Prev Next
Published at 12th of November 2019 08:17:54 PM
Chapter 29


"Hiro, don't just stand there!" I exclaim . He turns tail while the others catch up . I run with him before facing the two charging at us when Sitos catches up .

"I'll take the guy on the left," Sitos claims, preparing to swing his sword .

I focus my eyes on the one ahead of me . We clash our swords a few seconds before the one behind him clangs his weapon against Sitos' . All the joints in my body ache as he pushes my sword back . Sitos is also having trouble . I grit my teeth and grimace, putting all my strength into pushing him back . It doesn't work . I need to get away!

Before his weapon nearly pushes my own into my neck, I want to jump backward, but my legs don't respond . Move damn it!

The man in front of me clicks his tongue and looks toward Sitos . My legs give out as the man pulls back, apparently switching his attention to Sitos .

"Sitoster, watch out!" Drugo exclaims as he runs past me .

A flame sphere appears behind the man Sitos is fighting . It goes on a straight path toward his back, bursting into flames . "Argh!"

Sitos jumps back, joining up with Drugo . The man hit by the flame sphere drops to his knees . "I felt somethin' hot behind me . What the hell was that?"

"I saw some fireball appear behind you," the other man explains, making way back to his comrade . "These aint yer average kids . "

I find the energy to stand back up, making my way to Sitos and Drugo in front of me . The others stand behind us .

"Six against two . Give up," Drugo says . The two men drop their weapons on the ground almost simultaneously .

Both men grovel, and the one hit by Fire magic says, "Okay, okay! We give up!"

I drop my stance, as do the others . Their other friend comes running toward us . "What're ya two doin'?!"

I tense up and ready my weapon, but one of the two on the ground says, "Bro, we can't win . Let's just give up . "

The man drops his weapon, puts his hands in the air, and walks toward us . I relax .

"What do we do with these people now?" I ask .

"That couple over there will know what to do," Drugo says .

"Marin, let's go talk to those two . "

"Sure . " With that, the two girls run toward the couple . Suddenly, the man walking toward us changes direction . Before any of us can react, he grabs Luna and pulls out a dagger with his other hand . He points it to her neck .

"Luna!" Marin screams .

Damn, doesn't he care about his two friends here?! I grit my teeth .

Drugo exclaims, "Hey, what're you—"

The two groveling men suddenly have weapons in their hands . One of them stabs Drugo through the leg while the other one slashes with a sweeping motion toward me . I hold up my weapon at the last second, jumping backward at the same time . My guard breaks easily, and my legs suffer a shallow cut . Sitos jumps over the sweep and cuts the man across his shoulder, between the gaps of his armor . Drugo retaliates and stabs the other man through the arm that stabbed his leg .


"My arm!" one of the men screams . Sitos kicks the other man to the ground, pointing his sword in front of his face .

"Whadaya think yer doin'?! I have yer friend right—" The man holding Luna hostage suddenly trips as he's walking backward and interjects, "Argh!"

He lets go of her as he's pushed away by Luna . There's something smoking around his abdominal region .

Sitos says, "Give up . Don't move or I will—"

The man under his foot attacks him . Sitos pulls back his weapon to defend, but his arm gets cut in the process . He pulls back and clicks his tongue .

"Or you'll what?" the man asks and snickers . He gets back on his feet and continues, "Yer only kids after all . "

Sponsored Content

"Don't forget 'bout me!" Hiro exclaims, running around the man . He points his right palm at the man and shouts, "Water ball!"

A sphere of water appears from Hiro's palm, eventually bursting on the side of the man, drenching him in water . Sitos charges at the man, pointing his left palm toward the man . "Lightning!"

A yellow bolt of lightning comes out of Sitos' palm . Sparks of electricity fly all around the man . He screams a cry of pain before loosening his grip on his weapon and collapses on the ground .

I walk over, pick up the sword, and toss it in a random direction . The other man lies on the ground unconscious with a small pool of blood forming around his right arm . Drugo in a crouched position still has a sword stuck in his leg . A bad feeling envelops me as the sound of a man screaming pierces my ears . I focus my attention toward Luna . Fire comes out of both of her palms on a straight path on the man . The flames cover the man as he rolls on the ground .

"Luna stop!" Marin exclaims while grabbing Luna from behind . Subsequently, she stops, but the man still rolls on the ground as he flails around his body parts . He continues to burn .

"Hiro put him out!" I exclaim as I run toward the burning man . He follows me . By the time we get to him, he stops burning, and his body smokes . He doesn't move . Glimpses of the skin that's visible on his arms, neck, and face have a bubbly appearance . Parts of his skin bleed, whereas other parts look pinkish or black .

I cover my mouth as a nauseating, thick smell enters my nostrils . It resembles a mixture of metallic and sulfuric odors . I'm unable to control myself and vomit on the ground, but the smell lingers as if I taste it inside my mouth .

"Kai, are you okay?" Luna asks, apparently unaffected by the odor . Marin runs away, probably to throw up too .

"Yeah…" I gulp before asking, "Is he dead?"

"I don't know . Maybe?"

I kneel down to the pan and put a finger on his neck . He has no pulse . I gulp before announcing, "He's dead . "

I get up and wipe my finger on my pants .

"Oh well . I don't have to feel bad since he left me with no choice, right?" Luna asks, smiling .

Is this my fault…? I did say all that . . . but . . . talking about it and doing it are different matters .

I don't want to say anything that might make her sad . I ignore the uneasy feeling and with a smile say, "Yeah, it's his fault . "

Still tasting the vomit in my mouth, I step away from the corpse . The middle-aged couple approaches us .

"I don't know who you are, but thank you for saving us," the man says . They both bow . "We don't have much to give you as a reward, but we can surely reward you if you accompany us back to Eruu . "

"That won't be necessary . Can you tell us how to get to Drymo? We're a little lost," I explain . They briefly turn to each other before looking back at us .

"We don't mind, but…it looks like your friend over there won't make it," the man says, pointing in a direction behind me .

I turn around . Drugo's on the ground with the sword still lodged in his leg . His right arm is supported by Sitos .

"Drugo!" I shout as I run over to him . He breathes hard and sweat drips down his face .

"We need to dress that wound . Take that sword out of him, and I'll wrap his leg around this," the man says, carrying his shirt in his hands . Sitos and Hiro hold Drugo down as I grab on the sword . Drugo's body twitches as I pull out the sword . Blood rushes out of his wound . The man rolls up his shirt and ties a knot around the injury . Sitos and Hiro help him stand him .

"Our village is not that far from here . Hang on until then," the man says . Marin joins back with us before the couple leads us to their village . We keep a slow, steady pace, eventually arriving at their village within the hour .

"Wait here," the man instructs . The couple walks ahead of us and talks to the guards in front of the gate . After about a minute, the guards open the gate, and the couple comes back . "We're nearly there . "

We follow the couple into the village, eventually leading us to a large farm . Plentiful amounts of produce litter the fields and dozens of cows graze in the grassy plains on the side . We enter the house at the end of the field .

"Mom, Dad, is that you?"

"We're back . Is Derek still sleeping?"

"Yes, welcome ba…" a young woman appears from the hallway and asks, "Who are our guests?"

"We only made it back safely because of them . "


Sponsored Content
"Oh, no… Wwas it him?"

"No, it wasn't . But they recognized us . Sorry Ariane . But there's no hope for him now . "

"Th-there has to be a misunderstanding! Ragnar would never—"

"People change . "

"But—"

"Not another word . We need to leave to bring the doctor here . This child needs prompt medical attention . Take care of them while we're gone . "

"Wait!" The door closes behind them . Ariane sighs before saying, "Bring him over here . I'll take a look at him . "

Sitos and Hiro help Drugo over to a chair . She unties the blood-drenched shirt and puts her palm over his wound . A faint green light glows around her palm . I raise my eyebrows before asking, "Is that Healing magic?"

"Yes . "

"That's amazing . You have a rare talent! When did you graduate from the Academy?" Luna asks .

Ariane frowns before answering, "I didn't go to the Academy . "

"Are you like Kai then? A renowned person had taught him before he enrolled at the Academy," Luna says .

"I learned from Ragnar," Ariane says with a smile . "Your leg should be fine now . Why don't I look at the rest of you now?"

Drugo stands up and stretches his legs, bending them several different ways . "Yup, I think I made a full recovery . "

"I don't understand . Why're your parents getting the doctor if you could just do that?" I ask as she moves to look at everyone else's injuries .

"My parents don't approve of magic . They often reprimanded me for practicing . "

"That's weird . Why would they disapprove?" I ask .

"It's a long story . " My stomach grumbles . She laughs before saying, "Why don't I get you something to eat first? You must be starving . "

She brings us some bread to snack on before continuing her story . "People with magic talent were a rare thing in our village, but there was a talented pair that appeared about 40 years ago . They were Ragnar's parents . They learned magic on their own and were the pride of the village . Tourist attraction, wealth, trade, business…everything increased over the years they racked up achievements in other places around the world . It was known that they were born and raised in this village . The years after that, the children of age of this village were entered into the Academy in hopes of cultivating unripe fruit .

"The villagers say they never heard back from those children again . They only learned of their demise nearly a decade down the line . About two years after Ragnar was born, his parents met an unfortunate end . My parents who were close friends with his parents say that their fame attracted all kinds of bad people . Among them were those who hunted the strong . Ever since the news of their deaths reached the village, it has been taboo to use magic . "

"I've never heard of magic usage being taboo," I say . "Is Ragnar a close friend of yours? It sounded like he was in some kinda trouble . "

Ariane sighs . "Yeah… Sorry, just listen to me talk for a while longer . I just want someone to hear this . I told you earlier that Ragnar is the one who taught me how to use magic . Like his parents, he was highly gifted in magic . He learned on his own behind the backs of his grandparents and the eyes of the villagers . He wanted to go to the Academy, but he never got to . Neither of us did . He dreamed of going on adventures like his parents did . He was always happiest when he talked about exploring the world .

"Two weeks ago, he was tasked with a job to establish new business relations with a nearby village . Since his grandparents wanted him to inherit their business, they wanted to give him experience in that sort of thing . But, he never came back . We feared the worst . A few days ago someone thought they witnessed him together with some hoodlums . The village organized a group to rescue him, but yesterday he suddenly returned . He said, 'I got away,' and we left it at that .

"I was just glad he was back, unharmed . There was an air about him that was different, but I didn't know exactly what . He started asking me questions like if I wanted to explore the world with him among other things . I regret I didn't give him an answer… Later that night I heard he knocked out the guards and opened the gate for the same hoodlums he was with earlier . They took a large chunk of the village's supplies and rode off . My parents said he was leading them…the bandits . Even if it's true, I won't believe he's doing it out of malice . I've known him my entire life . There's no way he'd hurt anyone . Everyone's eyes are clouded . " She grits her teeth .

"It doesn't sound like he's a bad person . Right, Marin?" Luna says .

Marin smiles . "Yeah, I hope you clear up the misunderstanding . "

"Thanks," Ariane smiles before continuing, "I feel a lot better now . "

The door opens . "We're back . "

The couple enters the living room along with another man . The couple widens their eyes as they look at us . They turn to Ariane before exclaiming, "Ariane! We've told you again and again! To never use your magic! You'll be happier in the end . You don't understand now . "

"Happy? I'll never be happy as long as you treat Ragnar like some criminal!"

Sponsored Content

"Darling, it's done . We reported to the head, and he officially exiled him from this village . By tomorrow, all of Drosera will learn of his bounty . Forget about him . "

"Whwhwhat…" Ariane mutters while gaping at the floor . Nearly five seconds pass before she grimaces and shouts, "I hate you!"

She storms off, opens a door, and slams it behind her .

"Sorry you had to see that . She's been very unstable over the past week . Since the doctor is already here, why don't you let him take a look at you?"

"Sure," Drugo answers, following the doctor into another room . The door closes behind him .

"I understand you guys want to return to Drymo, where the Academy is located . I can arrange for transportation to leave today if you'd like . I hope you decide to rest here for at a least a day so we can repay you, but we won't force you to stay," the man informs .

"Guys, I just remembered… We have the keyword test tomorrow! What're we gonna do if we don't make it in time?" Hiro asks .

"Not tomorrow . The day after tomorrow, moron," Sitos corrects him before continuing, "There is no problem if we stay here for a day . "

"So that's how it is . Do you guys have more food around here?" I ask, feeling like my stomach is bottomless .

"Of course! We don't live on a farm for nothing! We'll do our best to deliver you the best meals until you depart tomorrow!" the woman exclaims .

We enjoy a mini-banquet of food dishes we rarely got to eat at the Academy . We alternate the remainder of the day between eating and sleeping . It continues to the next day .

"Good luck! Come back anytime!" the man shouts as our wagon leaves . Ariane, her parents, and her little brother wave as we ride away from the village .

I sigh . "The last two days felt like forever . I'm definitely gonna take a nap in our old room when we get back . "

"How the hell can you say that after sleeping for an entire day?" Sitos asks with doubt . "Take your nap after we inform the teachers on what happened . "

A chill goes down my spine as I remember the lost book . What am I gonna do…? I have to convince everyone to keep everything a secret…but how…?

My head plays out several different scenarios, but none of them seem viable . I stop thinking when Sitos suddenly asks, "Kai, do you have anything else to add?"

"Huh?" I ask, unsure of what he means by that .

"Are you deaf? Like I was saying… We plan to tell the teachers everything what I just said . Do you have anything you want to add?" he asks again, but I have no idea what they've said .

"Uhh…well…I don't think we should tell them anything," I answer . "We ended up ruining the floor and lost the couch . They might kick us out because of that or make us pay for it . I don't wanna take that chance . "

Sitos laughs . "The damages were not that bad . I am sure someone could easily fix that hole we made . More importantly, I bet the reward we would get for reporting everything we found would be worth a lot more . "

"Yeah! Maybe we'll be famous too! And they can make me a new hammer . "

"So no one wants to add anything else?" My mouth opens, but no words come out . "Then it is settled . "

What am I gonna do if they find that book? What am I gonna tell Emdos…? Shit! Why did I have to lose it in the first place?! I recall the unexplainable occurrences revolving around the book throughout my years .

"Kai, what's wrong?" Luna asks . "You look pale . "

"It-it's nothing…I'm just tired . I'm gonna take a nap," I say and close my eyes, lounging my elbows over the edge of the wagon . Several of them laugh .

"Un-fucking-believable," Sitos says .

I can't help but keep thinking about the book . Hiro asks, "Do ya think we'll encounter any monsters around here? After…and…"

I open my eyes forcefully while jerking my body forward, feeling like something grabbed me . Huh? What was that…?

I look around . A familiar setting surrounds me . This is…the Residential District…

The others look at me blankly . I scratch my head and smile . "I just had a bad dream . By the way, did someone grab me before I woke up?"

They look at each other before turning back to me . They respond nearly in unison, "No…"

Something still lurks at the back of my mind, so I ask, "Did you see anyone suspicious?"

They give each other confused looks before Sitos asks, "What the hell are you talking about? That must have been a really bad dream . "

Feeling the atmosphere tensing up, I laugh . "Yeah, never mind . "

"Did someone chase ya with a giant carrot?" Hiro asks with a straight face then breaks into laughter .

I frown and narrow my eyebrows . "No, what the hell? I'm not scared of that anymore!"

"Then tell us what ya dreamed 'bout!"

"I didn't have a dream," I say accidentally, realizing my mistake after the fact . Hiro gives me a neutral look before melting into a grin .

"Kai's in denial! He's still scared of carrots!"

"No, that's not true!" I say, feeling hot puffs of air exit my nostrils . I sigh then say, "Never mind…"

The wagon rider takes us all the way to the bottom the hill that leads up to the Academy . We thank him before heading up to the entrance . The two guards standing by the main entrance give us a few strange looks .

"Wait a minute . What is with all that blood staining your clothes? You are not 5th-year students yet, are you? I have never seen those weapons before either…"

"Let us pass . We have something of foremost importance to pass to the teachers," Sitos says .

"That will have to wait . We need to verify who you are first . "

Fulharm walks into our view and looks our way . "Oh! If it isn't Emdos' pupil, Kai!"

"Emdos? Glacius?" one the guards asks .

"That's right," Fulharm says .

"Oh, we are sorry about that mix-up! You and your friends can pass!" one of the guards says .

I raise my eyebrows . Wow, if I had known how people would act if they knew Emdos taught me, I would've mentioned it so much sooner! Is Glacius his other name…?

"Fulharm, we have something to tell you," Sitos informs as he leads us to a secluded area . Fulharm stares at the weapons in our hands .

"I'm a little interested in where you got those weapons…"

Sitos give him a summary of everything that happened .

"I see…" he says as he rubs his chin . "I'll let some of the other teachers know about this, so don't tell anyone else . Fixing that floor for you won't be a problem . I'll do it myself . "

"Whatabout our reward?" Hiro asks .

"Hmm… I'll mention it after I pass it along some of the other instructors, along with a replacement for that hammer . In the meantime, I'll take those weapons off your hands . "

We give him the three swords . He heads off in another direction . "I'll be in your room, 1C, to fix the floor after I store these weapons . "

With that, we head back to our dormitory . I say, "Well if you'll excuse me…I'm gonna go take a nap in my old room . "

I wave at the others before going into our old home, the door unlocked . I lock the door, take off my empty backpack, and then fall on my bed . It's nice to finally sleep in my own bed…

I fall asleep .

Report error

If you found broken links, wrong episode or any other problems in a anime/cartoon, please tell us. We will try to solve them the first time.

Email:

SubmitCancel

Share