So youve already decided, then? Cerion asked.
We were sitting at the small table in our living quarters, eating breakfast, when I decided to share my plans with Doran and Cerion. Both people were important to , so I felt a little guilty, breaking the news that I would be heading back ho so suddenly. Despite this, my mind was set and nothing could convince to stay.
I have. I intend to head back ho and stay there for a few months. I want to et my new sibling and share so ti with my family. While Im doing that, I intend to focus on a few skills to tier up, so that I can get the best possible class when I enter tier 3. I explained.
But what about the tournant? Arent you interested to see the tier 3s and 4s fight? Theyre in a league of their own!
I shook my head in response. Im not interested. I just want a break from all of this, you know?
Cerion sighed, but relented. Most likely, he related to how I felt. Unlike , however, even heading ho wouldnt equate to taking a break from the political environnt he had grown up in.
You know you can always co with , right? That, or you could just co visit my family after the tournant I suggested, in an attempt to share so of the things I previously took for granted. Cerion refused, though.
Thanks for offering, but no. After the tournant my father will take with him on a journey. Im not sure how long Ill be gone or where were going, but I cant join you and your family.
I shrugged, thinking that so father/son bonding ti might just be what Cerion needed.
Then, the stoic Doran joined the conversation.
Its not unusual for young classers to get caught up in leveling and progressing. They tend to forget about the things that make life beautiful along the way. I, myself, am an example of this. It is only now that I am recovering my relationship with my father that I see this. Rember, both of you. Power, classes, levels they are all but a ans to an end. To share our lives with those that are precious to us, to do the things that make us happy those are the most valuable treasures one can gain. Power can help you achieve that, but its worthless on its own.
Though I nodded along, I didnt entirely agree with him. Family was important, no doubt. But if that was all there was to life, why would anyone bother tiering up in the first place? In that case, it was better to stay weak and not beco noteworthy. There were other motivations that drove beyond living a comfortable life. I intended to find out what they were as I grew, since I had plenty of ti.
Regardless, I wish you both luck on your path. Doran finished.
Sighing, I reminisced on the ti I had spent with the both of them. Doran had been my ntor when I first entered the guild. His guidance had been essential to my growth back then. I didnt even know which way to hold a sword, at first.
Then, there was Cerion. My best friend. A peer that had such similar yet different circumstances from that caused us to hit it off imdiately. Together, we were introduced to the wider world and we saved each others lives more than once. Perhaps the fact that I respected his personal strength was most important of all. It had prevented from being caught up in my own progress. If he hadnt been there, I wouldve just beco another Arcellus, hellbent on power and combat.
Well, its ti for to go. I dont know when Ill see either of you again, so goodbye.
Dont you an until next ti? Cerion said with a grin.
If fate permits, we will definitely et again. Doran added with a small smile.
Right. Until next ti. I said, while walking out of the quarters we had been using these past few weeks.
With my sword attached to my hip and my new gauntlets adorning my hands and arms, I sauntered through the busy cavern passages of the witch hunters guilds headquarters. I felt sowhat separated from all of my guild mates, who were hurriedly working on so task or other. Even as large monsters were shooed through the caves, I didnt bother looking up. Instead, my head was in the clouds as so of my experiences from the last few months flashed past my eyes. Ever since my awakening, I had felt so alive. I had endeavored to level up in a hurry, constantly moving from one task to the next, from one monster corpse to the next. Mission after mission, exploration after exploration. All of them had been a joy to experience, compared to the life of training I had imposed on myself back ho.
And yet, I was about to return there, which gave mixed feelings. Still, I was hopeful. This ti, I wasnt going there to train like a madman. Rather, I intended to thoroughly enjoy the family I had denied myself before, as if I was cursing the images the system had shown out of spite.
A few minutes later, I climbed up the well and found myself near the abandoned church in the slums. I nodded towards a nearby hoodlum, who I knew to actually be a guard for the guild, and headed towards the main gate of the capital.
Even having seen the capital's opulence in detail this past month, the citys walls still caused to gawk. Its imnse size made it look like it was reaching for the skies, as if to taunt Helios himself.
Just when I was about to approach the gates, a man with a stubbly beard approached with wonder in his eyes.
Excuse he said, Arent you that dark knight from the tourney?
I was about to deny his claims in hopes of getting away without issue, but it was already too late, since a crowd quickly ford around . I had hoped to avoid this ordeal by staying on narrow roads and alleyways, but here near the gates, my fate had been sealed by one curious citizen.
The crowd quickly encircled and started chattering and asking questions.
Isnt he that?
Whats he doing here?
Why hasnt he been apprehended by the guard?! Necromancers shouldnt
Dont curse out our kingdoms talents! Are you going to curse at our tier 6 pillars next? Why dont we hand the entire country to our enemies on a platter, you foul
Don't act like
You moronic!
The chatter soon turned into an outright argunt about whether or not I deserved the right to live, so I shimmied out of the crowd as best I could and pushed my way over to the gates, where the guards scattered the crowd. Thank Helios for their help, because a few minutes later I was heading through the gates, on my way back ho.
Sothing told that the newspapers stories about had only gotten more conflicting as ti went on. Still, now that I had left the city, that was no longer my problem.
-scene transition-
Two weeks later, I found myself on a hill overlooking Rola, my hotown. I hadnt used any skills to traverse the forest I had passed through and stayed away from towns and cities along the way. The reason for taking my ti to get to Rolla, was because I didnt want anyone to know that my family lived here. As far as anyone influential was concerned, I lived in Reito, the biggest eastern city of Roa.
In the kingdom of Roa, every town or citys na had to start with the letter R. Other kingdoms employed similar practices by utilizing a letter or a series of letters. I had learned from my uncle that, on this continent, that was also a way to establish your countrys power. Powerful kingdoms like Roa could lay claim to a single letter, while weaker countries chose a series of two or three letters. Of course, there were always nay-sayers that refused to follow this tradition. I had heard that so kind of republic in the far south refused this practice, calling it barbaric and childish.
It didnt surprise that Roa still followed this tradition, however. It was an old country, and our current king was, if anything, barbaric and childish.
I stood on top of that hill for a few minutes, taking my ti to appreciate the view. Rolla was rather small. It only had a population of 3000 ish, only controlled a single, low-level dungeon and all business remained local. Still, that also gave the town so charm. It ant that few travelers ever passed through and that everybody knew each other. Well, almost everybody. Apart from our custors, I couldnt rember a single na from my ti here.
Not wanting to stand out, I changed out of my armor and put on so day-to-day clothes before slowly walking down the hill, towards the town gate, where I happened upon a guard that seed very familiar to . It was the guard that had let into the dungeon on my first dive.
I acknowledged him by nodding as I passed. From the corner of my eye, I saw him doing a double take after I had passed, probably recognising as well.
A few minutes later, I found myself in front of a small bakery off to the side of Rollas main street. It had a quaint sing above the door that said Cliff and Ariannes bakery. After a nervous sigh, I opened the door and heard the bell jingle. Nobody was manning the counter, but I heard a familiar voice call out from another room.
Be right there, one mont please!, the aged female voice said. My mother.
A mont later, a very pregnant middle-aged lady appeared from a beach room with a tray of sugar pastries; which she set on the rack behind the counter. Absent-mindedly, she greeted .
Welco to Cliff and Ariannes bakery, what can I get you today? my mom asked politely.
How about a hug and a welco ho? I asked with barely contained mirth in my voice.
She spun around before I could blink, and stared at with wide eyes, which quickly filled with tears.
A- Arthur? she said, after a mont of disbelieving silence.
In the flesh. I replied, as I noticed that even my eyes were becoming watery.
Before I could react, my mother had turned into a blur and enveloped in a bone-crushing hug. W- welco b- back she said, sobbing into my shirt.
Be careful, mom! Youre pregnant! I said jokingly, before hugging her back. I had all the ti in the world to do so, after all.
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