《The Uneventful Life of Elaine》


 Chapter 1: The Life of Elaine

    My Name is Elaine Aleytia. I am 16 years old and the daughter of a famous aristocrat here at Eastern Europe. The current year is 1958.


    I was at a loss, why do you ask? It was because my mother told me that my good for nothing older brother is getting married.


    "Huh!? brother is getting married?"


    "Why do you sound so surprised? He is at that age already, it would be bad for the family if he still didn''t have a wife."


    I was kneading my head because of the unprecedented news that passed over my ear. My mother is currently standing over across myself, and was bringing me this absurd news.


    I was genuinely surprised, because my good for nothing brother is naturally an airhead when it comes to love, and here he is with a fianc¨¦e. I was at a loss for words.


    "I never thought that your brother would be getting married so will he introduce her to us?"


    "I am not sure mother, you already know that we all already lost contact with brother ever since he moved out of the house, he already has a life of his own."


    My older brother is getting married, this news is like the whole world discovering Atlantis, in short it was almost at this level of impossibility.


    "Anyway I will try contacting your brother so that we could hold a family gathering tonight, be sure to come home early so that you can congratulate your brother well"


    "I will mother."


    Oh, by the way I was currently at my room studying for an upcoming quiz in my science subject, then mother suddenly barged in with a smile on her face. She was pretty strict to me, so her face that was giving a radiant smile was something rarely seen in this world.


    I was born in a rich household, I was trained everyday by my mother to be the perfect role model of the family. Piano lessons, proper etiquette; speech lessons, and study sessions. This kind of training was engraved to me ever since I was 6 years old, I was a proper disciplined girl.


    At school, I have top notch grades in all of my subjects. I was 2nd in the overall outstanding students in the school, but there was only one person I couldn''t beat no matter what, but I didn''t particularly pay it any mind after all, he was someone I acknowledge.


    I was revered in school as the cold "Ice Princess", because I have already turned down over more than a hundred suitors, but that was not all, apparently, this rumor have already started ever since I transferred into this school 5 years ago. The rumors stated that there was a very beautiful and elegant girl with silver hair and crimson red eyes, they say that her gaze is as cold as ice so that was the start of the rumors of myself being revered as the "Ice Princess"


    I always receive stares and attention from the school as they envy my wealthy lifestyle, little did they know at the cost of my wealthy lifestyle, was unnecessary attention that was brought to me. Since we are a wealthy household, our family''s pride resided in our name, every action that we take always gathers unnecessary attention. Even I who was particularly indifferent about our family business has people looking all over me. School is not an exception and I always felt that I wanted to be free from this attention.


    Once school was over I immediately made my way back home. This occurrence of me going home at the immediate sound of the school bell was an everyday occurrence, since I do not have a lot of friends. I was pretty unsocial in school.


    That was not all, I heard that people made some baseless rumor that I talk in a condescending tone to whoever I talked to. However, that rumor quickly subsided after a transfer student talked to me. She asked for permission if she could use my eraser. I nodded and lent her while making a smile on my face.


    I went home after and proceeded to practice the piano. This is a daily routine that has been engraved with me ever since I was still a child.


    After my daily piano training at home, I do not have a tutor anymore since I am already proficient at playing it, I have a hobby of reading books, I have a favorite entitled


    "The misadventures of Erica"


    It was about a girl in a rich household that was fated to marry another man in a household that has no regards for human life. She accepts her fate that she would be marrying this man to save her family. Her simple lifestyle in a wealthy household is very remarkable to a certain degree, because she was willing to sacrifice herself just to protect the honor of her family.


    However, little did she know that the man she was about to marry is a valorous man. He sacrificed his social status, appearing as a murderer to his people in order to protect the lives that he saved, after knowing that fact, the hatred that she harbors to that man subsided and was able to become love.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    After that, it was almost time for the celebration party for the engagement of my brother, I was assisted by my personal maid with the outfit I will be wearing for the party.


    Currently we were in my room and my personal maid is taking care of my hair while I wore the gown that my mother made for me.


    "Wow miss Elaine, you look very beautiful this dress suits you well. It goes along with your very pretty silver hair"


    "Really? I guess it is very pretty, my mother really goes overboard with my clothes whenever there would be tea party celebrations."


    In my mind I was thinking about when could I be able to find myself in peace, away from attention. I never particularly liked big parties such as this one.


    My gown was a gorgeous green with flower petals like design, the gown''s color complimented my silver hair and it was contrasting with the color of my eyes.


    After getting ready for the party, the maids quickly left due to the summons of my mother, as for my father he was running a little late, he was running our family business after all.


    I twirled a bit in the mirror to see how the gown fares and it was really beautiful like what the maids told me.


    "Wow this is really pretty"


    I never particularly hated fashion, so this dress really made me happy.


    After some time, my mother fetched me in my room


    "Elaine, oh there you are let us go into the party. The family is waiting"


    "One moment mother."


    I went and fetched my lucky bracelet. It was a gift that I received from my grandma when I was 10 years old. It holds a deep meaning in my heart, so I wore it as much as possible.


    And thus we went to the party.


    We went to the party at the function room of our house, there were multiple tables arranged, there were already several people seated and were having a chat with each other, you could tell that the people party is of high social class standings.


    Business partners, fashion designers, influential politicians. These were the rundown of the guests that visited for the party.


    When my mother and I made our appearances, several people gazed at us. It was because we are the family members of the one who was being accounted for, in the party, we met with several people and exchanged formal greetings.


    "Greetings Ms. Elaine, you are quite the beauty aren''t you?"


    "Ah thank you, you are too kind."


    "Oh please no worries I am merely stating a fact."


    In my mind I was a bit irritated because this middle aged man was hitting on me, while my mother was busy exchanging words with the other visitors of the party.


    "Ah Ms. Elaine would you like to have a dance after the party?"


    "Ah I''m really sorry, it seems I need to hold a piano recital at the party."


    "That is a shame."


    That was a straight up lie. I cannot decline him in any way because of several reasons, so in order to persuade him to not bother me any further, I just told a lie.


    Shortly after, my mother went back to my side, we said our goodbyes to other gentlemen. I breathed a sigh of relief because I was finally free from other people.


    The layout of the party is that there was a center stage, where my brother and her fianc¨¦e will be seated, it was like a reception for a wedding type of stage. Then, from the vicinity is several round tables with white clothing you could tell from a glance that every equipment on the table was of high class from the plates, to the utensils up to the designs at the center of the table.


    We went for our table on the side of the front stage, it was naturally a VIP table, it has a distinct difference with all of the tables that are scattered throughout the function room. It was designed with a floral type color of clothing and had a small fountain in the middle of the table. It was really gorgeous.


    Mother is looking left and right with a worried look on her face. I gave mom a concerned look and she told me.


    "Now Elaine stay here for a while I will just call for your father, be sure to entertain our other guests."


    "Yes, mother."


    Mother went upstairs while leaving me alone at the VIP table. There was still an hour before the party started so me being alone on the VIP table is not a problem.


    "Hmm a wine? this is, Father''s favorite!"


    I was surprised, because this wine is my father''s personal favorite. The family has been cultivating this wine for 30 years now.


    There was already a waiter that was distributing wines to every table in the vicinity.


    It was a red wine with profound taste according to my father. My father is not very alcoholic bit he has a hobby of collecting wine.


    I poured the red wine onto my glass and took a sip, it was naturally bitter I thought.


    *cough cough*


    Suddenly a sharp pain surged throughout my body. It was my first time experiencing this kind of pain, naturally I choked.


    "ugh--!!"


    "hack--!!"


    *cough* *cough*


    I hacked and coughed up blood to my surprise.


    The other visitors went to look at my direction. They gave confused stares as to why am I coughing, little did they know that I was already at the verge of collapse.


    "It''s...so pain--ful cough-! What is in this wine ugh--! Kugh-!?"


    ¡°Haaaaa¡­.¡±


    I was out of breath and fell off my chair.


    "Elaine!!!"


    I heard my mother screamed from across the stage. She finished her call with father and was naturally going back to the party, but she probably saw me collapsing so she gave a worried scream.


    Suddenly I hear several running footsteps approaching me. But it was too late, I thought to myself as I slowly lost consciousness.

 Chapter 2: The Unfamiliar Environment

    (3rd person POV)


    There was beautiful girl with silver hair accelerating forward in this "space" she wore a white off shoulder with a light brown jacket on top; she also wears a black and red striped miniskirt with black thigh high socks. that''s right, it was Elaine.


    but she was not just accelerating in this environment, she was floating in the air. It gave off a feeling that if someone were to see this unbelievable spectacle, they would close their eyes, and blink a few time while giving a doubting look on their faces. It was that bizarre, you could not blame them for it though. Seeing someone flying and accelerating at inhuman speed was not something you could see everyday after all.


    The "space" is composed entirely of black and white particles with a touch of rainbow colored auroras in the distance. Stretching until the end of the horizon, one could simply assume that it was an infinite "space"


    Then suddenly a bright light emerged from nowhere, enveloping the beautiful silver haired maiden, the light that enveloped her overlapped around her silver hair, giving it a radiant glow. It was a beautiful moment, if you could compare it to a phenomenon. It was like seeing a shooting star from a close distance while it emits a hundred thousand degrees of flames in its wake.


    After a few moments, the light completely enveloped the silver haired girl and simply vanished with a loud sound. After the disappearance of the strange phenomenon, the seemingly infinite space was at peace.


    *Zshhhhhhh*


    <hr>


    (Elaine POV)


    I regained consciousness. after that, there was a sharp pain in my head.


    "kuuugh!!, aahh!!"


    I unconsciously touched my head, and rubbed my forehead it was a natural response to an immediate sense of pain on any parts of the human body. I wanted to ease the pain even if just a little bit.


    There was a throbbing sensation my head that was synced with my heartbeat, If I remember correctly in class, I remember studying about the sensation of throbbing whereas, the sensation that you can feel is not limited to headaches, you can also feel it when stubbing a toe or having muscle spasm as well.


    I continued to rub my head for a few minutes and then the pain gradually subsided. I never thought that rubbing my forehead would be an effective method to ease my headache and the throbbing sensation that I felt.


    Nevertheless, I was grateful. It was a pain so unbearable it was like, my head was being completely crushed by an unknown force.


    I could also feel my heartbeat beating loudly. it was beating fast so I could clearly feel the throbbing sensation in my chest as I did in my head a few moments ago, since the headache that I felt had gradually subsided. I was able to open my eyes normally now.


    I groaned and slowly opened my eyes.


    I blinked a few times in order to ensure that I was not dreaming at the moment, when I was done, I made sure to move my fingers and I was genuinely surprised, because it was functional as well.


    I immediately assumed that I was like in a paralyzed state, given that I felt an unbearable pain in my head a few moments ago, you could never know what parts of your body might have accumulated injuries. It was normal for me to be cautious in moving the other parts of my body, I was a cautious person by nature according to my parents.


    I moved my hand slowly and surprisingly, there are no external injuries or whatsoever, given the fact that I felt a sharp pain in my head, I was sure that there would be some kind of external injuries on several parts of my body, but that was not the case for my hands.


    After that, I slapped my cheeks to ensure that I was not dreaming, I pinched it as well, I could feel the warmth of my hands so I was sure that I was truly alive and well.


    When I was about to check whether my voice is working fine I inhaled some specks of dust and coughed uncontrollably.


    *cough-- cough cough*


    I don''t remember our house having even a speck of dust, I was sure that our house was naturally clean 24/7, that was my confidence in the performance of our maids, of course, it was not only due to the works of the maid, but naturally also because of my mother.


    I contemplated whether the maids neglected their jobs a little or I was just imagining it. I assumed it was the latter.


    Because my mother''s work is a designer she naturally designed clothes left and right, and she would occasionally let me use some of the dresses that she finishes and let me ramp on the house.


    I don''t particularly hate the idea of wearing fashionable and cute clothes that my mother makes, so I kind of felt happy when she would let me wear clothes that she designed, she was also saying that I should also be a designer when I grow up. Naturally I only smiled and never gave her an answer, I don''t want to give my mother the impression that I wanted to be a designer, because honestly, I don''t want to.


    My mother instructed our maids that she should not see a speck of dust within the house. The moment that she could see even a just a little she would immediately cut the maid''s salary, of course; it was only the maid that was in assigned to that particular area and not all of the maids, because if it was the latter, then I don''t think the other maids would let it slide. It would become a mayhem.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Talk about scary.


    Once I was able to stop coughing I naturally catch my breath.


    "haaa, haaa, haa---"


    I panted and felt tired my breath also felt cold, I could still feel my heart beating rapidly. it was beating so fast that I could feel and hear it at the same time. it was giving a thumping sound effects.


    I touched my neck and it was warm, it was the same warmth that I felt when I put my hands besides my cheeks.


    I checked my legs and lightly pinched it, there was no sharp pain or any strange sensations whatsoever. But I did not let my guard down, I still can''t assume that my legs would be fine the moment I step on the floor.


    I was able to confirm that my voice, eyesight, breathing, and body motor movements were fine. It was time to take the next step.


    Getting up from the bed.


    I rose up from my bed and rested in a sitting manner then I glanced at the area


    "It sure is dark in here, I couldn''t see properly thanks to there being no lights."


    There was no lights in the surroundings so I was not able to freely grasp the situation in the "place" that I was in.


    "Is this a room? I don''t think this is my room"


    I got up from the bed, expecting that there should be a sharp pain in my legs, luckily there was none that came.


    "phew, so I guess I''m completely fine"


    I went up from the bed and sat on it. The moment that my foot went to touch the floor, there was a tingling sensation in my feet. It was probably because I haven''t moved for a while.


    I touched my abdomen, there was a faint sound that was emitted. I could feel that I was a bit hungry right now.


    But there was no food within the vicinity and it was plain dark. I had to endure my hunger for a while longer.


    I started looking at the surroundings, it was still pretty dark but when I look relatively deeper I could see the shapes of the surrounding there were figures of what you could assume as furniture, first of all I looked up at the ceiling.


    The ceiling was made of wood and was purely white, I remember that my room has no such things as a white ceiling, because my room''s ceiling is a combination of white and red so I could assume that this was not my room. Presumably that this was actually a room.


    "This isn''t my room-- or...is this even a room?........where is this?"


    I thought about the structures of the other rooms that was present in our home, my mother''s room is a complete yellow and even the ceiling is yellow so this was not my mother''s room it was a pretty weird room I should say but it was not a vivid yellow where it was stingy to the eyes, it only gave a warmth sensation, that kind of yellow.


    I couldn''t clearly remember my father''s room but his favorite color is black and blue so I don''t think he will leave his ceilings in a color that he doesn''t like. My father was naturally attracted to masculine colors. then there was the guest rooms.


    "I remember one guest room that had a very white ceiling like this one, so... this must be a guest room right?"


    I was particularly talking to no one, I just wanted to talk in order to calmly assess the situation that I was in, I assumed that this was one of the guest rooms, since there was also a speck of dust in the bed, I naturally assumed that; because it had dust. It is probably a guest room I keep telling myself that statement, and I tried to convince myself that this was actually a room.


    "This is a room Elaine, there is nothing you should be worried about."


    The maids wouldn''t probably abandon this room due to the strict orders of my mother, but I coudn''t see the reason where they should clean guest rooms as clean as rooms that we are currently using.


    "So what happened...? I couldn''t really remember anything."


    I tried to recall the events that had happened this day...


    <hr>


    I was talking with my mother and she brought me an unprecedented news, it was that my brother was getting married to his fianc¨¦e.


    Next thing that I knew is we were in the party and I was left in the table. The VIP table where the whole family would be sitting.


    Then there was a wine on the table, if i remember it correctly, it was a favorite of my father; my father is not really an alcoholic person, so him liking alcohol is really something that I did not expect.


    Then a realization came to me...


    When I drank the wine, I felt a sharp pain surging throughout my whole body, I choked and tried to catch my breath, but to no avail, and then I fell to the ground after that everything went blank, the only thing that I could remember was several footsteps closing in on me, I was not able to discern who those people were, but I assumed that they came out of generous concern.


    At least that was what I thought, there was probably a foreign thing that was included in the wine. I tried to think of the possible things that could have been put in the wine, but who would do such a thing? is a question that I asked myself.


    "I choked and then coughed up blood....and then, bubbles came out from my mouth...


    I only thought about one thing that could have possibly done this


    "Poison"


    I was probably poisoned, but the thing is, whoever poisoned the wine, they were clearly not aiming for me alone, but my whole family, because if they wanted to poison me alone, then they should had poisoned the drink that I should have in my glass, but that was not the case...


    I was poisoned, when I drank the wine that was in the bottle that was placed on the table, meaning, the culprit is not exactly aiming for me alone, but my whole family too. That was not all, assuming that all of the wines was poisoned, it was clear that the culprit wants everyone dead.


    But that was an unlikely thing to happen, because not everyone would drink the wine at the same time. I immediately scrapped the possibility of that method in the crime.


    At any case I must make haste to warn everyone at the party that there was someone attempting at our lives.


    I am not particularly a person with a strong sense of justice but that was not the case when my family is involved. I may have lead an melancholic life but it was not to the point that I despised my life.


    Come to think of it, I was sure that I was wearing a gown during the party. but what I''m wearing now is totally different. I could assume things might have happened while I was unconscious like; my mother brought me to the hospital, then someone changed my clothes for me, I always think up of every possibility that might have happened, its a habit of mine, but in the end this is all just a speculation.


    <hr>


    I glanced at my surroundings once more. Since I could see better now, I could look at the details of the once known figures that was spread within this "room"


    There was only a wooden table, with a wooden chair, at the middle of the room, it was particularly a fancy wooden chair and table, the designs were pretty unique and slim, it was probably created by a veteran carpenter.


    Then there was your ordinary wooden cabinet at the side of the bed, and the last furniture was this bed where I was sleeping a while ago.


    After observing for a while I looked at the left side of this place, from there, was a door.


    It was not a fancy door it was colored with dark brown with a classic wooden doorknob in the color of silver.


    After thinking about things for a while, I decided that I need to leave this place as fast as possible.


    I rose from the bed and walked through the door. and when I opened the door...


    I found an environment that I could not imagine in our place at home


    "......"


    "...What is this place?....."

 Chapter 3: Another Visitor

    Wha..... is this place? I thought to myself.


    "This isn''t the city of Krask..."


    "This isn''t even nowhere near the city which means that this must be some kind of province, but... how did I end up here?"


    I tried to think of the possibilities on how I wounded up in this place, after all I realized that the place I was staying in was not a simple guest room, but it was a whole house on its own.


    The windows was really dark too, it was probably still night time in here so I thought.


    I closed the door and glanced at the window. I couldn''t really see the whole vicinity in this dark place, it was because there was no lights or any sign of life outside either, the only bright thing you could see outside was the moon, but it was really cloudy and the light of the moon didn''t really reach until the end of this window.


    This place is weird, I felt cold because it was night time, I did not really think that I would feel cold because I have tons on clothes on my upper body, I was wearing an off shoulder with a brown jacket, the only downside is my lower body, I wore a black thigh high socks and a small part of my legs was exposed.


    I embraced myself with both of my arms, and I blew air on my hands, I could see that there are traces of my breath visible in the air. It was like those moments in winter where you are at a park while waiting for someone, but you feel really cold. In order to warm yourself up, removing your gloves and clasping and rubbing your hands together is an effective method. Furthermore, breathing into it while clasping is also another way. You can see the cloud of your breath in the air in winter.


    I sat down again in the bed and tried to think of some possible events that have likely happened while I was unconscious.


    "After I fell down, there were several footsteps that approached me, don''t tell me that I was kidnapped?"


    I thought about the probability of me being kidnapped, but it was an improbable occurence, because first of all I was in my house, and there should be no possibility of me being kidnapped. I thought about what could have happened after I collapsed, it was likely that I was taken to a nearby hospital and I could have received proper medications from the doctors.


    Then after I was medicated I was still unconscious.


    The person who could have kidnapped me (If I was kidnapped) is probably the one responsible for the poison in the wine too. So I thought.


    The people who could have visited me was probably my father, mother and brother and his fiancee. Mom could have figured out that there could be another sign of danger in the house, so she probably cancelled the event and made everyone go home.


    But my mother would not let her guard down. There was still a possibility that the culprit is one of the guests. it was highly unlikely but not impossible.


    If I assume this to be the actions my mom took while I was unconscious, I could assume that mom would lock down everyone in the party, then after that she will call the police to investigate everyone.


    There could be slight problems like a few guest would make an excuse like


    "I am running late for an appointment"


    If there was a person like that, my mother could easily tell that the person in question is highly suspicious, first of all if you had an appointment, why did you come to the party? in the first place, there could be excuses such as; there was still time before the appointment, so he took the opportunity to accept the invitation. that is a careless remark because if you have an appointment, the natural thing a businessman would do is to prepare, not go to a party and have some fun.


    This was all a speculation that could possibly happen, there is still no guarantee that it had happened. If that is not the case then the only people left who could be suspicious is the staff members, and the most suspicious is the people who have access to the wines in the wine cellar.


    Then mother could have deduced the culprit from who was in charge of distributing the liquiors, in other words the maids and butlers. Our family is particularly humane to our servants I have no recollection of having abused even a single servant from our household.


    The likes of a servant having a grudge towards us was pretty low, after all they receive decent wages.


    But there was no excuses for the servants. after all they were the only one who have access to our wines.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    If there were other people possible to blame, then there was father who occasionally go to the wine cellar to check on his wine collections. It is nigh impossible for father to go poison all of the visitors in the party, let alone his own family.


    "If its one of our servants, I really can''t think of someone who is capable to do that."


    I was particularly close with my personal maid who was in charge of my personal clothes so she couldn''t probably have harbored hatred towards me.


    I was not close to every one of our servants but nevertheless, our family is kind to everyone.


    "There''s no use thinking about this for now, I have to return home as soon as possible. Then I''ll deal with this issue"


    I thought about the kidnapper that have taken me in this place. It was possible that he only went out for a while seeing that I was unconscious, In any case I have to get out of here and get some help before he goes back here, it was probably possible that he could have taken me hostage for some ransom money.


    Just as I was about to prepare to get out of this place, the door made a *creaaak* sound.


    I immediately raised my guard. cold sweat was flowing from my head until my neck, It was probably because I was very nervous, of course who wouldn''t be nervous at a situation like this.


    I went behind the bed so that my shadow would also be concealed.


    I was very nervous I could feel it, cold sweat ran down behind my back and I was trembling because it was really cold the temperature in this place is similar to a time before winter, then the door made a creaking sound, I couldn''t think about what possibilities would happen to me if I were to get caught.


    I was thinking about pretending to be asleep, then when their guard is down I could take them by surprise. Of course that was assuming the possibility that the kidnapper was alone.


    There was no time for regrets now. I just have to think of a way to get out of this place and get some help!


    I observed the vicinity within the door I could see that there was a shadow looming in the background.


    I assumed that he was probably alone, luckily; I found a piece of wood besides the back of the bed. I could probably use this to take the kidnapper out of their misery. The shadow closed in on the door just as I was about to calm myself down. I saw the figure of the shadow on the door


    "....!!"


    It was a cat.


    It was a black cat with fur as thick as a persian cat''s fur looking at it closely. it was probably a persian cat no doubt. I''m not a cat expert but I was atleast able to discern the most common cat that was popular in the world today.


    "How did it open the door? I was pretty sure I closed it before I went back to the bed-- "


    I immediately assumed that there was still a person looming in the door and that person probably just let the cat inside first so that I would let down my guard. I immediately assumed this probability of an event, because if the kidnapper is a person that was able to kidnap me on a tight security in our house, then he/she is probably a cunning person.


    I went up slowly and gripped the piece of wood that was in my hand. It was a simple planck that is around 10 inches, it could still pack a punch though.


    I slowly made my way at the side of the door carefully treading so that my shadow won''t show at the side of the door, there was a fair distance between me and the door but I was still confident that I could take the person out with speed when they go inside.


    The cat was purring at the side of the bed, seeing that It was a bit distracted and wasn''t looking at me I felt a sign of relief off my back.


    Sweat flowed from my nape up to my back.


    There was no shadow that was looming near the door so I only waited for a while.


    And I waited...


    10 minutes passed and there was still no one who approached. I made my decision that I would get a closer look at the door, I slowly walked towards the doorstep then when I looked...


    There was no one.


    *pant---* *pant---*


    I breathed a sigh of relief, it was because there was really no one near the house, thinking about it the possibility of how the cat barged in I glanced at the doorknob there I could see it was broken.


    "Oh.. it was broken so that''s how this fellow got in"


    I went to the side of the cat and tried to touch it, the cat glanced at me with a look that tells that she was not going to let me touch her. I just assumed its gender because of its attitude.


    Then I took a look outside the window.


    "It''s still the middle of the night, it would probably be dangerous for me to make my way out in this unfamiliar place."


    I made an unreasonable decision that I would wait for dawn before I make my way out, I assumed that it would be more dangerous if I made my way out in this darkness. There was also no clock nearby anywhere so I cannot discern whether dawn was near or not.


    I made my way into the bed, and suddenly the cat also went up to the bed, it was staring at me indifferently, it was not on its guard but rather it was observing me.


    I glanced at the cat


    It was a beautiful jet black cat with shades of brown and it has heterochromia eyes, it was the color of yellow and blue. It was very pretty.


    I made the first move to close in on the cat little by little.


    They say that invading a personal space of a living being makes them wary of the opposition, but the cat looked like it was still indifferent and was not wary of me at all, unlike the first time that it saw me it was on its guard.


    It was likely wary of me the first time we saw each other because I have a grim look on my face, I assumed that there was still a hostile person outside when the cat made its way inside and I had a gloomy expression on my face.


    I touched the cat.


    It made a purring sound as I caress its fur. it immediately went closer to me. It was very cute I immediately thought and proceeded to caress its body.


    I caressed the cat and was absorbed in the moment. I thought about bringing the cat with me along it was probably affectionate with me now.


    "It does not have any collars so are you a stray cat?"


    "meow"


    The cat replied to my question, that was very unexpected, and so I decided that I will take the cat along with me.


    I awaited for dawn to come to make my move.

 Chapter 4: The new direction taken

    How long has it been? I was sure that my parents are really worried sick about me right now.


    It has been a few hours since I started to pet the cat; that was sitting on my lap now.


    Because I have been petting the cat, it was now making purring sounds while nuzzling my arm. I was thinking about if I should give the cat a name. As long as the cat was going to accompany me, not giving it a proper name would be a hassle.


    "Hmm.. what should I call you?"


    "Meow"


    I tried to think of several names that would fit, but there was nothing particular that came to mind.


    "You have the color of brown, and black an interesting combination it seems."


    "Alright I''ve decided.I''m going to name you Jasper."


    Jasper was a stone with the combination of green with black and brown patterns, because Jasper has the color of brown and black combined, I think that name will suit him well


    I gave Jasper a smile while he happily returned the smile by snudging as usual in my arm. It seems that he was happy with the name that I gave him.


    I just found out that Jasper was a male, yet his colors look so feminine the moment that I saw him. I immediately assumed that he was female.


    I looked at the window, and found out that dawn was finally breaking.


    "It''s finally time huh? shall we go Jasper?"


    "meow"


    Jasper gave his usual indifferent reply and quickly followed suit. As much as possible, I wanted to get out of this place quickly. There is still a chance that there might be someone who really kidnapped me.


    I made my preparations quick, and started to walk towards the door. Jasper followed behind me and we made our way outside of the house.


    I glanced at the surroundings outside of the house, and found that the place was totally abnormal to me, because it was different from the city that I was very familiar in.


    "Where is this place?..... How in the world did I end up here?"


    I found myself surrounded by a wide forest. It was stretched as far as the naked eye could see, I took a look back at the house that I was confined in for several hours. It seems that, the house is very small and rundown. There was a tinge of paints on the walls, but it was so dirty that I couldn''t even discern the color if it was red or brown.


    The ground is brimming with leaves I didn''t particularly noticed it in the night because it was so dark, and vision was very limited.


    I never found out that there was a dense forest behind the house, and it was because the house is at the base, meaning it was at the outer side where you couldn''t really see if there was a thick forest. The trees grow thinner the more you move out of a forest after all.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "Does that mean this is literally at the middle of nowhere?"


    "Speaking of middle on nowhere, where did you come from Jasper?


    "M-eow"


    Of course, what could I expect from a cat? I glanced at the dense forest, and the road that leads to god knows where. From here on out the area is like a total wasteland in the middle of nowhere, scattered leaves are everywhere, since the house is at the base of the forest.


    "I should probably take the road to go to a nearby town or city. If I am lucky, I should be able to go a town, city or any kinds of environment where civilization is present. I just wanted to go home from the bottom of my heart."


    Before I could take a step further, Jasper ran to the opposite side of the road therefore, I could only see that Jasper was making his way into the forest.


    "Jasper wait! where are you going!?"


    Jasper didn''t respond to me and proceeded to run at full speed, I quickly followed suit and ran towards him at full speed. I didn''t like the eerie atmosphere of the forest even if it is the crack of dawn; it gave a similar atmosphere to that of a haunted house.


    Jasper was still within my sight, however if I slow down even just a little bit, I will quickly lose sight of him. Before I could shout another time, Jasper jumped to the sides from the directions of the bushes.


    I could not explain why Jasper suddenly took off, and let alone discover the reason why he came at an abrupt stop and jumped to the bushes.


    "meow, meow, meow"


    I was closing in on Jasper''s location, and when I was just directly opposite of the bushes I catch my breath.


    "haaah.... haaah--"


    I was catching my breath, I never thought that I would need to run at full speed in order to catch up to Jasper. It was like a full 300km run, except that I don''t even have a decent amount of stamina to begin with. I was not particularly bad at Physical Education in school, nor did I excel from it. In short I was totally average.


    After I caught up with my breath, I made my way into the bushes. As soon as I saw Jasper behaving in a corner I breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Jasper there you are--"


    before I could go near Jasper, I noticed that Jasper was sniffing sometime from the bushes. I glanced at the direction where he was poking his nose


    "Is that-- a piece of paper?"


    I saw that there was a worn down piece of paper with the tinge of a faded yellow. It''s a color that a paper takes whenever the paper is considered old. I also noticed that the paper was rolled and was tied in a string so it looked liked a scroll more or less.


    "What is this?"


    Jasper moved away from the paper that he was sniffing, after that. I grabbed the paper and undid the string that was tying it; but the paper looks so worn down it looked like it was about to tear apart from the moment I touched it.


    After untying it, I hesitantly opened the paper to prevent it from being teared apart. Jasper was looking curiously over my direction. What I saw was something I can''t recognize


    "Is this-- a map Jasper?"


    "meoow"


    "What is this map? I don''t recognize any of the locations that is in here. Is this even at our country!?


    The map showed an unfamiliar geography that I am unaware of. it was like this location was on the center. Across the dense forest there was a mountain that surrounded a city, it was directly north, so that means crossing this forest will get me to the north.


    From the opposite direction, was the road outside of the dense forest. it leads to another city that I am unaware of.


    "Anyway the road is a better choice for us, since the city from that direction is way closer than crossing through this dangerous forest."


    I rolled the map and put it back in my pocket even though there is the risk of the map tearing apart, I did not pay it any mind since I already know the general direction of where we should be going, I just need to follow the road, and we should be able to get to a city to return back home.


    "Alright Jasper let''s go to the city, it should be fine if we go ask for help from the authorities in that city."


    "Meow"


    I was happy that there was someone who could accompany me in this dangerous situation, as long as I was with Jasper. I felt that we were going to make it home and so we made our destination to the city across the road that leads far south.

 Chapter 5: Journey to the city

    Jasper and I made our way outside of the forest. It seems that the sun has already risen, and is giving a radiant glow all over the place. I don''t dislike sceneries like this, so Jasper and I looked at the morning sun while walking through the road.


    After taking the piece of map and putting it in my pocket. Jasper and I finally started our journey into the city far south. The map indicated that the city to the south is a bit far to take by foot, so if we take continue at our pace from today onwards, including the breaks that we would need. It would take us around 3 days in order to reach the city. I thought about our needs of food and drink and a place to stay. Sleeping could be a problem too, the only thing that is a bit of relief is that the side of the round is a full grassland. It absorbs the heat from the sun, so atleast it will not be a problem when we try to take a break, because there are several trees along the way where there are shades, meaning, we could take some breaks in some shades created by large trees.


    Now that I think about it, it was pretty weird that there are actually no cars going along the road. It was like that this place was truly abandoned, it was like a paradise where there are no noises. It gave a feeling of the countryside, where you could just relax and listen to some ambient music.


    It''s been a few hours since Jasper and I started this walktrip. I don''t particularly feel tired since I was used to walking; pacing yourself is important when running and walking. According to my physical education teacher, the one who can win races is not the one who runs at full speed, but rather, the one who could pace themselves throughout the racetrack. I thought about those words left to me by my teacher. While we were walking, Jasper jumped in my direction it looked like he was about to say something, but gave off an indifferent look into the distance after jumping into my arms.


    "Are you tired now Jasper?"


    "Meow."


    Jasper was looking at the distance there was a tree there with a shade, and several mushrooms were growing on its sides. I remember that we studied in school about the differences of the poisonous mushrooms and the safe ones. It says that novice mushroom collectors should avoid mushrooms with white gills, a skirt or ring on the stem and a bulbous or sack like base, If I remember it correctly it was called a volva.


    Then, the most common advice is to avoid mushrooms with a radiant color in its cap or stem, particularly, the ones with a bright color of red. In the end I decided to not take the risk even though I remember the rules of picking out mushrooms.


    "Mushrooms are out of the question, and this tree is too high to collect the mangoes."


    "Meow--"


    "Jasper!?"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Jasper suddenly jumped out of my arms, and proceeded to run to the directions of the tree. He was looking up at the top of the tree. Jasper saw something that we needed that is why he jumped suddenly like that.


    "Oh, mangoes! good job Jasper."


    I didn''t notice it from the distance, but the tree is actually a mango tree. There are several low lying branches where I could get several mangoes and I picked out 3 pieces first, and decided to look at the direction of Jasper. He was relaxing in the shade of the biggest tree.


    "Jasper let''s eat up first you need a bit of break don''t you?"


    "Meooow"


    Jasper gave an unusually longer reply, I was already used to his indifferent meows and purrings after all. I decided to sit in the shade and peeled of one mango. I fed Jasper first and after putting it on the ground he happily gave himself a reward. I peeled another one for myself and decided to eat.


    "Mmmm its sweet"


    The mango gave off an alluring smell. Judging from the smell it gave off, the feeling that it would be a sweet treat was the only thing that I could think about in the moment. Jasper and I only met yesterday but he was really fond of me now even though he usually gives a nonchalant look.


    While enjoying the moment, I remembered my family. I thought about how worried sick they could be right now, since I''ve been missing for quite a long time now. I don''t have a sense of time, but I could atleast say that I have been missing for around 12-15 hours now.


    "I wonder how they are right now? especially mother. She actually saw me fell to the ground during the party after all."


    "meow"


    Jasper gave me a look at I patted his head, he made a purring sound meaning that he felt good from being touched. Several minutes have passed, and Jasper and I was ready to continue our journey.


    We went back to the road and I decided to bring 2 more mangoes for when we get hungry again. We need to quench our thirst soon though.


    Jasper and I walked for probably 2 more hours and we discovered a bridge in a distance. from there was a flowing river


    "Jasper look. Its a river!"


    "meow"


    Jasper and I treaded to the direction of the bridge, and I found that the river is actually clean and fresh. I may have come from a rich household, but in this dire situation being picky wouldn''t help. I put the mangoes and the map at a nearby rock. and proceeded to the side of the river. It gave off a blue and aquatic color, if you look closely you could see the things from underwater you could tell that it was clean and fresh just from its visual appearance.


    Jasper took the lead and dranked from the river, I followed after him.


    "aaaa--- bliss finally water"


    My quenching thirst has completely subsided, I was already refreshed just from drinking the water; I proceeded to wash my face and my arms, since we have been walking for several hours now, I have been feeling sweaty and sticky. Jasper naturally didn''t like the water, he only went close to the water in order to drink, naturally, cats were afraid of the water. I wanted to take a quick bath, but this was in a public place; I resisted the urge to take a bath break.


    "Well Jasper let''s go-"


    Before I could stop talking, I saw from a distance that there was a huge figure. I could not make out its appearance since it was still far, but I could tell that it was probably some sort of vehicle.


    "what is that? It''s kind of a big vehicle isn''t it?"


    "meow"


    I thought that it was a car, but it was too slow. But seeing that it was a big vehicle, I decided that we should ask for their help.


    "Let''s wait for them here Jasper"


    "meow"


    And thus, we waited.

 Chapter 6: Progression

    The moving figure is closing upon and once it had reached a fair distance from our positions, I was finally able to see the structure of the unknown vehicle.


    I saw three horses from the front and as I looked closer. there is a vehicle that the horses was pulling. It was likely that the unknown vehicle being pulled by the horses were what you call a wagon.


    The wagon''s structure is your everyday wagon with opaque white fabric; commonly called as bonnet. from below are 4 wooden wheels, it has iron embedded at the exterior of the wheel.


    The wagon has a hole from its direct front for the air to pass. From the outside at the front, just directly behind the horses is 2 people, they were still a bit far so I could not discern their appearance properly.


    "Jasper look at that!"


    "Meow."


    "Its actually a horse carriage, wow!"


    Finally the horse carriage is near our positions, it looked like it was just about to cross the river. One of the two people in question pointed at the direction where Jasper and I were in. I could tell that they were properly pointing at us.


    I walked a bit closer to a position where the carriage and I could intersect. I thought about one thing, would they take us to the city in the south? There''s no point in contemplating now I just have to ask politely to take us there.


    Finally the carriage came to a complete stop. I was at the side of the grass where there is only 2 between the gap of the road, the two people in question at the front looked at me with a curious look.


    I took the initiative to talk.


    "Uhm-- hello."


    "Oh, Hello there young lady."


    The two people in question was 2 males, one was clearly in his 40''s and the other one looked like he was still in his teenage years. they were both wearing similar clothes. white shirt with jeans and a straw hats on their head, it looked like they were farmers.


    "What are you doing in this place young lady." The man in his 40''s asked me a question on the other hand the teen looked at me with a curious gaze.


    "Uhm actually-- I came from a forest in the north from here."


    "The Demonspire forest? what were you doing in such a dangerous place?"


    "Actually-- you might find this story unbelievable, but will you be willing to listen to me?"


    The middle aged man nodded and instructed the young man to put the carriage to the side for the meantime.


    After putting the carriage to the shade they gave me a bottle of water, they were good people I thought. Not everyone would be willing to give something they own to a person they have only just met. They finally listened to my story.


    I told them the wholestory that happened. From the party, to the unknown house in the Demonspire forest up to the current situation.


    "So after you were poisoned; you lost consciousness and when you woke up, you found yourself inside that house?"


    "Yes that is the current situation."


    "Are you really sure that you woke up inside the house?"


    I gave a questioning look to the middle aged man, he looked like he was still doubting the whole story that I gave him.


    "Yes I am certain that I woke up inside"


    "...Oh dear"


    He gave me a worried look. It looked like he was about to burst in tears, I held off the urge to ask him a question about that house at the base of the Demonspire forest. I guess I''ll ask him later about it.Stolen story; please report.


    "So do you guys know how to go back to the city of Krask? could I also borrow your cellphone if you have one? I need to call for my parents I''m sure they are worried about me right now?"


    "Krask?... I''ve never heard of such city.. .. and what is a cellphone?"


    I blinked a few times that clearly showed the face of doubt.


    I was at a loss for words, it was because Krask is the main city of Vencrest; the largest continent on the planet, is this place on some kind of remote country? If that were the case that would be fine, but this place didn''t look like any ordinary country. I had to reach the next city in order to find out more about this place in general.


    "Huh???-- How is it possible that you don''t know Krask? it is the largest city in Cambria and Cambria is the most prominent country in Vencrest."


    "Cambria??, Vencrest? I''ve never heard of such places young miss."


    "HUUH---!?"


    I could not comprehend what the middle aged man said to me just a while ago, it was so bizzare that I could compare it to the discovery of a civilization underwater, normally even if you are in a remote island there is no way, I mean, there is no way that a middle aged person with experience in life could not have heard of the biggest country in the biggest continent.


    Similarly, what did he just say? what is a cellphone? Is this country really disconnected from the whole world? if that was the case, this country looks too beautiful to be secluded from the whole world.


    But then, I also had the urge to ask why were they using such an old means of transportation? even if this is a remote place in a remote island, modern vehicles should be existing everywhere. At least that was what was in my mind I could not clearly tell them this it would sound outright rude.


    "Do people in here normally use carriages for transport?-- I haven''t seen a single car ever since waking up from Demonspire forest."


    "Yes young lady, carriages are the normal means of transportation in this country. Only the western continent of Kabunar has the technology to use steam powered vehicle. and what is a car? is that some sort of vehicle that exists in other countries?"


    Steam powered vehicles? Aren''t those the technology from the Industrialization era? this is the modern era isn''t it? because this is really a bad joke for my heart. First of all, they have no idea what a cellphone is that is understandable not everyone owns a cellphone after all, but then, they also have no idea about the existence of a car. They were even using horse carriage as their main way of transportations in this country.


    "Meow"


    Jasper layed on the ground, it looks like he was not interested on our conversation at all, well that is totally normal since cats can''t understand human speech, but if ever they could understand and speak human speech. that would be scary. If cats were able to speak from the start, then they should be intelligent enough to have their own civilization away from humans and they wouldn''t exist as pets.


    "Are you really sure that you don''t know of a place called Krask on the continent of Vencrest!?"


    "I really don''t know what place you are talking about young lady, I don''t recall a continent being named Vencrest after all."


    "The place that you are talking about..... I don''t know about it young lady, I am a veteran in my travelling career, but I have never heard of such place."


    It doesn''t exist? how? it was like this man was saying that the places that I have mentioned doesn''t exist in his dictionary. I could not even utter a single word because I was very confused about this very situation but there is one thing, is it still possible to go home? because if what this middle aged man is saying is true then this isn''t the country or city that I know. I asked about the identity of this country.


    "Then what is this country called?"


    "This country is called Telacada, this is a country from the continent in the eastern part of Earth."


    "The name of this continent is Zirio, this is the most agricultural continent in the whole world."


    No wonder, the scenery in this country looks good after all, you could see a beautiful mountain from a distance and the side of the road is full of grass, and there are trees growing here and there.


    Yes I could clearly tell now, that this is not the country that I lived in. this is a completely unknown place that I have never heard of. I could jump to conclusions about what happened but is it possible? at any rate I need to recollect my mind first. This overload of information is not good for my heart.


    Jasper and the young man only listened to our discussion, it seems that they didn''t want to butt in on our conversation.


    "I still have a lot of questions on my mind but I''ll put those away from now, anyway can I ask you two of a favor?"


    I pleaded to the young man and middle aged man, they looked at me in confusion; both of them have tense faces.


    "Could you take me to the city south from here?"


    The two of them glanced at each other, and then the both of them faced me and looked me in the eye; they decided that they would take me to the city, they told me that they could explain more things if we were in the city. Apparently, the city south from here is called Exalos. It was a beautiful city that lied south of the Demonspire forest.


    "Thank you very much!! I have no idea about this country so I hope you could tell me more about it."


    "Don''t mention it young lady and sure since we only make a living through travelling. We would be more than glad to take you to Exalos"


    The young man lead the carriage back at the direction of the road, and the two of them agreed to take me to the city of Exalos. I rode at the back of the carriage along with Jasper, he was still sleeping so I carried him on my arms. A new journey will be about to unfold. I need to find out everything about this unknown country. Thus we made our way to the city of Exalos.

 Chapter 7: The Story on The Road

    After hopping over to the carriage, we made our way to the city of Exalos. If by foot, will take 3 days. by carriage it should only take us a whole day now.


    I made myself comfortable at the back of the carriage, Jasper was now awake and sitting in a relaxed position beside me and here I was enjoying the view at the back. although the side is protected by the white cloth called bonnet that surrounds the wagon, I could still see the view from behind.


    We were currently running with average speed, if could estimate our speed, we should be running around 20kph. I felt a cold breeze even though I was wearing a blue collared long sleeves. because the wind is blowing from the front, I felt a cold breeze passing through me, it was like the wind caressed my skin, the sensation of the cold wind sent shivers down my whole body, and I got goosebumps after. It was honestly a great feeling riding in the wind.


    I asked their names before we went on our way, the middle aged man is named Adrian while the young man is named Mark. They were actually son and father, I never knew. It was because they didn''t look alike at all, I was genuinely surprised when Adrian said Mark was actually his son. I also introduced myself.


    "My name is Elaine Aleytia, I was born and raised in the city of Krask"


    "My name is Adrian and this is my son Mark we both live in the great city of Gristos"


    We shaked hands officially announcing our friendship. Mark is a shy one so he didn''t talk much unless he was being directly asked, he is somewhat an introvert.


    "mmm mmm meow"


    Jasper let out a cute purring sound before laying himself on my legs he was kike a big furball curling himself up he probably felt cold due to the cold breeze of the wind, his face was also weary, probably tired from the travel.


    <hr>


    15 minutes passed and I felt a bit tired. I still haven''t gotten a good rest ever since getting out from the Demonspire forest.


    I wanted to doze off; but there''s no place where I could properly lean my head, my best bet is to put my legs up and use them as a pillow, but it would disturb Jasper in return.


    I was contemplating whether to be selfless and let Jasper rest, or be selfish and prioritize myself in having a comfortable position. While thinking about what to do, I saw that the carriage was going inside a small group of trees with a large space in between. It was like a park where there is a large road with trees at the side, it gave off a romantic feel because of the falling leaves. Inside there was scattered leaves everywhere. The road was almost invisible due to the numerous leaves that covered the road nevertheless it was a breathtaking spectacle.


    "Woooow..."


    I was utterly mesmerized because back at home, I never really went outside much, I was so busy studying and training myself with the piano that I had no time for leisure activities such as sightseeing.


    "Do you like this place? this beautiful place is called the "Gate of Yura" rumors tells that when you pass through this area at the peak of afternoon. Everyone present will be lucky at their love and fortune. Talk about a convenient luck"


    "Heh....really?"


    I thought about that one person; on class who I couldn''t beat no matter what.


    The young man told me. I never knew that he fancy stuffs like fortune telling since he was really quite this whole time, I only thought of him as a timid person who cannot initiate conversations, but I was dead wrong. This is first time that he initiated and talked to me after all.


    I never really cared about whether fortune telling was accurate or not, I was not the type to easily believe the words of someone who knows nothing of my life. For me, believing in fortune telling is similar to entrusting your life to a complete stranger.


    <hr>


    2 more hours passed.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.I must have fallen asleep when we passed the Gate of Yura. I noticed that there was a sweater covering up my legs up to my shoulder.


    "Hmm..since when did I had this?"


    I blinked a few times, scrubbed my eyes and yawned, after that, I saw the young man at the other side of the carriage just across my seat. It looks like he must have also felt tired; as he was sprawled on the seat. from my side Jasper is also asleep.


    I looked at the sky from the entrance behind the wagon, the sky was full of clouds and it was dark. It looks like there will be a downpour sooner or later.


    "Oh, young Elaine, you''re finally awake?"


    "Mmm... yeah, thanks for the sweater, Mr. Adrian."


    "Oh, it was Mark that put that sweater on you, he said that you were asleep and looked kind of cold so he a brought it out and covered you."


    "Really? then..., I''ll properly thank him when he wakes up."


    There was a smile on my face, I thought that Mark was just a timid guy, but he was more thoughtful than I had imagined.


    "Young Elaine, it looks like it will be raining soon, there is a cave nearby this mountain; we will have to take shelter there until the rain subsides."


    "Yes we should, there is no guarantee if the rain will be light or heavy, but judging from the appearance of the clouds. it looked like it will be a heavy downpour."


    "Yeah that''s why we should take shelter rather than take on the rain, this carriage''s rain equipment is in no good condition. It won''t be able to protect us completely from the rain."


    "Really, then should I wake up Mark then?"


    "There is no need young Elaine, that kid is also tired from the travel. he should get proper rest first."


    I glanced at Mark, he was snoring a bit and I could hear his voice faintly, it looked like he was also tired. From my side it looked like Jasper is finally awake.


    "purr meow"


    I caressed Jasper''s fur and he purred in return, it looked like he feels good when his fur around his neck is being touched.


    "Young Elaine, there it is. We will stay in that cave for a while until the rain subsides"


    I saw the cave at a distance, it was a large hole that could fit around 2 of these carriage with room to spare, it looked like it was perfectly natural to be a shelter site for heavy rain.


    The carriage slowed down and Mr. Adrian and I lead the horses to the cave, we didn''t bother to wake up Mark as he was sleeping like a rock.


    The horses settled down and came to a complete stop. Mr. Adrian, and I decided to go outside and collect twigs in order to start a campfire. It is necessary in a cold cave.


    There were snaps of branches everywhere, it looked like some fell off the trees naturally as some of the branches were still completely intact.


    After picking up as many as I could carry, I went back inside the cave. Jasper was currently sitting at the driver''s seat of the carriage it looked like he was certainly comfortable as he is sprawled like a rug. I really thought that he looked like a ball of fur, he was really cute.


    Shortly after, Mr. Adrian also went back to the cave, we split up in order to collect more twigs in separate areas, looking at his hands, it looked like he was holding at least double the one I brought back, I should have expected no less from a veteran traveler.


    During a camping trip in my high school, there was a guy in my class who could is knowledgeable in the arts of survival, he demonstrated that a fire could be made by rubbing two woods together. There should be a hole under the wood that is being kneaded. A ball like fur that is called a tinder bundler needs to be placed on top of the hole in the wood. As it will absorb the heat from the friction of the two woods being kneaded together, then it will heat up and an ember could be produced.


    It was demonstrated by Mr. Adrian properly he looked like a master fire maker from my perspective, but in truth this should be a piece of cake for Mr. Adrian, starting a fire should be a necessary skill for a traveler after all.


    After kneading the two pieces of wood, I was holding the base while Mr. Adrian was the one kneading. a spark emerged from the tinder bundle and was placed under the pile of twigs.


    The spark lit up the pieces of twigs slowly then finally a beautiful blaze. A capmpfire was currently lit up in the middle of the cave.


    Mr Adrian and I settled at the side of the campfire, it was really warm and cozy. shortly after rain started to pour outside.


    It was a real downpour. it rained heavily and the whole vicinity outside the cave was already drenced in water. the exteriors of the cave looked like it was having a waterfall, luckily the cave''s entrance is positioned in a slope manner. The water definitely won''t make it inside.


    "Ah, it was really downpour it looks like it won''t completely stop soon"


    "Mr. Adrian why don''t you rest up a bit while we are still here"


    "Ahahaha, I''ll get rest when we get back on the road, I''ll let Mark handle the carriage by then"


    "I really can''t relax when I feel that I''m not moving. The results of my years of experience in travelling made me in a way where I sleep comfortable when I feel that I''m inside a moving vehicle."


    I see, that''s a strange way of getting comfortable"


    I chuckled a bit, shortly after, Jasper jumped from the carriage and made his way to the campfire besides me and Mr. Adrian.


    We waited for the rain to subside and Mark is still fast asleep.


    "That sweater that Mark lended you is a memento of my wife and Mark''s mother"


    "......"


    I didn''t give a reply, it was because the word memento is perceived as an object left by someone important. It was like a reminder of someone who went away or in the worst case scenario; who passed away.


    I was only able to give a surprised look to Mr. Adrian, if I could imagine my face, I could see myself with an apologetic and melancholic look.


    Then, Mr. Adrian told me a story about his wife.

 Chapter 7.1 [Interlude] Marks Early Life

    Mark was born and raised in the city of Gristos, it is located at the western part of Telacada, it is the main city that manages the most agricultural resources in the country. Since Telacada is the most agricultural continent in the entire world, naturally, they take care and nurture the lands of crops, trees and other natural gifts of the world that cannot be created by man himself.


    Mark''s hometown is located at the southern part of Gristos the landmark of the town is the port. Furthermore. it is why the city is rich with foods in the variety of seafood.


    <hr>


    At the age of 5, Mark was able to speak his first word, her mother was the first one to hear it.


    "Ma...m..a."


    "Ah, Mark! you finally called me mama!"


    Mark''s mother burst with tears with a happy look on her face, it was due to the fact that her only son was able to speak for the first time.


    She hugged mark firmly, her mother is giggling happily with a delighted look on her face if there is a person who could watch this warm spectacle. It was certain to say that they would feel empathetic with Mark''s mother.


    Mark''s mother was a very cheerful person, even though her husband is not always at home, she tries her best in order to take care of Mark. Needless to say, Mark''s mother still felt lonely, there could be no woman out there who would be happy when their beloved was away from their side.


    Mark''s father is part of the reserved soldiers in the city, since the city is located in the western part of Telacada, it was very peaceful. A fight hardly breaks out even in the bar at the central town, the people are pacifists it could be said that it was thanks to the soldiers efforts thst the city could enjoy peace for several years.


    The usual routine of the reserved soldiers is to patrol the city in order to ensure peace and order.


    Mark''s father is only able to come home during the weekend, their family time consisted of roaming in the central city to buy everyday goods for Mark. The central city is bustling with commerce such as clothing, food, accessories and entertainment. The city is also crowded with people regardless of whether they are kids or elder people, everyone enjoyed the lively atmosphere of the central city.


    The city also has a port, Mark''s father is usually assigned to patrol the areas of the port, fishermens and the like are roaming around the area like sardines. Fishing is the source of income of the fishermen, they sell their catches to resellers and the latter are responsible for bringing it to the market to sell to the general populace.


    One day Mark''s father was in the port patrolling like usual. This was the everyday occurence in the work of Mark''s father, suddenly a crowd formed in the center and there are 3 people in the center. It seems that both of them have been arguing because of a disagreement: Fisherman A is telling that he was the first one to sell his stocks; Fisherman B is telling that he has the better quantity of catches, so he should be the one that should be picked by the reseller. In the end the reseller was pressured by the two fishermen about who he should pick.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Mediating the people is also a part of a soldier''s job this was the perfect opportunity for Mark''s father to fulfill his duty.


    In the end Mark''s father suggested that the 2 fishermen should put together their hauls for the day and sell it as a whole pack to the supplier. It might seem unfair to the person with the better quantity of fishes, but seeing that fisherman A was the first to reach the location of the supplier, it was an acceptable offer.


    The supplier accepted the hauls of the two fishermen and gave them payment, The two fishermen split their earnings 50-50 in the end they came to a mutual understanding and they were able to show gratitude for the intervention of Mark''s father.


    "Thank you very much Mr. Guard."


    "I also want to shoe my sincerest gratitude, we promise that we will not argue over this matter again."


    "I just fulfilled my duty as a soldier gusrd no need to thank me."


    The two fishermen shaked hands to each other it seems that they will get along with each other from now on.


    <hr>


    At the age of 7, Mark is finally at the age where he is able to attend the local school near their home.


    One day during an activity in school, the teacher gave out an activity, they were told to write what they wanted to become when they grow up, the teacher also followed up that they should present in front of the class on: why they want to be that kind of person, the children naturally gave out different answers. It was finally Mark''s turn to give out his answer.


    "I want to be a soldier.. because... I want.. to. protect the world."


    Mark''s answer was so genuine that his teacher naturally smiled and patted Mark on the head


    "I''m sure you''ll be able to protect everyone around the world Mark."


    "Mmm and I''ll become friends with everyone"


    <hr>


    Mark told his parents that someday, he wants to become a soldier that will protect the city. It was a pure dream that one could only react with a delighted look on their faces. The both of them naturally supported the dream of their only son. Why aren''t they worried? becoming a soldier is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. It was because becoming a soldier means that you will be able to protect the people and the country that you love. Mark''s purpose is to be able to make tons of friends. It was an honestly heartfelt dream that the only thing on Mark''s parent right now is to support him.


    "Mark, when you grow up be sure to be kind to everyone okay?"


    "mhm and I''ll make sure...that I will become a good soldier.. and.. protect everyone in Gristos."


    "Mark even if you become a soldier, be sure to visit us from time to time okay? Father will be retiring around the age where you will graduate school, so atleast be sure to come by when you need us.


    "Okay mama."


    There was a beaming smile on Mark''s face and hus parents returned that warm smile as well


    "Okay let''s eat"


    "Yup, what would you like for your dinner dear?"


    "Anything my love, I''m sure that anything you make is bound to be delicious"


    Mark''s mother giggled and she was embraced by her husband. Mark also joined in on the fun.


    Their uneventful life continued on for 10 more years.

 Chapter 7.2 [Interlude] Enlistment to the Army

    Chapter 7.2


    10 years passed by in a bliss.


    Mark is already a young man. 19 years of age and he was brimming with a charismatic look he had a sturdy body because he was training to build up his strength throughout the years he looked a lot like his father. He was ready to take on the journey to become a soldier of Gristos.


    Mark''s father is already retired as a soldier guard, in short he was now always together with his wife.


    Mark graduated at the academy at the age of 15 but he still needs to wait for 2 years in order to be able to apply as a new recruit soldier.


    In order to not waste time, Mark took on several jobs in the central city, he took on jobs such as a clerk in a jewelry store, working at a baking shop and honing his skills in the art of blacksmith, Mark is able to become an apprentice blacksmith in the city.


    <hr>


    When Mark turned 9 years old. Mark became interested in the art of how armors and swords were made, becoming a soldier means that you will entrust your life to the equipment that you wore. It was important for mark to learn the basic aspects of how to make his own sword and armor, of course the armed forces of Gristos will provide him his own armor and sword when he becomes a soldier, but you never know when it might come in handy, there was no hurting when you take necessary precautions.


    <hr>


    Finally it was the day where the army of Gristos is holding a huge enlistment. It was time for Mark to fulfill his dream.


    "Mom, Dad, I''ll be off now wish me luck"


    Mark''s mother had tears in her eyes, it was because the child that she took care of ever since he was an infant is now a splendid young man. Furthermore, he was now going to fulfill his dream


    Mark''s father had teary eyes in his eyes as well he was smiling proudly lile telling his son, "I''m already proud of you" it was a genuine smile that will make anyone''s heart melt.


    Finally Mark gave them his last hug. It was because he would not see them for 3 years. Mark will be training in boot camp in all those period.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Mark finally took of from the house.


    From the perspective of his parents it looked like they had finally saw their child sprout his own wings, and was able to fly out of the nest without their help.


    Mark made his way into the western city, it was because the western city is where the Gristos army is located, it was a huge land where the barracks is located.


    Before Mark took off there were several things that he brought along, it was a huge backpack with change of clothes and he wore a necklace with a photo from his mother and father, in that way even if they are apart, Mark can always remember them.


    Finally Mark arrived at the western city of Gristos, he made his way into the barracks. He saw the gate of the place where he would spend his next 3 years


    The structure of the barracks is a full stone wall it was similar to a castle like appearance, from a bird''s eye view the walls look like a huge square stone wall with pillars at all 4 sides, it looked like it was a scouting area, apparently it was called a quoin.


    Finally he was near the gate he saw around a hundred soldiers that was standing idly on the outer walls of the barracks it looked like they were on guard duty.


    "Welcome brave new recruit, are you here to enlist to become a proud soldier of Gristos?"


    "Yes, I would like to enlist to become a soldier"


    Mark replied proudly to the man that questioned him. The man in question is a tall guy with a dark skin tone, he wore an eyepatch around his left eye. it looked like it was a battle scar. His body build looked extremely buffed, he has large muscles building around his upper body in any case, he looked like a bigshot.


    "Hahahaha... very well in order for you to become a recruit you need to pass a series of tests be sure to prepare yourself."


    "Yes!!"


    The man in question is actually the person who will be in charge of the enlistment program of the army.


    Mark made his way inside and saw that there were numerous people on all sides it looked like he was not the only one who was aspiring to become an honorable soldier.


    People of all ages gathered in the barracks, judging from the appearance of the majority, the people enlisting in the army ranged from 17-25 years old.


    The population of the enlistment program is 80% male and 20% female it was natural that most aspiring soldiers is majorly consisting of male candidates. There were women candidates as well but they are at least 1/4 of the population of the males in the barracks.


    "Good morning everyone, my name is General Ford and I will be in charge of the enlistment program."


    "I knew he was something like that"


    Mark has good intuitions about people he meet, he was able to discern people whether they are of high stature or not he has good perceptions after all.


    "Today! All of you! are aspiring to be soldiers, but only the brave and the strong will be able to pass the series of tests. The program will start in one hour be sure to prepare yourself!"


    Finally it was time for Mark to take his first step to become a soldier.

 Chapter 7.3 [Interlude] Elizabeth

    Mark made sure to prepare himself physically and mentally before coming into the barracks. He had a proper good night sleep and trained with the one who honed him in the art of forging weapons and armor.


    Mark was calm because this was a dream that he had longed for ever since he was still a child. Panicking now would ruin his good chance to fulfill his dream of protecting Gristos especially his family


    According to General Ford the one who will be in charge of the enlistment program the army would recruit at least 500 young aspirants. They would need to pass a few tests in order to be accepted.


    (Mark POV)


    There were thousands of people inside the barracks if I could estimate the number of people in here, there would be no less than 3000 furthermore, this was only the first day of recruitment they would still hold more programs for tomorrow for the people who couldn''t make it today.


    20 minutes before the start of the enlistment program it looked like General Ford is about to announce something as he was standing on top of a huge wooden platform that looked like a stage, actually scratch that it was probably a stage


    "Alright! aspiring soldiers of Gristos form a line consisting of 100 people each line we will be holding a calisthenics evaluation"


    Calisthenics huh? so they''re trying to evaluate our endurance and strength. In the military, strength is important. It will be your lifeline after all if you ever get assigned to battle.


    I made my way to a line in the middle of the barracks there seems to be some placards held by some soldiers. I saw at the front of our line the number 33. in other words this line where I am is the 33rd line with 100 people.


    Then General Ford announced the instructions and the venue of the evaluation.


    "The first evaluation will be held inside the field! the field is located at the right side of the barracks, we will start the evaluation from line #1 any questions?"


    No one raised a hand to ask a question it seems that everyone understood the instructions spoken by General Ford.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The first batch made their way into the field and I made sure that I should preserve my energy for whatever task they will give us in the field. I''m sure it is not your average pushup test.


    There was a girl in front of me, she was the only girl in our line as far I can see, some of the girls flocked together on a different line. It''s a wise choice I must say if your competition is mostly male then you will probably have a bad time.


    Her appearance stands out in the crowd her hair is the shade of a blazing lava; pure red hair it shines radiantly in the area as the sun is shone on it. it was tied in a ponytail fashion, she wore a normal plain blue shirt with jeans and boots. it seems she came prepared to take on the boys.


    I look at her with a curious gaze and she must have felt that there was someone gazing at her, she looked behind and saw me. We locked eyes for a moment


    Her eye color is blue; sapphire to be more specific, her gaze was as curious as mine she was probably curious as to why I''m looking at her with an interested look on my face. She might misunderstand something and that could be very troubling.


    She initiated the conversation


    "hmm? do you need something Mr.?"


    She uttered in a low voice with a curious look on her gaze


    "Ah no... nothing in particular I was just admiring your beautiful hair."


    I was flustered, it was probably because the girl in front of me is very beautiful. She looks like someone who would have a hundred suitors on their doorstep daily. If I probably saw her in another place I''m sure I would not have the idea that she was aiming to become a soldier.


    "Oh... thanks, you''re probably the first stranger that I met that complimented my hair."


    She was smiling. It was so genuine that I  couldn''t think on her reasons to aim to become a soldier, I''m pretty sure with her looks she could land a decent job at the central city. She probably have her reasons and its none of my concerns since I was a stranger to her.


    "Oh, judging from its pretty looks, I''m sure other people would envy the beautiful radiant color of your hair."


    "....."


    She did not reply, the complexion of her face tells me that I should not pry into the matter any further I might offend her if I continue to do so.


    "Ah sorry, if it offended you... I apologize."


    "Ah no, don''t worry about it..... I was just lost in thought that''s all.", she replied with a "don''t worry" look on her face it was like she was consoling me.


    "By the way, I''m Mark, I''m an aspiring soldier nice to meet you."


    "I''m Elizabeth, likewise, I''m also aspiring to become a soldier. I want to protect those I hold dear to me."


    Her name is Elizabeth, it sounds like a name that came from royal bloodline it had a majestic feel to it I thought.


    We shake hands and a new friendship arises.


    We continued to chat while waiting for our turn in the evaluation program. I learned all sorts of things like she actually likes travelling; she wanted to see how the world was like and are people from the other side of the world curious about us too? she''s a curious fellow. As for why she became a soldier she still can''t open up to me, well I guess that''s only normal considering that we only just met.


    "The 32nd line finished already, It looks like some people are happy while the others.... well it''s a shame.", Elizabeth said.


    The people who looked gloomy, I can only assume that they did not meet General Ford''s expectations. I wonder what kind of pushup regimen he made them do. I thought to myself.


    This isn''t the time to be worrying about others Mark, you have to pass this to fulfill your dream!


    a flashback suddenly appeared in my thoughts.


    ("To become a soldier, you must be prepared to take hardships. that is what it means to become a soldier. You have to give your all to protect everything you hold dear!!")


    While lost in thought. the soldiers announced that it was the 33rd line''s turn to take the evaluation program.


    "Finally!! it''s our turn Mark! let''s get fired up and finish this."


    I nodded in satisfaction and we gave each other a smile full of confidence.


    "Good luck to us Mark!, our dream lies beyond this camp."


    "Yeah!!"


    And the people from the 33rd line made their way into the field.

 Chapter 7.4 [Interlude] First Phase

    Mark and I made our way inside the field, I really thought that he was an earnest man. The determined look I saw in his eyes is the real deal. It''s the same eyes that my father showed before he was killed by bandits.


    ".........."


    The memories that resurfaced made my face gloomy, luckily, Mark wasn''t looking at me it would be bad if he got distracted because of me. I immediately removed my unnecessary thoughts and decided that I would give my best in this evaluation.


    Finally we saw the field, it was a huge field that is similar to a track and field in the modern world. it was spacious for around more than 300 people I thought.


    General Ford was in a platform with a grin on his face it looks like he was really looking forward to this program. I wonder what kind of regimen he will make us do.


    "Welcome to the first step into becoming a pillar that protects society. Today, I will be testing you 100 people if you are able to endure training once you become recruits. This program is only the beginning, passing this and becoming a soldier is a whole another task that all of you must overcome."


    "Without further ado let us begin the program."


    Everyone''s faces tensed up as General Ford finished his statement, it looks like everyone has a fierce look on their faces. Everyone is determined to pass this test because if you fail here and now they won''t hold a recruitment program for 2 more whole years.


    "First of all, all of you will be doing calisthenics: pushups, sit-ups, and a 300 meter dash. You will follow my rhythm in doing the exercises, failure to do so will eliminate your chances immediately into advancing to the final test.


    "Calisthenics huh? so they plan to test our physical prowess first of course I already expected this."


    Mark muttered to me, he has a wide grim on his face like he was expecting this kind of training and was only waiting for it to be announced, he had a determined look on his eyes it was blazing with anticipation. I know those that kind of eyes because I always saw those eyes whenever I see my father in work mode.


    There was a number of soldiers that surrounded us on all sides they were all soldiers that would observe us if we are able to follow the rhythm the general was talking about, if they see a person that cannot keep up with the general''s rhythm.


    Finally the general brought out a stick it looks like the stick that is used by the leader in an orchestra it was a baton stick it looks like he will be orchestrating us in our training.


    "Follow the position of the baton with your body. When my stick is up you go up and when it is down naturally, you follow!"


    "Now let us start! everyone! in pushups position."


    All of us went into pushups position, Mark was directly in front of me and I could see his back from my position when I look up.


    "Follow my instructions and you will be fine."


    General Ford lowered his stick and all of us followed suit then he raised it up and all of us followed. There are 100 aspiring soldiers on this field right now we are all following the rhythm of the general for the pushup exercises.


    We did about 50 pushups and some of us has been breathing heavily noe but Mark had a calm demeanor on his face it looks liked this was child''s play to him. Naturally, this is also too easy for me.


    "Okay... enough warm-up let us pick up the pace it looks like this is a fine batch."


    Some people had an astonished looks on their faces it looks like they were approaching their limits. In other words, it won¡¯t be long before a few of us gets eliminated now, its now all up to our fighting spirit to get past this stage.


    General Ford continued the orchestration he is already picking up the pace as the baton is going faster. but there was someone who finally gave in.


    "Sorry, but you''re out.....you failed to follow with everyone''s pace"


    A guard told this to a guy who was far behind my back he had an exhausted and weary look on his face it looks like he was not able to endure everything until the end. He clicked his tongue and said.


    "Haaaa... Damn it I was not ready for this I thought this would be easy for someone like me." He declared


    There were people looking at him with a disgusted look on their faces it looks like he underestimated the natural training of a soldier and kicked the bucket in return serves him right.


    There were a few more people eliminated it looks like there are only 87 of us now. Mark and I looked at each other after the pushups.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Oh...you''re a tough one aren''t you?"


    "That''s my line you don''t even looked tired at all."


    We grinned at each other, it looked like there was a strong aura emanating from behind our backs and manifested into humanoids. Symbolizing our unyielding fighting spirit.


    The training continued with sit-ups as the next portion the mechanics is the same as the pushups so it was easy to understand.


    More people dropped out. Since we had little to no break from the pushups more than half has already been eliminated.


    There were only 37 of us remaining Mark and I was still going strong with our paces as we looked at each other with confidence in our eyes. From this day forward we acknowledged each other as rivals.


    Finally the final challenge for the day is the 300 meter dash. It looks like it will only be a normal 300 meter dash but there''s only 10 of us who could run st the same time so it will be by batch of 3


    first 10 on the 2 batches and the final one will only have 7 members, Mark and I was put in the 2nd batch.


    "Alright you lads, all of you has shown promise but we will only accept a handful from you guys as we will only choose 4 per batch so good luck but the last batch will only have 3 winners"


    The first batch finally took position in the track and field like arena there were lines drawn on the ground similar to a school''s field.


    "On your mark, set, Go!!"


    The first batch run will all of they got only the first 4 to finish will be advancing to the final test to be accepted.


    3 men and 1 girl managed to finish the arena first and they were the 4 that will be advancing to the final test General Ford personally congratulated them for coming this far


    "Hahahaha good job you four, I expect great things from you."


    "Yes, thank you very much."


    The four of them replied with an enthusiastic look on their faces. But the 6 of the rest of the runners had a sad look on their faces General Ford said.


    "Raise your heads for this is not the time that was given to you, if you guys are not meant to be soldiers then accept it with all of your heart. Failure is not the end but it is merely the beginning, if you think your calling is to really become a soldier then train harder and come back in the next enlistment program. If you think you have other plans then follow that career in this world the hard working people will definitely have a brighter future all of you made it this far after all."


    It was a good encouragement speech, all of them immediately raised their heads in unison. and went out of the barracks while thanking General Ford.


    It was finally the 2nd batch''s turn we made our way into the field. After taking our positions Mark looked at me with a face that told me everything.


    "I''ll be taking first place."


    I replied casually


    "Dream on, I''ll leave you in the dust."


    We smiled at each other, both of us were determined to not lose to anyone and so the race started.


    "On your mark, set, Go!!!!"


    I sprinted in full speed, I ran with full speed for a good 10 seconds before slowing down a bit to pace myself, it was not a good idea to run at full speed in the whole duration of the race as it can leave me exhausted halfway, in racing pacing yourself is a skill that every runner must possess.


    Mark is around 5 steps behind me our current position is that I am in first place while Mark is 2nd, we have a fair distance between all of the runners behind us it looks like all of them were still exhausted from the sit-ups.


    I focused my gaze at front and decided to run at my pace. Mark is also pacing himself he looked like he still have some energy reserves left in him, I am in admiration because he was still full of vigor, his endurance and strength is the real deal that is why I acknowledge him as a rival.


    We are reaching the final leg of the race and I finally decided to give everything I''ve got. the people behind me and mark started to catch up to us because we were pacing ourselves but all of them had an exhausted look on their faces. I assumed that they were running in full speed without slowing down. they were all out of gas while mark and I was just about to release our steam.


    Mark made a full sprint ahead of me and overtook me, I was genuinely surprised because he was really fast, but I was not about to let him take the glory of first place as I naturally followed suit.


    We were already far away from the other contestants as the 2nd batch looked like it was a race between me and Mark,.


    We were nearing the end of the finish line, but I was not able to catch up to Mark anymore since I was out of steam, Mark took 1st place while I took the 2nd


    It was fun experience as we looked at each other just across the finish line.


    "Haaaa... Haaaaa..."


    "Pheeeww..."


    "You''re really something else even though you¡¯re a girl Elizabeth."


    "It''s a mistake for a man to be underestimating a woman"


    Both of us were panting heavily and General Ford made his way to the both of us.


    "Amazing... the both of you completely wiped the floor against the other competitors, I am genuinely impressed"


    He has a happy look on his face it felt like he was looking at his son from a graduation program delivering a valedictorian speech at the podium.


    "Congratulations to the first 4 of the race all of you will be advancing to the next test, as for those who didn''t make it this is not the end but only the beginning all of you did well."


    Mark and I looked at each other.


    "Next time I won''t lose to you"


    "I''ll only beat you again next time you better be prepared."


    This guy is already flexing his achievement to me, I was not really bitter that I lost to him but rather I felt happy.


    The third batch finished their race as well and the three winners were all girls it was a surprising outcome.


    There''s 11 of us who will be advancing to the final phase.


    "Sigh...... there is still a test after tomorrow let''s head to the town Mark and find a place to stay."


    "Aaa...Elizabeth?"


    "Hmm.. is there something wrong?"


    "Ah nothing really I just thought that you live near here so I was surprised when you said that we should head to the town to find a place to rest."


    "Oh... no, I live in the eastern part of Gristos at the east of the central city so it takes around 8 hours to go here I would rather just spend the night at an inn than going back to my town."


    "I see...then let''s go."


    He was blushing a bit I have no idea why, there were a few people who looked our way when we made our way outside but I didn''t pay them any mind.


    I held his hand and we made our way outside of the barracks we were given medals as proof that we have passed the test, this medal will be our ticket for entrance for the final test the day after tomorrow.


    The both of us are one step away into becoming a full fledged soldier. the day after tomorrow is the final showdown.

 Chapter 7.5 [Interlude] Relaxing After a Long Day

    Mark and I made our way into the town at the western city. We took a carriage that was planning on stopping there, since we were very tired after the evaluation program we didn''t speak much inside the carriage. We were planning first on finding an inn to get a place to rest. after that we''ll likely get something to eat.


    Currently its around 3pm in the afternoon and there were still a lot of people in the barracks, I think that the program will be continuing on until late at night, I see that General Ford has a lot of vigor as expected of someone who has been at the top branch of the army.


    I look at the window at the side of the carriage the sun was still shining brightly and there were crops growing from all over the place, it seems that before reaching the barracks you would have to go to the places of the farmers first. I thought that the location was not coincidental because if example there is a storm that would raze their humble houses it would be good if they could evacuate into the barracks to save their livestock and their whole family.


    This place is beautiful. It is overflowing with the vigor of nature; birds chirping, sheeps and the watchdog in open fields and crops growing from the side of the roads. It was a beautiful spectacle that could captivate the hearts of country lovers, I felt like composing a song entitled "Country Roads" where the lyrics would be about the humble life of taking a vacation in a beautiful country outside the city.


    ***


    1 more hour passed and we finally reached the town at the western part of Gristos. it was relatively not a huge town but there was a number of tourists and locals in here. there is a sign at the entrance of town it seems that some guard town is in check at the entrance, they were giving inspections at the people going inside the town including merchants and tourists.


    Our carriage went to line; the line consists of different kinds of people but the most of them were tourists and merchants. I could assume that the number of people here in this town is due to the cause of the enlistment program at the barracks farther west from here, maybe these people are the ones who were in the line ahead of us I thought.


    Finally our carriage reached the front of the line and the guard told us to go down of the carriage and went to inspect us after the inspection the guard welcomed us into the town. the carriage went to the side to park as this was as far as they could go. We paid the fare and saw the city, there were several houses lined at the entrance of the city, we walked straight and saw a sign that says "Guild Hall" it seems that this building is the guild hall where adventurers take jobs to gain profit. they were more free-willed than soldiers as they only take jobs to earn money, not all of them live with honor. That is why I never take them seriously.


    Past the guild hall is the market, this place is the center of town and there are a lot of people in the vicinity; the market consists of merchants selling everyday goods such as food, clothes, armor and accessories. there were merchants calling for us telling us that their products are on sale. Mark and I naturally took a glance at the food section, there was bread, fish, meat and other various type of foods. We decided that we will comeback here after taking some rest an a local inn.


    After passing through the market we finally saw what we were looking for it was the local inns.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Look Mark there it is, inns, ahhh we can finally take some rest."


    "Yes, I can see them it looks like there are a number of them what kind of inn would you like to stay in?"


    "Any type of inn is fine, we just need a place to rest right? then if possible the middle class would do; not too cheap nor too expensive."


    "Hmm I guess that would do, the cheapest inn would probably not give us the best of services after all"


    We look around the city and took an in farther into the city we chose a place called "Inn da la fas" it was a decent inn so we decided to stay here instead of wandering further, we were currently at our limit and we were still exhausted due to the events earlier.


    "Welcome to Inn da la fas, would you like to take a couple room?"


    Mark was flustered it seems that he was not expecting the sudden remark of the lady at the counter. he was


    "Ah no we will both take a single room."


    "Ah, I''m very sorry... it seems that I was mistaken that you two were a couple please forgive this young lady."


    "Ah no it is quite fine, by the way may I ask if there are some services here aside from the room?"


    "Yes our inn provides free breakfast and lunch, but we don''t provide free dinner. but we have a restaurant next door perhaps the both of you could get dinner there, Inn tenants have discounted fees so it would be beneficial for the both of you to go to our restaurant for dinner. By the way 2 days and 2 nights would cost 10 gold each room."


    "I see thanks for the offer we will check it out."


    "It is a pleasure to be of service here is your keys, please enjoy your stay at Inn da la fas."


    Mark and I made our way into our separate room wine was 307 while his was 308, we did not utter a single word since we were really exhausted. we''ll just meet up at the inn hall when we wake up.


    I unlock the door and made my way inside, it was an ordinary room, there was a bed and cabinet with a table and chair at the middle with a desk at the right side of the room. The room was entirely painted with white so it gives off a luminous feeling.


    It was not a shabby room and it was not grandiose either, but it was comfortable enough that it was worth the 10 gold. I open my bag and put my belongings in the cabinet, most of my stuff was clothes putting everything in the cabinet made my bag so much lighter. I breathed a sigh of relief.


    l went and sat on my bed and thought about the events that happened earlier. I wondered what is the source of Mark''s strenght. Anyone could clearly define that Mark is a human being driven by his ambition, I thought about what ambition drives him to strive harder than anyone else.


    Before I knew it I fell asleep while thinking about several things.


    ***


    I made my way into the main lobby of the Inn, there were several lobbies in here it appears that it was more spacious in here so I determined that this was the main lobby. There was a couch in the room with a wooden table at the center then, there was a vase with a flower bouquets at the middle. at the side of the walls were paintings with the reception center at the middle, the receptionist that we met earlier gave me a smile and nodded to me I return the remark as a sign of respect.


    It appears that there is no signs of Mark anywhere I told Mark that we will meet up at the main lobby. I understand that he was still tired but at least he should be more mindful of his surroundings after all, it is rude to keep a lady waiting. Although I do not appear lady like at all in my demeanor I am still a lady by heart.


    20 minutes passed and I was just staring at the vase in the middle of the table then I heard footsteps in the chair. I immediately looked and saw that Mark just woke up from his deep slumber.


    "Oh you''re finally awake sleepy head"


    I swayed my blazing red hair with my hands because I felt like he would notice me if I did, after swaying it it seem that he finally saw me"


    "Oh Elizabeth there you did you wait long?"


    "Not at all I only waited for 23 minutes... now would you like to take the restaurant of this hotel or go back to the market and see what we can find?"


    "I think we should just try the restaurant of this Inn we could always go back to the market at a later date."


    "I agree let''s go."


    We made our way into the restaurant of the inn.

 Chapter 7.6 [Interlude] Development

    Elizabeth and I made our way into the inn restaurant, and I was currently following behind her. Her beautiful blazing red hair was swaying and I was still mesmerized by its radiant color up to this day.


    We made it to the restaurant, it was at the other lobby at the ground floor of the inn. There were several tables spread throughout the floor with several people also taking their dinner, to the front, there were people lined up it looks like it was the line for taking orders.


    Elizabeth and I decided to take a table near the window. it was an ordinary table with 2 chairs just enough for the two of us. I look at the window to see the view. Actually, there was no view; its just the road that we took when we first got here. What a bummer, there isn''t even a view at this place?


    I pulled a chair and let Elizabeth sit on it, it was just proper etiquette to let a lady sit first in a table for two. I sat on the opposite side of Elizabeth because that is where the other chair is located after sitting down we stare at each other; thinking about what should we order I decided to talk first.


    "Would you like beef?"


    "Beef is fine with me why are you asking me anyway?"


    "Nothing really I just thought that there could be some food that you don''t really like considering you''re like a princess."


    "Ehehehe, me? a princess? hahaha not even close, I''m too unladylike to become a princess."


    "Right."


    I crack a joke and Elizabeth replied in an underhanded manner, she told me what''s already obvious to everyone''s eyes.


    "Alright, I will go order our food now"


    "Sure, I will just wait here"


    I made my way into the line onto the counter there was around 9 people ahead of me so this could take some time, seriously is the food in this inn good? there are a lot of people in the line but nevertheless, the place is really spacious and there are a lot of tables, it doesn''t look like the place is full of people at all.


    After waiting in line for about 20 minutes it was finally my time to order our food.


    "I''d like a beef stew and pork ribs good for two people."


    I made my order and was given a number, it looks like the waiter will deliver the food at our table, I was not familiar with the customs of a restaurant because I usually eat at home or at the bakery that I worked for before.


    After making my way into the table Elizabeth was staring into the distance at the window it looks like she was lost in thought.


    "Hey, Elizabeth did you see a ghost or something"


    Elizabeth was surprised at my sudden remark it looked like she was just about to jump when she reacted to my voice


    "Huh?!! oh, its just you Mark, you surprised me I thought there was a ghost that suddenly whispered to me."


    There were several people who looked over our direction seemingly curious about the source of the strange loud shriek we didn''t pay them any mind as it was a trivial matter.


    I put the number in our table and sat again then Elizabeth muttered something.


    "Hey, Mark, why do you think people need a pillar?"


    "What do you mean a pillar?"


    "A pillar that will keep supporting them through thick and thin."


    "That''s an awfully serious question."


    "Just answer."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    She said in a serious tone. It looks like something riled her up, but as a man it is only my duty to answer her truthfully.


    "Everyone needs a pillar in order to move forward, there are no people at the top who made it there without the help of others. A pillar is there to keep supporting you no matter the circumstances; giving you a boost to keep going straight without falling down."


    "...."


    "I like your answer....."


    She gave me a smile, honestly I was suprised by her sudden shift of mood amd then asking me a serious question out of nowhere I wonder what''s going on in her mind, I think it would be better if I slowly learn more about her and if she opens up to me about those thoughts of hers, I will be willing to listen as a friend.


    "Is.... there something wrong?"


    "No everything''s fine I was just curious about how you think."


    "How I... think?"


    "Right, how your thought process work whether it has conviction or not."


    "Oh, you were testing me."


    "Something along those lines."


    She''s a weird one alright she suddenly asked me a question after all. And what is up with that question? it seems like she was testing me... hmmm, there''s no point overthinking this matter.


    She was still lost in thought looking out the window. It looks like she''s deep in thought even before I came back. I did not disturb her in her thoughts and I decided to just wait for our order


    A few moments later, our order arrived just like what I said to the counter; beef stew and pork ribs. The aroma is quite fragrant I was able to smell the tasty pork ribs that I ordered.


    "Oh, you like pork?"


    "Yep, I don''t think there''s someone who will hate pork after all unless they are allergic to it, its quite tasty after all."


    "Would you like a bite? Elizabeth?"


    "Oh, how thoughtful, guess I''ll just have to abide."


    "Thoughtful..... ehhh....?"


    "You know, Mark, from the eyes of the other people; we look like a couple don''t you think?"


    "Huh?!"


    I was blushing like an idiot. It was because Elizabeth just teased me out of nowhere when I was just offering her a portion of my food. But it does look strange I mean, we just met after all and I''m already giving her food with the fork in my hand. After I realized my blunder, I quickly sat down in embarrassment.


    "Oh, it''s delicious it has that rich taste I wonder what kind of seasoning they use in this restaurant."


    "Beats me, I have no talent in any aspect of cooking."


    "For someone who is out most of the time you sure have something that you do not have after all and that''s the skill for cooking."


    ".... It''s just I didn''t have time to practice that''s all; is there something wrong with a guy who can''t cook?"


    "I said nothing of the sorts"


    She gave me a satisfied smile it looks like this girl is sadistic after sll, does she enjoy tormenting me? at any rate, I don''t want to be an object of torment. it will be like hell in the long run; Elizabeth as the sadistic demon and I as the poor soul.


    Chills ran down my spine when I thought of that scenario.


    We continued to eat in silence since we were really hungry already. Both of us didn''t had lunch after all because of the evaluation program that happened earlier in the day.


    After eating Elizabeth invited me to stroll the town, I agreed since I don''t have much anything to do and I already had a decent rest, strolling down the town would be a great way to tire myself out so that when we return I could hit the sacks early on.


    "Hmmm... where to go?"


    "How about the Market?''


    "We just ate Mark, are you still hungry? ehehe."


    "No its not like that, I just thought that we should look around the market since there could be something that might interest us you know."


    "Hmm...something like information about this town would be nice."


    "Right, we are not locals after all."


    Elizabeth and I made our way into the market, the streets were illuminated with street lights and the lights from the windows of the houses, since it was already at night there are fewer people walking around. We walked side by side this time since it was dark.


    Finally we arrived at the market. It seems like there were still people buying everyday goods in the market. Mark and I made our way and we saw a dessert stand it was apparently serving frozen goods.


    "Hey, Mark, would you like to get some of those?"


    "Frozen treats? hmm... I guess I could go for one."


    We ordered an ice cream and it was a pretty sweet treat we continued to walk the night.


    After some little chit chat we decided to come back to the inn, it took us around 1 hour to full circle the market; there were a lots of everyday goods being displayed but it was already closing time. We decided to hold back for the day.


    "Hey, Elizabeth."


    "Hmm?"


    "What if tomorrow might be the last day we could be together? It''s not guaranteed that if both of us get enlisted in the army we would be together after all."


    "....I will be sad... After all you''re the only one I''m comfortable with since I can tease you ehehe."


    "sigh."


    "But on a serious note, I hope we could still end up being able to see each other. We only just met but I feel comfortable with you."


    I was caught off guard by her sudden remark


    "Really?......"


    "Hey,.... I really... like you"


    I said it in a low tone voice so that she won''t notice much,. I was teasing her in return.


    "Huh??......."


    "...Ahh, forget it I said I like your guts too."


    " That was not what you said..... "


    It was just for a brief moment, but I saw Elizabeth blushed, she has a surprisingly cute side to her after all.


    "Oh you''re blushing."


    "What?... No I did not!!"


    I concluded that despite being a huge teaser, Elizabeth can''t handle teasing in return really she was just like a kid.


    We returned to the inn with a smile on our faces.

 Chapter 7.7 [Interlude] Gathering Information

    Mark and I made our way back at the inn, we still have one more day and night to rest before the big event the day after tomorrow.


    We said goodbye to each other and decided to see each other tomorrow in the same lobby we met today. I went to my bed and passed out immediately


    ***


    I woke up....


    "Haaaaaa"


    It was already 8am and I rested for a good 5 minutes before tidying myself.


    I was waiting in the same lobby Mark and I have free breakfast and Lunch according to the reception lady that we met yesterday, that was convenient so that we wouldn''t have to go out and prepare meals ourselves. I waited for 7 minutes and finally I saw a sleepyhead walk down the stairs


    "Good morning sleepyhead when would be the time where you would wake up before this young lady?"


    "Good morning Elizabeth, sorry I really like sleeping so I guess that would be impossible to achieve"


    "Haaaa..... you''re hopeless even in just waking up, moreover, you can''t keep up with that attitude when we get accepted into the army you know."


    "I know, that''s why I''ve been trying my hardest to wake up early."


    It''s no good he hasn''t even noticed that his hair is a mess should I point it out for him? no, it would be better if he notices it himself I wonder what kind of expression he''ll make? I can''t wait.


    We decided to sit at a table a bit farther than the window, the sun is currently facing the window side, it would be unpleasant to eat while bathing in the morning sunshine.


    I was currently craving for something hot to eat so I decided to eat porridge, Mark has an appetite as always so he went for chicken with rice.


    After our order arrived it seems that Mark finally noticed his messy hair, he was currently groomed fine he was wearing a plain blue shirt with a vest with normal jeans. But his hair is a mess.


    I was wearing a green tank top covered with a light blue jacket, from below, I was wearing a short skirt with white thigh high socks.


    "Wait... why didn''t you tell me sooner that I have this kind of hair?"


    "Ahahaha it was just too entertaining, I mean, look at it there''s a big piece of hair standing out from the rest"


    Mark''s hair was messy and there was a huge spike of hair standing out from the rest, I believe it was called an ahoge but it doesn''t suit him at all. Come on... you know that ahoge only suits cute girls.


    He arranged his hair and I called out to him.


    "Hey... Don''t mess with your hair in front of the food, what if your dandruff goes in the food!? it will get gross."


    "No it wouldn''t I already had my hair cleaned, its just that... I haven''t combed it that''s all."


    "Please mind your manners in front of the food, didn''t you study about food etiquette in the academy before you graduated?"


    "Of course I did, but I don''t remember most of the teachings in the academy anymore, it''s been a long time already so I probably forgot about most of them now."


    "Haaah.....you really are hopeless aren''t you?"


    After finishing our meals we decided to go back to the main lobby. we discussed what we should do for the day.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "So Mark would you like to go to the guild hall?"


    "Guild hall? that place is only full of adventurers, what would we gain there?"


    "Since we didn''t get information from the people in the market, I guessed that the guild has probably more information regarding things in this town. maybe we could get some information too regarding the final test that we will be facing tomorrow, there''s bound to be adventurers that aimed to become soldiers at one point but did not make it."


    "You seem to be aware of the standings of the adventurers Elizabeth."


    "My father was good friends with a skilled adventurer that was probably why I came to an understanding thst adventurer''s aren''t all money hungry"


    We decided to go to the guild, we need to gather information after all.


    The guild is located near the entrance of the town, we would need to pass by the market in order to reach it. we walked alongside each other, there were a few people looking at our direction when we passed it was probably because of my radiant blazing hair, I was already used to this kind of setting so I didn''t pay it any mind. Mark seems to be looking in my direction but he seems to get the message and didn''t bother me.


    Finally we reached the guild hall, it was a huge building with an unusual entrance. the door was 2 big metal doors kinda like what you see in castle walls only smaller in size. there were several adventurers scattered around, some of them were wearing plain leather armors with weapons like spears and swords at their side. while a few of them were wearing armors almost similar to the armors of veteran knights, I could only assume that they could be some bigshot adventurers.


    We made our way inside the guild, the adventurers outside took a glance at us with uninterested faces, we didn''t pay them any mind naturally


    The metal door made a clack metallic sound and we made our way inside, it was pretty loud. At the front was the reception desk it was probably there where we could ask for information at the side there were adventurers looking at the wall, the wall contained a corkboard with a lot of papers sticking around, it was the place where adventurers take on jobs and gain money.


    Adventurers don''t have stable income, so they take on different jobs. The difficulty of the requests means there are better rewards but of course it is more risky; some dangerous jobs include monster slaying it was not a job beginners should dwell into. The adventurers have their freedom to choose what job they will take. But only fools would take high paying jobs without experience, it was a ticket straight to your demise.


    We went into the reception desk, I glanced at the side while making our way into the reception desk. It seems like there is a bar at the other side of this wall as I can hear vulgar laughter.


    We made it at the front desk of the guild


    "Welcome...are you new here? would you like to apply as adventurers?"


    "Ah no, actually we came to ask about some things... about the upcoming final program to become a soldier at Gristos"


    "Ah, in that case you should ask the middle aged man that''s in the bar at the other side of this hall, he was a former soldier but he retired and became an adventurer instead."


    "What''s his name?"


    "His name is.... Orlando"


    "Orlando... I see thanks, we will ask him."


    "He can be a bit mysterious sometimes but he''s a good person"


    "I will keep that in mind"


    Mark said casually.


    We went inside the bar and received uninterested stares from the adventurers. Some of them didn''t pay any mind to us at all. that was honestly better than receiving more unwanted attention.


    We saw a middle aged man alone at a corner table; he had a black hat with a shirt with a black vest and he was smoking in a pipe he looked like those guys in detective shows that is actually a top tier investigator.


    We approached him and greeted him.


    "Hello, are you Mr. Orlando?"


    "That man is indeed I, do you need something from this old man young lady?"


    "Yes, actually me and this man over here are aspiring soldiers and we took the test yesterday and passed the first test, we were wondering if we could find some information regarding the difficulty of the final test in order to have a higher chance of passing."


    "I see, so the guild lady told you that maybe I could be of some help to you?"


    "That is so."


    "Then... I can probably share some information that I have experienced myself but of course, information comes with a price"


    He had a gleaming look on his face it was pretty intimidating but I held my ground and asked him anyway.


    "What would be the price that should be paid to you Mr. Orlando?"


    "A single night would do"


    "Huh....!!!"


    "Huh?! what did you say old man?!"


    Mark got irritated with his attitude I blocked him before he got to Mr. Orlando if I didn''t stop him right here and right now things could take an ugly turn.


    "Hahahahaha... kids these days can''t take a joke. I am a simple man and for information a wine case would do. Would that price be alright with you?"


    ".... I am fine with that."


    "Then take a seat this will be a bit of a long talk, so relax yourselves."


    He offered us a bread that he already took a bite of I graciously denied with a smile on my face, Mark was a bit terrified when I smiled, I can see the cold sweat that ran down from his spine.


    Mark instead bought us our own food in the bar he bought a croissant bread with juice as our beverage he put it on top of our table just across Mr. Orlando


    Then he started to talk about his tale when he was still in the army.