"When I was a warrior, everyone knew me as Elioth, the iron fortress. I aspired to be one of the general's top 5 fingers, but that was over 10 years ago..." Elioth lowered his head as he filled his cup with a greenish tea. "As strong as I was, war is treacherous, and strength isn't everything. When you lose once, even if you've done everything you could, spilled your blood, sweat, and tears, in the end, it all means nothing if you die or fail. I always thought I was different, but I'm not."

"So, was it your defeat that made you step away from the war?" Viktor questioned, slightly furrowing his brow, while Alma remained turned but listening.

"I didn't step away; they pushed me away," Elioth stood up, leaning on both his cane and the table, walking past it and facing the young ones.

He reached for the bottom of his leather shirt, causing Nina to step back, prompting Alma to furrow his brow as he watched Elioth reveal his torso.

As they saw it, simultaneously, all three widened their eyes at the sight of a strong, albeit thin and aged body, covered in large and small scars that adorned his entire trunk. Viktor squinted while Alma turned away, taking the forefront from Nina.

"These scars tell stories. How many times was I struck and survived? How many experiences with death have I had? How many of those were for my comrades?" Elioth kept his gaze downcast, but there was a faint smile on his face. However, soon, he pulled up his pants to the calves, revealing two larger cuts on the sides of his legs, with marks resembling burns. "But in the end, just one is enough to stop you from fighting again."

When they looked, both Viktor and Alma didn't know what to say and continued to stare, surprise etched in their minds.

Nina stepped forward from Alma, observing the wound, slightly lowering her brows with a look of pity while Elioth continued.

"When they captured me, they thought to kill me, but first, they wanted me to suffer. They tortured me for a long time and with a hot blade incapacitated my legs so there would be no risk of me fighting even if I escaped." He kept his gaze low and pulled down his pants, putting his shirt back on. "If you want to know what I gain? I just want you to find some ingredients for me, and with them, I can try to make a cure. In return, I can buy everything you can get and pay a fair price for the magical meat, besides providing maps and teaching what I can until you're ready by the time you're 16 to choose your side, which honestly... I don't care which side it is, it's no longer part of my life..."

"Many young people join the army for the higher ranks' salaries, but you reached one; all you got from them was this shop?" Viktor asked, still disbelieving.

"Many soldiers weren't paid even after leaving or retiring. In the end, all I got was little compared to what I thought it would be. All summed up with the realization that I would never fight again drove me mad for a while, and well..." Elioth forced a bitter smile and said, "You're young, and you wouldn't understand, but seeking some solace, I spent a long time spending what I had earned on drinks and parties... it's not a story I'm proud of, but I did. All I want is to walk again, no matter the price I pay, before I die, there's still something I need to do."

Viktor maintained a slightly lowered gaze, but in the end, Elioth said.

"Honestly, I don't want you to pity me, but I would greatly appreciate if you could help me, and in return, I'll help you with what I can. That's all I can promise." He kept a faint smile on his face as he walked back to his chair, and finally, Alma crossed his arms, saying.

"And why don't you go get those ingredients for the cure yourself? Even if we're strong, I can say for sure that if we fought many times, most of the time, you'd win. So why?" He furrowed his brow and said, "That's the only part that doesn't make sense to me."

As he finished the sentence, Viktor turned his gaze to Alma, who returned the look but remained silent. However, soon, both looked back at Elioth, who sat down, showing an awkward smile and pulling the sleeve of his shirt to reveal scars also on his wrists.

"Even though there's still a great presence emanating from me, I could only ward off some weaker animals and monsters. The areas where these ingredients are located are very remote, and with these wounds, I'd be completely useless there." He sighed lightly and continued. "Otherwise, I would have gone myself."

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In the end, there were no more doubts, and Viktor sighed, saying.

"Well, I can't accept taking this task for you if I'm not going to complete it to the end. Let's assess the first mission and return with the answer, whether we'll continue or not."

Even though Alma stared for a few moments, he remained silent, and Nina continued to observe.

"Okay, those are fair terms." He sighed, seeming relieved, and continued. "Actually, I would like it this way. I have my goals, but I won't send you to your death. I think this first mission will serve well to show what level you're currently at."

"Show the level?" Viktor raised an eyebrow and said. "Can't you say that just by seeing our presence? And what will be the mission?"

"Even though I might, it's not enough. For example, you seem physically stronger than the archer, but he has much more presence than you, and the girl has almost none. But in a real fight, that could mean everything, but it could also mean nothing. Even if you're pure talent, if you don't know how to fight, it'll be useless." He poked an old parchment with his cane, spreading it across the counter, revealing a map drawing. "In this region, there's a cave where a creature hides, a Wolverine. A golden wolf that only appears at night and enters its cave to hide during the day. I want you to bring me its meat and horn. I'll buy everything from you at a fair price, even if you decide to quit after this, just as I promised."

Viktor and Nina approached to see the map while Alma continued to watch from the door. Viktor saw a small area marked where the Wolverine was supposed to be, nodding in agreement and quickly taking the map.

"We'll return with the Wolverine and then give the definitive answer..." Viktor rolled up the map and turned around, tapping it closed on his shoulders and saying, "But we won't take all that time."

Elioth raised his eyebrows, and Viktor turned his face, keeping a faint smile, saying.

"Even if it's easy, you'll have to find a way to prepare us until winter, or else, no deal." He turned to Nina and Alma, saying, "Let's go, team."

"Hey, wait. You can only join at 16 years old." He saw the swordsman passing the entrance, then again said, "Hey!"

"It's okay; we just need to be good enough that they can't refuse us." Viktor stopped near the door and waved goodbye. "Let's go."

"Y-Yeah!" Nina spoke, following Viktor out of the shop, followed by Alma, who remained silent.

As Elioth continued in the shop, he still didn't know how to react, but in the end, he sighed, giving a faint smile.

"These youngsters..."

The group quickly distanced themselves from the shop, and according to the map, they needed to head to the east exit of the town.

Some time passed as they walked, and Nina, who had been silent for almost the entire meeting, walked looking restless. For a brief moment, she looked back and noticed the shop was a bit farther away.

"Hey, Viktor..." She squinted her eyes and looked down, saying, "I know his story and wounds carried some weight... but all that seemed so..."

"We know, Nina." It was Alma speaking beside her. During much of the meeting, he also remained silent, but now a faint smile was on his face as he said, "He was lying."

"You... knew? Why did you accept then?" She questioned, still in disbelief, and soon the trio stopped walking.

Alma took the map from Viktor's hands and said, "We needed a map, and now we have one. Maps shouldn't be so hard to buy, but if we have a path to follow, we can go to another town and sell everything. Besides, we now have information about a strong and apparently magical monster." Alma maintained the same smile on his face and spread the map in front of him, trying to analyze it more calmly.

"But he..." She remained uncertain, but soon said, "I know that whole story seemed rehearsed, and although he only started walking with the cane after we met, which could mean he lied, but... all those scars seemed..."

"Those scars were precise on the tendons and show that there's some truth, but there's still something about him that I don't believe." Alma closed the map and put it on his shoulder, tapping it lightly, just like Viktor, as he said, "We're still going to continue the mission. If he buys the materials, we can exchange our equipment for better things, and on top of that, we'll be trained. Running away is just one option, not the only one. If the subsequent missions are too dangerous, we can just leave. But it was a last-minute plan, Viktor, do you agree with everything I said?"

The two turned to the swordsman, who remained standing, looking at them. His neutral expression soon turned into a smile, making Alma smile too.

"I knew about the cane, but the plan is all yours." Viktor took the map off Alma's shoulders, still smiling. "But I thought it was brilliant."

The sentence radiated sincerity as if shining, but silence reigned after that brief response. Nina stared, trying to find an appropriate expression, while Alma slowly furrowed his brows, a blatant denial on his face.

"If you thought of such a long-term plan, at least we have an escape route, right, Al?" He turned toward the road and continued walking with larger steps, appearing more distracted.

Slowly, he disappeared from the siblings' view, who remained paralyzed. However, Nina resumed walking, lowering her head, still unable to find an answer for what she felt, while Alma rubbed his eyes, still disbelieving, but soon resumed moving, entering the same street as the swordsman while they slowly walked into the forest.