve even met him,¡± Valgrathan said, grinning. ¡°Or at least Qildor learned that. I even left you messages.¡±

    My eyes closed for a moment. It was something I had slightly expected. ¡°So, Thomas got you here? What did he get out of it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You know very well. I told him exactly where it was, yet he managed to fuck it up and lose it. He must be cowering in Land of Goblins right now,¡± the demon said, snorting.

    ¡°If you knew where it was, why didn¡¯t you go for it?¡± I asked, looking at him, trying to get as much information as I could. There was at least something cliche about this ¡ª demon bosses like to underestimate adventurers and tell the information for free.

    ¡°Because being close to the tree is painful. We can sense it, and we know where it is. We want to go away from it, stay away. It¡¯s¡­ celestial, after all.¡± Of course. It made sense. So the demon traded tree¡¯s location for delivering him safely to The Capital''s sewers. It annoyed me even more. He didn¡¯t even blink twice while betraying humanity and knowing that it would cost thousands of lives.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to pay for every life you''ve killed,¡± I shouted, teeth pushed together. Alice stared at me, surprised. But her face turned as serious as mine, looking at the demon as well.

    ¡°Yes. I love that look. How many humans have I killed after they find out some truth? Delicious. I can see the pain. I will destroy you and everything you love. And I will consume you and make you mine. Yes!¡±

    Valgrathan took in a long breath, ready to continue the battle.

    ¡°Hiro, get behind me!¡± Alice shouted. I immediately did so. As the demon released a long breath, it wasn¡¯t a fire that came out from his nose, but dark black energy, trying to swallow us. But Alice did a sharp few circles on her spot, making her own energy circle around us, blocking the energy from every angle. It reminded me of the fire wall Aldrynte had done.

    The moment the barrier disappeared, I unsheathed my sword and took a few sharp steps towards the shadow demon, raising my sword up above and making it bright, forcing the darkness to hide.

    Valgrathan shrieked and pulled his massive body slightly back, hiding his face with one hand. But with the other hand, he did a wide swing. But instead of his hand, he had razor-sharp looking blades. I swung my sword, letting a tiny bit of light energy leave the sword as a very thin line, cutting the razor hand off and making it into a mist.

    But the demon didn''t stop there as five more hands appeared out of the shadow that had been hand just a moment ago. ¡°Fool. Did you really think I have only two hands?¡± he screamed. Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me just in time out of the way, getting hit by one of the sharp blades, barely. But that was in the process of using her own shadows to destroy two of the demon''s hands and pushing the other two out of their course.

    ¡°Finally! Blood!¡± Valgrathan shrieked. But instead giving us a moment to rest, even more hands appeared above him, moving in the air like snakes. ¡°I need to be careful not to cut you too hard if I want to use you later!¡±

    ¡°All the demons be damned, that¡¯s too much,¡± Alice murmured. But before the demon could lower their hands, we could see a huge amount of water crashing against the demon. A blue dragon flew over our head, beginning to circle.

    ¡°Alwine!¡± I shouted, happily. Alice didn¡¯t wait even a moment, but immediately took out her wand and touched the ground. An ice path went straight towards the demon, freezing all the water that was surrounding the demon. Alwine didn¡¯t stop, but made more circles, breathing even more water towards Valgrathan, which froze immediately thanks to Alice.

    ¡°Even more ants!¡± Valgrathan screamed, trying to break the ice, but had a slightly hard time with it.

    Alwine now flew towards us, preparing to land. But before she did so, she had already turned back into a human, landing next to us on her two feet, like a badass. ¡°Hello, kids. I see you¡¯re having trouble!¡±

    ¡°Alwine!¡± Valgrathan kept screaming. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be mine!¡±

    ¡°What gave that away?¡± I asked, taking a step towards her, and giving a quick hug.

    ¡°I hate hugs!¡± Alwine immediately said but received my hug anyway. ¡°I¡¯ll remind you once again ¡ª Alwine you knew doesn¡¯t exist. Not anymore.¡±

    ¡°How are you doing?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Not that well. I¡¯ve barely recovered some energy after the battle with Aldrynte. And I already used it all up. Speaking of Aldrynte, where is she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s¡­ out. But in a safe place. She¡¯s out of everything.¡±

    Alwine sighed, facepalming. ¡°As I thought. Honestly, I wish I could help you more, but I think I¡¯m more useful there,¡± she pointed at the other fighting line where Rowley was fighting, intensely. "I managed to take get a good view of the battlefield, and they need some help."

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that Rowley is still alive,¡± I said, honestly.

    ¡°Please. Rowley is almost as good as Qildor. He might be an old fool that parties, but he¡¯s still someone who earned his reputation. And I¡¯m his advisor, so I have a duty to help him.¡± She turned and began to run towards Rowley.

    ¡°Thank you, I guess?¡± I said. To be honest, we also needed help, but at least she admitted her uselessness straight away.

    ¡°When he tries to attack me, you better use the chance!¡± Alwine said, rushing towards Rowley.

    ¡°Alwine!¡± Valgrathan shouted once more, ice slowly breaking into pieces. It was at that point when I noticed an eagle going after the demon¡¯s head while he was stuck, targeting the demon''s eyes.

    ¡°Oh, Squeek,¡± I murmured.

    ¡°Here he goes,¡± Alice said, sighing. ¡°He''s not that great against a big demon like that,¡± she said.

    ¡°How are you?¡± I asked.

    Alice looked at me. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said, smiling.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. Not now!¡±

    Alice sighed. ¡°Fine. Not good,¡± she said honestly. ¡°I¡¯m starting to run out. Protecting against those hits earlier was¡­ hard.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Prepare to run away.¡±

    ¡°Hiro!¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± I said, looking at her. ¡°This is an order!¡±

    Alice frowned, visibly.

    The ice broke away, one large piece hitting the bird in the sky as well, but not hard. But as the bird began to fly away, Valgrathan managed to catch Squeek, forcing the bird to shriek.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to crush you, bug!¡± Valgrathan shouted, laughing. I could see the demon actually trying to squeeze Squeek to death. Squeek, however, tried desperately to keep up his shape to stay alive as long as possible.

    ¡°That¡¯s my final shot,¡± I murmured, unsheathing the sword once last time and doing a wide slash. A bolt of light flew towards Valgrathan¡¯s hand, cutting it up and turning the whole hand into mist. Squeek immediately used the chance to fly next to me, turning into a mouse on my shoulder. He was panting heavily.

    ¡°I¡¯m not good at fighting against demons,¡± he admitted, sighing. ¡°I¡¯m no elemental user, dammit.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°You should leave now.¡±

    Multiple bolts of fire, ice and air began to hit the demon out of nowhere. I turned to look at the location they were coming from, noticing all the students shooting everything they had at the demon.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Valgrathan screamed, raising all his hands. Black colored thorns began to take shape above the demon. Alice stepped in front of me, raising her shield once more. All the students generated shields of their own. All the shadow thorns were shot towards all of us. But the moment there was silence, many fell soon after, out of essence, making someone else protect them.

    ¡°Good job! Now leave! Run!¡± I shouted after a moment of silence. Both me and Alice were running towards them to block any other incoming attacks. It was impressive that so far there were no casualties at my side.

    They all did so, running as fast as they could. But as I took a look back at Alice, I saw a large hand hitting Alice directly, propelling her away inside the rubble.

    ¡°Alice!¡± I screamed, running towards Alice immediately. It was getting tiring ¡ª the same view over and over again.

    Valgrathan began to laugh. ¡°I wonder if she survived!¡±

    I stopped in front of her, looking at her. She was unconscious and bleeding severely, but she was alive. I immediately removed my only remaining healing potion and emptying it inside Alice¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Squeek!¡± I screamed.

    "You''re lucky that I didn''t go far!" a voice came as a mouse ran to me, turning immediately into a large wolf. This time, a rather injured wolf.

    ¡°This time, don¡¯t come back. Make everyone fall back," I said, helping Alice on the wolf''s back. Squeek barked once.

    Valgrathan laughed. ¡°This is getting ridiculous. You think I let her escape?¡± he screamed, hands moving fast towards us. I turned my slightly dead eyes towards him, pointing my finger at him. It seemed that my deception worked since his movement changed immediately into a more cautious one. My fingertip began to radiate light. It was a very sharp bright light, blinding Valgrathan completely, missing us completely. It lasted a mere second, but that was enough. It was my last quick trick to buy a tiny bit of time to help Squeek escape.

    Valgrathan frowned, looking at me. But since there was no light source left, it was hard to see him. And since I had used all my remaining sorcerer magical essence on that small trick, I was all out of usable magic.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s just you and me now, Valgerithian. And you¡¯re at least half as size as before,¡± I said, smiling.

    ¡°It''s Valgrathan. You¡¯ve surprised me. I admit that much. But in the end, I¡¯ve won. You never stood a chance!¡± He peeked at another battle, and so did I. Rowley was pushed back while the never-dying monsters were advancing forward. Perhaps it was only thanks to Alwine over there who kept them still in the game, and alive. It was a different battle of its own.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one last chance, Hero. Join me. Promise me your allegiance, and I¡¯ll let you live. I won¡¯t even take over your body!¡± Valgrathan said, smiling.

    His grin disappeared as he noticed someone behind me, walking towards me. There was true fear in Valgrathan eyes. I had never seen him in such a state. It made me slightly hopeful. Maybe someone really strong from adventurer¡¯s guild had arrived? Wouldn¡¯t that be a day saver?

    ¡°Hiro,¡± a familiar whisper reached me, which was disappointing.

    ¡°Aurora,¡± I said, looking over my shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re using your magic right now, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Buying us a little bit of time,¡± Aurora said, stopping next to me. ¡°We should escape while we can!"

    I looked at her. "Thank you, but no."

    Aurora stared at me for a moment. "Fine. Then it''s time.If we wait any longer¡­¡±

    ¡°...there won¡¯t be any chance left, huh?¡± I said.

 Chapter 26, Part 3 (End of Act 2)

    ¡°Are you sure you want me to do it? We¡¯ve researched it, and there are no talks of success. If anything, all the information discourages trying it out.¡±

    I looked at her. Valgrathan was so afraid he couldn¡¯t even comprehend our talk. ¡°Aurora. If we don¡¯t do this now, we¡¯re going to lose a lot more than The Capital.¡±

    Aurora sighed, nodding. She stepped in front of me, placing hands on my shoulders, focusing. Nothing happened. "Fuck."

    "So?" I murmured. She shook her head. "Well, let''s try the other way."

    She stared at me, fighting against instincts. ¡°Alright. But please, never tell Loid of this.¡±

    ¡°If I survive,¡± I said, nodding. Something told me that he would understand, but it wasn''t time to argue.

    Aurora¡¯s lips got closer to mine, and she kissed me.

    Now, before getting to the point ¡ª I have now kissed many women. It''s ridiculous what title can give you. But there was a reason for it. When it comes to manipulating essence within other people''s bodies, touch is not always enough. Sometimes it requires a more intimate approach. And let me tell you; the kiss isn''t the strongest method.

    Time almost stopped. I could feel her magical essence entering my body, going through my veins, searching for something. It was nothing like with her touch. My every muscle reacted for a moment when essence went through them.

    And then I felt it. There was a closed gate with a large lock, deep within me. Behind the gate was darkness, filled with burning candles. We could both probably feel or even see it. Aurora¡¯s pushed her lips against mine harder. I could feel an enormous amount of her essence coming in, going straight towards that lock. And yes, I am aware it sounds so dirty. And then the essence transformed into a key, entering inside that lock.

    Click.

    She pulled her lips away, blushing like crazy. Her fingers moving over her lips. She began to breathe heavily. Keeping up two magic at once wasn''t that easy.

    Valgrathan''s terrified expression changed. He was confused, not entirely understanding what happened.

    Fear magic can be pretty terrific. But if we had attacked, the demon would''ve still defended, resulting in no progress.

    ¡°Huh? What was that? And what''s with you and kissing women in front of me, in the middle of the battle?¡± he said, looking at me. That demon had a point, making me chuckle.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to Aurora. ¡°You won¡¯t tell Alice and Aldrynte, and I won¡¯t tell Loid. This is a promise!¡±

    She nodded, turning around and running away.

    ¡°And what¡¯s with people running away all the time?¡± The shadow demon moaned, leaning down. ¡°That¡¯s it. I''m tired of this battle. I¡¯m now going to destroy you, Hero.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve told me that too many times now. I can''t take you seriously anymore.¡±

    Two large hands, full of razor-sharp knives moved towards me and Aurora. I touched my sword''s handle.

    ¡°This is crazy,¡± I mumbled, a wide smile appearing on my face. I began to laugh, unsheathing my sword with a flash. Never-seen-before light spread throughout the night. It was even brighter than that evening with Alwine. Valgrathan hissed, surprised by the light. It was probably even more intense than daylight. With one sharp movement and wide swing, a broad light flashed through Valgrathan''s hand and upper body. The sword turned immediately colorless, as I had used it all up, making me unsheathe the sword once more.

    Every single Valgrathan¡¯s undead soldiers stopped moving, including Qildor. All the soldiers, the king ¡ª who was now injured ¡ª and Alwine looked at me.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Valgrathan screamed. Half of his upper body turned into the shadow, but his remaining shadow replaced his upper body immediately. His size decreased by half immediately. ¡°Damn you, Hero. It hurts!¡± he screamed.

    I laughed, feeling the power within me. Valgrathan threw a sharp look at me. For the first time, the demon climbed out of the hole, revealing an even bigger massive shadow body that was underground. His body began to grow back to his previous size. He had been hiding most of his reserve under the sewers. ¡°I¡¯m going to fucking kill you! I''m going to butcher you! I¡¯ll turn you into a lump of meat and feed you to lesser demons!¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    I personally couldn''t see it, but according to later stories, my eyes had turned golden, spreading light in front of me and towards the demon. And all I had was that large grin. I began to run, my body feeling light. I had insanely fast speed, and I had no problems controlling it.

    Hundreds of hands flew out Valgrathan¡¯s body, flying towards me like needles. But like a flash, I dodged most of them, while unsheathing my sword once more, cutting down the others. It was weird, almost as time had slowed down. I could see light¡¯s movement normally, while the shadow demon moved in slow-motion.

    ¡°Hero!¡± Valgrathan screamed. More needles came out, chasing me. All I did was run away, letting the needles chase me. I could feel the light whirling around my body, helping me out and destroying some of the needles that managed to catch up. But most importantly, I was laughing like crazy. It was an adrenaline rush. I could get addicted to this feeling. I had forgotten everything. I had forgotten about Aldrynte and Alice. I had forgotten about those who were watching me, shocked. All I cared about was destroying that demon in front of me. And I even wasn''t sure why. I just had to.

    ¡°Valgerian,¡± I screamed, stopping, and sliding to below the needles, cutting then like a weed. The sword began to glow even brighter. It turned so bright that the needles alone couldn''t handle the light, turning into mist. Valgrathan was terrified. For the first time, he felt the instinct to run, escape. But my sword began to turn brighter, twice as bright than before.

    ¡°It''s Valgrathan! Damn. Damn you all!¡± Valgrathan screamed, starting to run towards the sewer hole to hide.

    ¡°Where¡­ are¡­ you¡­ going?¡± I said slowly, gathering even more energy around my legs, sprinting next to the demon. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to play?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡±

    ¡°Am I really now? That¡¯s¡­ rude,¡± I said, almost tears running down. I could feel every emotion a lot more intensely. ¡°But it¡¯s time to really end this game. You hurt my most precious things. All those things I care about; you hurt them. And nobody¡­ fucking¡­ touches¡­ something that I care about.¡± I shouted as my eyes began to spread as much light as my sword.

    Valgrathan screamed as I flashed in front of Valgrathan and pushed the sword into his body. And the night turned dark once more. But the sword inside Valgrathan''s body began to spread it''s light inside - like veins lighting up. And then the whole body spread light like the sword itself.

    Valgrathan was screaming, shouting, cursing every moment of it. He knew very well what was going to happen next.

    But the light coming out of the demon got even more intense. Every stone that was close to us began to heat up, turning red. Some of the nearby wood caught fire. Every surviving fighter on the battlefield hid behind the debris.

    ¡°Impossible!¡± he shrieked, his whole body turning into mist. Some of his body still tried to generate needles and penetrate me, since I was next to him. But they all just broke immediately.

    ¡°It was going to be my reign!¡± he spat his last words, looking at me. There was an explosion of his body, blasting me far away as well. I could feel my body hitting someone else''s body. And then we flew together even further away. But whoever had arms around me was in control. ¡°Hang in there, Hero!¡± a whisper reached me. Alwine was not letting me take any damage. We stopped, and then there was silence. I could feel her cold water creating endless steam around me. She was trying to cool down my body. And it felt wonderful.

    I opened my eyes, barely, looking at the location where the demon had been not that long time ago. There was no shadow demon left. The army of the dead was unmoving, like dead bodies. Those who had been hiding around began to move out, clap, shout.

    ¡°You did it, Hero,¡± Alwine whispered, letting me go and stand by myself. She took a step back.

    I looked at the massive hole that was created by the shadow demon¡¯s explosion, panting heavily. "We won. We really-"

    Everything began to turn black. I could feel Alwine catching me once more, laying me gently down. Aurora ran towards us, crying. ¡°Hiro!¡± she shouted, kneeling down next to me.

    Others began to surround me. The time began to speed up ¡ª very opposite of what had just happened moments ago. And then I could hear Aldrynte¡¯s and Alice¡¯s voice. I remembered them. I knew them very well. I loved them, after all.

    ¡°What?¡± instinct Aldrynte''s shout reached me. ¡°You did what?¡±

    Ah. I knew what was happening. Aurora was explaining what she had done. I could feel their hands, holding mine. But the feeling began to go away. I couldn¡¯t feel my body anymore. And the vision was long gone. I could only hear, and even that became harder and harder.

    More time passed. ¡°Is he going to be alright?¡± I could hear Aldrynte¡¯s crying voice. Her sweet voice. It was sweet even if she was crying.

    "Is there anything we can do?" Alice''s voice reached me.

    ¡°No. He¡¯s on his last breath. Nobody has ever come out from complete depletion of magical essence.¡±

    I knew the risks. We had secretly talked about it with Aurora. We had theorized. After all, her power was very intriguing. And before coming here, I had told her that we were going to try it out if nothing else worked.

    But it was a very small price to pay. My life wasn''t worth more than the capital, the country, and humanity. And it was the most heroic thing I could do. I wanted to give them a future. I wanted to give a future to Alice and Aldrynte. I wanted to give future tho all those students.

    It was my time to go. As a shut-in boy, I had done more than I could. Or so I believed. It was time to end the story of the nameless hero.

    I could feel my body turning cold. I could still hear them, but their voices had turned into mumbles. And then shivers arrived. And then I stopped hearing anything.

    And then I died.

 Chapter 27

    It was like a dream. And I knew it was a dream. Yet it felt so real. The fact that I didn¡¯t feel any pain gave it away. Yet I could feel my existence as I normally did. I opened my eyes looking at the darkness. It was like the sky, but without any stars.

    I pushed myself up, getting seated, finally looking at my hand. It was the same old hand I knew, except it was fine. All the scars that I had from the training were gone. I looked around, examining my surroundings ¡ª I knew that place. It was a room full of candles. But unlike last time, all the candles were extinguished.

    Or so I thought, until I saw a single light, somewhere far away. I stood up and began to walk towards it. Soon the walk turned into running. I could still barely see around this dark room, but the ground was like dim light, not pure darkness. I had to watch my every step just so I wouldn¡¯t step on any of the extinguished candles. And as I got closer to the only remaining light, it was another candle, but unlike others, it was burning. It was working itself hard ¡ª the wax slowly melting away. And compared to all those other candles, this one had a lot less wax left.

    I pushed my shaking hand towards the fire, but the moment it went over it, I felt nothing. The fire didn''t react to it slightest.

    I sighed. ¡°I see,¡± I murmured.

    A loud echo echoed throughout the chamber. It was a familiar voice. Yet I couldn¡¯t put a face and the voice together. ¡°I always found you humans so¡­ intriguing.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked calmly, falling on my legs and arms and examining the candle more closely. ¡°A-are you the candle?¡± I whispered, head leaning very close to the candle.

    There was a very obvious sound of sighing, but a burst of laughter followed. ¡°We¡¯ve talked once. Underground. And then you took out my seed, promising me to plant somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± It clicked. Disappointed, I fell on my ass and released a long sigh. ¡°God of Harvest, wasn¡¯t it? Ahean?¡± I said it out loud.

    ¡°You guessed it,¡± Ahean responded.

    I sighed. ¡°What are you doing in my head? What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been following you around, inside of you, waiting. It was too early to say anything,¡± Ahean responded, chuckling. The fact that someone was in my head was slightly creepy. "You''re an interesting man, full of lies. Yet, look how far you''ve come!"

    ¡°And now that I¡¯m dead, you decided to send me off?¡±

    There was a moment of silence. A hurtful silence. I had expected that.

    ¡°You¡¯re not dead yet. As long this light burns, you¡¯re in a coma, slowly dying.¡±

    ¡°Last light, huh?¡± I lied down, looking at the dark sky. ¡°So, it''s finally over, huh? I assume that the candle is my life essence?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your magical essence,¡± Ahean responded. I was surprised. Then again, it made sense.

    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t think that magical essence is presented as candles.¡±

    ¡°Essence is essence. How every person sees them is a completely different matter. You see it as a candle. Others see it as an ocean. And then there was a guy who saw it as bugs.¡±

    ¡°Yikes. Really?¡± I murmured.

    ¡°However, most people never see their pool in the first place,¡± Ahean continued.

    "How do they feel it then?" I asked out of interest.

    "Do you need to focus on anything when you speak? Most are so used that they need for visual presentation. They just do it, naturally," Ahean answered.

    ¡°So, why am I going to die?¡± I asked, closing my eyes for a moment. Dying was surprisingly comfortable ¡ª no pain.

    ¡°You beings need two things to survive. Magical essence and life force. I don¡¯t think I need to explain what¡¯s life force, right?¡±

    ¡°I think I have a general idea, yeah,¡± I said, nodding. "It''s all the physical damage that might kill me, right?"

    ¡°Yes. If either of them reaches zero, you¡¯ll die. But here¡¯s a major difference. Lifeforce is like an endless candle that only burns. If you do something bad, it burns more. And sometimes it burns less. But it always burns. Normally when you rest and heal, the wax will rebuild itself, but it gets always weaker, thinner. And some try to cheat it by strengthening the wax with unnatural ways."

    ¡°Necromancy?¡± I suggested.

    ¡°For example, yes, but not the only thing. I do have to admit that necromancy has almost died off in your world. I never liked it,¡± the god said.

    ¡°Alright, how about the mana pool?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Mana pool has endless regeneration. It will slowly repair itself, getting itself as strong as possible. As you age, it might get slowly weaker, but in the end, it¡¯s always fixing itself again.¡±

    I looked at the candle. ¡°Then why aren''t I recovering any magical essence?¡±

    ¡°To create life, you need two,¡± the voice said.

    I opened my eyes, leaning forward and looking at the candle. ¡°Really?¡± I said, starting to chuckle.

    ¡°But as you can see, you have only a single candle left. And since it cannot create more life, it¡¯ll burn, until it extinguishes.¡±

    ¡°So, I literally burnt up all the candles, except one? That¡¯s quite amazing, don¡¯t you think?¡± I said with slight sarcasm.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°Your joke isn¡¯t far from the truth. Any normal mage would be able to control their essence, not using it all. Some might go to lower limits, but never deplete their magical pool, almost as they''re incapable of doing that.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not a mage, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°I think you called the others sorcerers, am I right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I said.

    ¡°Your body and mind protect you from harm that essence can cause you. Thus they add a lock to a certain part of your essence, so you wouldn¡¯t burn it all out.¡±

    ¡°But why can I use so little of my essence? This lock is stupidly painful? Why can I use only like¡­ a few percents of my whole pool, while others can use a lot more? Why not put the lock at the endpoint, so I wouldn¡¯t just burn it all out?¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Try me!¡± I shouted, standing up. ¡°Why must I have all those disadvantages? Why can¡¯t I be as normal as others?¡±

    ¡°Well, for the very reason why you¡¯re asking. You want more, while you, or your body, or your mind is not really ready for it. You can''t handle it. It''s like a drug for you. The toddler won¡¯t learn to walk overnight. Some manage to learn it fast, but for others it takes time. And in magical essence case, most will never learn to use their full potential.

    ¡°So, there are those who can use their magical essence pool fully. some need more time, and some will never learn.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°You¡¯re comparing me to a toddler?¡±

    ¡°Who are you trying to fool? You¡¯re young. You have no experience. But because of your situation, you demand more. The only reason why you''re demanding more is the fact that you''re the hero. If you were a normal adventurer, you¡¯d be one of those kids in the school. Be honest, would you really want that? After you¡¯ve experienced a life of Hero, would you really want to go back?

    I looked at the candle, listening to the echoing voice. I couldn¡¯t say anything. I couldn¡¯t argue. The fact was, I had come to enjoy this life. Not that long ago, I had begged for a cliche adventure. But now, I was afraid to lose it. After all, everything I had gained was only thanks to the fact that I had become a hero.

    ¡°I might be the only one who knows the real you,¡± the voice said after a long pause. "And I mean the real you."

    Another long pause followed. ¡°I have so many questions,¡± I whispered.

    ¡°Yet I cannot answer them. Not now. We do not have as much time as you think we have. And I can¡¯t answer because you¡¯re not ready.¡±

    I chuckled. ¡°What are you, a messenger?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I like that word. This is exactly what I¡¯m now. A messenger.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°What do you want? Why are you here?¡± I asked the golden question. ¡°Are you here to send me on my lonely journey to heaven or hell?¡±

    ¡°Oh no,¡± Ahean said immediately. ¡°I¡¯m here to offer you a chance. I can save your life,¡± the voice said.

    One of my eyebrows rose. ¡°Save my life? And what do you ask in return?¡±

    ¡°You have to swear that you¡¯ll plant my seed within one month after you wake up. And trust me, you don¡¯t want to break that promise.¡±

    I chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re quite desperate. What if I choose to die instead?¡±

    There was a moment of pause. I could hear a long sigh. He didn¡¯t want to answer that question. Perhaps he had hoped that I was just going to say yes, immediately. ¡°Then it¡¯ll be a huge nuisance and I have to wait a long time before I can drive the next hero crazy.¡±

    I laughed. ¡°What¡¯s stopping you to annoy another random person?¡±

    ¡°You placed the seed inside the hero¡¯s chest. Only the hero¡¯s badge can open it. And only a hero can use the hero''s badge.¡±

    ¡°Huh? I wonder why Hin didn¡¯t lock you into that chest then?¡± I asked.

    ¡°He created that chest. And he did lock me in there. But Hin was alive, and he didn''t know anything about it. He wasn¡¯t about to die like you. And unlike most deaths, this is something I can help with. It¡¯s not that it''s a huge deal-breaker, it¡¯s more of a nuisance to wait another century or two before the next hero arrives. And there¡¯s always a chance that there won¡¯t be a next one. The way things are going, humanity might perish.¡±

    My eyebrows twitched. I couldn''t ignore those last words.

    ¡°Hero. Do you really think it¡¯s your time, yet? There are still those who are waiting for you. Some still have a tiny bit of hope left. Do you really want to leave Aldrynte and Alice behind? Especially Alice, who is now known shadowbeast. Without the hero¡¯s protection, she¡¯ll be hunted down, just for sports.

    ¡°And there is still the major demon threat. Do you really think that fire giants and goblins on the other side of the wall are ready to listen to somebody else? They won''t bow down to anyone else, not yet.

    ¡°Are you really ready to give your life away, while it could be saved?¡±

    I kept staring at the candle. It was working itself out fast. Half of it was already burnt off since I first saw it. ¡°What¡¯s the fruit you¡¯re going to bear?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I can¡¯t answer that now. But one day, when the time is right, I¡¯ll tell you,¡± Ahean said.

    ¡°And you promise that wherever I plant you, you won¡¯t grow wild? I can¡¯t let you grow endlessly large!¡±

    There was a moment of silence. ¡°That, I can promise.¡±

    I looked up into the dark sky. ¡°And I¡¯ll heal fully back? I''ll be whole again?¡±

    Another moment of silence followed. ¡°No,¡± the voice said, regret in his voice. ¡°You¡¯ll never be the same. The price you paid for removing the lock is massive. It seems you''re back to normal, but you''ll have a lot more on your shoulder. You might never be able to become a mage. But you can always train and try. You should not throw away your hope. You need to survive until you slay the brown and red eyes. So, try not to die¡±

    I opened my mouth to ask about the last few sentences but closed it. I knew it without asking ¡ª he wasn''t going to answer them. I visibly frowned. I thought about Aldrynte. I thought about Alice. I thought about all the students, new friends. And I thought about this adventure that I didn''t want to end, not yet. ¡°Fine. You have your deal.¡±

    ¡°Swear it in my name.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°In the name of Ahean, I promise I will plant your seed within a month after I wake up,¡± I said loudly, slightly annoyed.

    I could feel chains surrounding my arms, but as I looked at them, there were none.

    ¡°May your candles spread wide,¡± Ahean said. And as he finished the sentence, a wind spread throughout the chamber. For a moment, I was afraid that it would extinguish the fire instead. But another fire lit next to the lone one. That fire was different though - blue.

    And as a moment passed, I could see those two candles creating the third flame. But that flame was now something between red and blue. And then the fourth one came to be. And then two new ones followed. And every moment that happened, it felt like a fresh air got into my lungs.

    The endless chamber of candles began to lit, slowly. Soon it was an ocean of flames surrounding me; mostly red. But there was always some blue hiding amongst the red.

    ¡°Remember, Hero, to never forcefully open this door again. Next time, it¡¯ll be your doom, and even I can¡¯t help you. But for now, I shall close the door once more, locking it for you.¡±

    Something hit me hard, pushing me outside of the gate. The gates closed the moment I was out, still flying. I crashed against the ground, but it didn''t hurt. A large key appeared, locking the gate. But that key was made of a pure familiar blue energy. And then the key shattered into millions of pieces.

    ¡°Now, sleep, rest. You need it. It¡¯s going to take a long time to recover," now tired voice of the old god whispered into my ears. The voice was also weak and tired.

    My sight began to go blurry. It was hard to stay awake now that I was outside of the candle chamber. And just before I lost all my senses, I heard one last whisper.

    ¡°Sleep.¡±

 Chapter 28, Part 1

    It was like an endless dream. I saw all those moments I had gone through, all those battles. I saw faces, almost as if it was a gallery of my past.

    But finally, it all ended; I opened my eyes. My body was tired, heavy, still weak; but my mind was clear and rested. I tried to move slightly but immediately realized that there was something heavy on my stomach, or more like someone, resting against my chest. And as I raised my head to take a peek, I saw Aldrynte¡¯s red hair looking back at me. She was hugging me, warm blanket over both of us.

    I let my head fall once more, looking at the ceiling. It was a familiar ceiling. It was the very same I saw when I woke up the very first time in the white castle. I smirked. It meant I was still alive and the old god had kept their promise.

    I raised my hand, touching gently Aldrynte¡¯s hair. I was expecting her to wake up, but she stayed still.

    So much of her talk about being aware of everything even when she was sleeping, I thought. But I couldn¡¯t help but keep up the smirk. So she had lied to stay close to me. Or perhaps her senses had dulled? No, impossible.

    Finally, I heard a small moan from her. It seems caressing her for a short while has finally alerted her. ¡°Are you here again, father?¡± Aldrynte murmured, finally raising her head slightly.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just me!¡± I whispered, trying to sound casual, which failed. I hadn''t used my voice for ages, so it was only natural that my voice was croaky. "Oops," I added.

    Aldrynte stared at me, eyes wide open. Immediately, tears began to appear at the edge of her eyes, as she rose up and leaned slightly towards me.

    ¡°Am I dreaming?¡± Aldrynte asked, one hand covering her eyes, trying to clear some tears.

    ¡°You¡¯re making it sound worse than it is,¡± I said, keeping up my smile. But at that point, I still had no idea.

    Aldrynte leaned forward, even more, reaching out her hands. I raised my own until we hugged. ¡°You took your stupid time, didn¡¯t you?¡± she mumbled, face pushed against my chest. She raised her head and kissed me. The kiss was a salty one ¡ª but I had missed it. And all her other smells made it up. But my mind was elsewhere.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re in shock! What¡¯s going on? How long was I out?¡± I asked the questions I''ve been putting off. I finally got myself seated, while Aldrynte tried to clear her tears.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been off 6 months and 15 days,¡± she responded, looking at me. ¡°And we thought you were never going to wake up,¡± she added.

    ¡°What? How come?¡±

    ¡°There was no magical essence in you. None. Or at least nobody managed to feel any. Seeing that you''re awake though...¡±

    ¡°But you never felt any of it in the first place?¡±

    Aldrynte shook her head. ¡°Every human has some kind of essence. Even if they can¡¯t use any. You had none. The last inspection was done yesterday and you still had none. They all thought you were on fumes and they were preparing us for the worst.¡±Stolen novel; please report.

    I sighed. I had an idea why it could¡¯ve been so. And honestly, I felt slightly terrified. ¡°There might be a reason for that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it later, when there are others too, like your father.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Aldrynte said, eyes squinting.

    ¡°Trust me, you want your father to be there. Even though, I do feel bad that I have to depend on him once more. But for now, can¡¯t we just celebrate that I woke up? I need to get up to date with everything. I¡¯m slightly shocked myself that I¡¯ve been out for that long.¡±

    ¡°You got us really worried. Some of us gave up on you, you know?" But as she said that, she looked away, obviously hiding something or didn''t mean to say it.

    I laughed, weakly. ¡°Then I know who I can depend on,¡± I said, grinning. ¡°Where¡¯s Alice?¡± I asked after a short pause.

    Aldrynte sighed. That made me realize that her previous announcement and my question were connected.

    ¡°Aldrynte, tell me. It''s fine, I can take it," I said, calmly. But I was only calm visibly. I was slightly panicking inside, but it was the rationality that was keeping me in balance.

    ¡°A lot happened after you went into¡­ coma. I guess I can give you more proper details later, but¡­ Alice has left the capital. And, well, I can¡¯t blame her.¡±

    I let my head fall back against the pillow. ¡°Okay, where?¡±

    ¡°Well, there were many who saw who she was. They wanted to kill her, but thanks to the fact that she was in your party and with few people protecting her, she was left alone. She stayed with you for the first two months, but finally left to the east, towards her¡­ one-half of her species.¡±

    ¡°Shadowbeast''s Trap, huh? After hearing how things looked, I can''t blame her.¡± I turned to look at Aldrynte. "Why did you stay?"

    She chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Waiting a few years alone is nothing. In the end, I¡¯m a dragon. The timeframe works differently for me. Plus, I really didn''t...¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°You still stayed by my side. And for that, I¡¯ll thank you!¡± I leaned forward to give her one more kiss. She happily kissed me back, hands landing over my shoulders.

    There was a moment of silence as we looked at each other. ¡°Should we let others know?¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re¡­¡±

    "¡­alive?¡± I finished her sentence. I nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t die yet. After all, the world depends on me,¡± I said cockily, grinning as well. Aldrynte smiled as well.

    "I''ll send out the message and gather the council and some others. Is there anyone specific you want there as well? I can send the message."

    I thought for a moment. "Get your father. That should be about it. This matter can''t wait for too long."

    Aldrynte nodded. "Take your time. No need to hurry!" She stood up and walked towards the exit, throwing one look back at me.

    "I love you, my hero," she said, blushing slightly, and leaving straight after.

    "Damn, that''s hot," I murmured. It seemed that Aldrynte finally started showing parts of her she normally would try to hide.

    As I tried to stand up, I could feel my every muscle resisting. I felt weak. That¡¯s what the body does to you when you¡¯re asleep for half a year. Everything I did took some time. And I had even more worries than that ¡ª body strength I can work back since there¡¯s probably wizards who have powers for that, but my powers were a different matter. I saw my hero''s emblem next to my bad, resting on the nightstand. I touched it and closed my eyes. "Please work," I murmured, trying to make it lit up. As I opened my eyes once more, I saw no light there.

    I cursed. Was the sorcerer life over for me as well? Or was it just a new type of power that I had to relearn? Maybe I had been out for so long that I had forgotten how to do it?

    At least I had created an illusion of being strong. Nobody can doubt the fact that I had defeated a shadow demon. There were too many witnesses But nobody had to know that after all of that, I might''ve turned completely powerless. If anything, my recovery might create even more noise.

    But for now, I had to go back to the old ways ¡ª faking my own strength and pretending to be someone I''m not.