The last step of my plan was to figure out how to approach the Vogt and ask him if he would take me with him to the city.

But all my careful planning would be turned on its head one day when Myra cheerfully told me, "Darian, my father wants to meet you and has invited you for dinner tonight!"

"Ugh, What? Why does he want to meet me?" I asked with a puzzled face.

"I don't know, but I was telling him that you help with my studies, and I guess he got interested in you."

"Alright, sure, tell him I will be there." I nodded happily as the biggest hurdle seemed to have solved itself without me having to lift a finger.

I then ran back home to quickly wash and put on my best clothes so that I would make a good first impression.

My parents were equally surprised that he invited me. It is not often that someone from the village gets to dine with Vogt and his family.

Although we are all commoners from the perspective of the nobles, the Vogt, as an administrator of the village who collects taxes, holds the highest authority here, and the villagers treat him with respect.

He also comes from a rich, well-respected family of merchants and administrators, which puts him in a higher class than everyone else around here.

As the time for dinner came closer, I made my way to the Vogt's house to find out why he had taken an interest in me.

I was escorted to the dining hall by one of their servants, and everyone was already seated around a big wooden table.

I walked into the hall with a mix of excitement and nervousness. As I approached the table, I could see the curious eyes of everyone focused on me.

The Vogt himself was sitting at the head of the table. He was a middle-aged man with long hair the color of straw and a well-trimmed beard.

I had seen him around the village before, but never this close. He was studying me intently, his blue eyes piercing and cold.

Next to him sat a beautiful woman with the same fiery red hair and green eyes as Myra, his wife.

She gave me a slight nod of acknowledgment before losing interest in me and looking away. Myra, on the other hand, greeted me cheerfully with a wave and a big smile.

"Ah, so you are the Gorn's youngest son!" The Vogt greeted me, his voice low and measured. "Good evening, sir," I replied. "Good evening, my lady. I'm Darian, and I'm honored by your invitation."

I gave a slight bow, as my father had taught me to do when meeting someone of higher status.

The Vogt seemed pleased with my manners. "Good, good. Now come sit with us."

I took a seat next to Myra, and dinner was served. I was curious about the type of food that would be served in a rich family like this one, but it wasn't any better than what we had at our uncle's house in the city.

Don't get me wrong; it was great, but not the opulent feast I had imagined. It made sense, though. There wasn't much choice when it came to food variety in the village, and I wasn't important enough to warrant a feast.

As we ate, the Vogt asked me about my studies with Myra. "So I heard you are helping Myra with studying; is it true?" he inquired.

"Yes, sir," I replied. "I help her sometimes when she is stuck at something."

"I was very surprised," the Vogt continued. "Myra is constantly talking about you, and recently her progress has been much better thanks to you."

I felt a sense of pride in my chest. "Thank you, sir."

The Vogt continued his questioning. "But tell me, why do you want to learn to read? It will be useless to you in any job around here."

I hesitated for a moment before answering. "I'm not sure if I should tell you this since I haven't talked about it yet with my father, but I'd like to follow my brother Konrad and find an apprenticeship in the city."

"And I figured that knowing how to read would give me an advantage over other apprentices there."

The Vogt chuckled. "Haha! You are an interesting kid. Everyone else is running around the village playing, but you are already making plans for the future..."

"It seems that this village is too small for you, which kind of makes sense. Your father's family actually comes from the city, so it's not so surprising you find life here quite boring."

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"Thank you, sir," I replied. "I actually quite like it here, but I feel like there is no future for me here. If you don't mind, I have a question of my own."

"Sure, ask me," the Vogt said.

"Old Sven is currently teaching me how to hunt, and I already managed to hunt a rabbit on my own."

"I wanted to ask you if I could accompany you on your trip to the city to sell my hide."

"But you are going to the city with your father to the autumn market, no?" the Vogt asked. "Why not wait till then?"

"Well," I replied, "I also miss my brother Konrad, and I'd like to spend more time with him."

"Hmm, family is important; fine. If your father agrees, I don't mind taking you with me since you already went there, know the road, and also have family there where you can spend the night."

"Thank you, sir."

"But you should know that the city is a dangerous and unforgiving place. If you're not careful, you could end up like so many others: lost, penniless, and alone. Are you willing to take that risk?"

I nodded, feeling determination coursing through me. "Yes, sir. I'm willing to take whatever risks are necessary to achieve my dreams."

The Vogt smiled then, a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Very well, Darian, it's settled then."

We finished the dinner, and I excused myself since it was already getting quite late and ran home, the conversation with the Vogt echoing in my mind.

***

I could feel the tension in the air as my father exclaimed, "You want to do what now?!" his voice rising in disbelief.

It was early in the morning the following day, and I just told him the news of my wish to travel to the city and my arrangements with the Vogt.

His reaction was predictable, but it still stings.

"Not only did you come to me with that idea of yours that you wanted to go hunt in the forest, but now you even want to go to the city alone, and you even managed to convince the Vogt to agree to it?"

"Where do you even get all of these crazy ideas?"

I took a deep breath and tried to keep my cool. "But you quite liked the rabbit that I caught the other day, didn't you?"

My father's expression darkened. "That's not the point! With how things are going, the next month you will come to me and say, "I want to be a Beast hunter and go slaying monsters in the woods!"

"You think wrongly of me, Father! I would never do something as dangerous as that!"

I felt a little guilty for lying to him with a straight face like that, but what else was I supposed to say to him if I didn't want to be grounded for the rest of my childhood?

"It's just that I like it in the city, and I want to be an apprentice there like Konrad."

"What's this about? Aren't you a little young to think about an apprenticeship yet?"

"Besides, the only reason I was able to secure Konrad's place there is because your uncle is a family, and I knew he has no son of his own; getting some complete stranger to accept you without proper connections is an impossibility..."

"And even if by some miracle you would find someone who would be willing to take you, it would still require a huge sum of money, which we don't have!" My father exclaimed angrily.

"I know that; that's why I'm learning how to hunt so that I can make some money of my own. You must know that there is no future for me in the village..." I replied resolutely.

'I can't show any hesitation now...' I thought with determination, as this was the most critical moment.

"With Rolf inheriting the smithy, even if I trained to be a blacksmith, where would I even work? That's why I'm learning to read and want to go to the city to explore it; there is certainly something I could do there." I added with a somber tone.

My father looked at me for a long moment. "Hmm, so it is about the future, eh? Well, I was hoping to convince the Vogt to take you on as one of his servants..." He said bleakly.

"The pay is meager, but you would have a roof over your head and good food, and if you worked hard, you could even be promoted."

"But if you want to try your luck and find your own path, what kind of father would I be to stand in your way?" He smiled weakly at me.

I was quite moved that he would allow me to find my own path. "Thank you, Father. I will not disappoint you!"

"Heh, You better not. Run along now and make me proud." Father looked at me longingly at the end.

***

'Wow, that was intense!' I thought. But in the end, everything worked out, and I'm allowed to go to the city.

Although it was clear from my father's expression that he still doesn't believe I could succeed in my quest, he will at least let me try; that's all I'm asking for. If I don't try, how will I know if it's impossible or not?

Besides, even in the worst-case scenario, I can still become a beast hunter. I'm sure that with my magic, I can become very powerful very quickly, but let's keep it as a last resort for now.

I then went to find Myra to tell her the good news and ask that she relay my message to her father that I was allowed to go to the city.

"Wow! You've got to go to the city! I'm so jealous!" she exclaimed.

I grinned and said, "Well, I'm still nowhere near my goal, but now at least I can start."

"I'm so glad! But that means that if you manage to get an apprenticeship there, we get to see each other because when I turn 10, I will move to the city to go to the school there!"

"That's great, so will you tell your father that I got permission to go?"

"Of course! Now let's play some more!"

I was then informed when the trip would take place, which was right at the beginning of summer.

In the meantime, I continue to hone my hunting skills and look for more herbs.

I managed to hunt two more rabbits but didn't gather any umbrifila because they seem to grow deeper in the Forest, where I couldn't go while I was with Old Sven, but I didn't mind since I already got quite a bunch of them at the start of the spring.

The day of my journey came quickly, and it was time for me to go. My mother was very worried when she found out that I would be going there alone, but my father managed to calm her with the knowledge that I would be traveling with the Vogt, protected by beast hunters from the city.

She then gave me a little basket with gifts for Konrad and the rest of the uncle's family, and I was to relay my parent's regards. I nodded my head and quickly ran away before I had to hear for the umpteenth time how much I should be careful.

I met the little caravan in the village square. There were three wagons in total, each driven by a pair of oxen. Since horses were quite expensive, oxen were usually used for moving cargo.

The Vogt was already sitting in the front wagon with the driver. There were also three rough-looking men chatting among themselves.

These were probably those famous beast hunters from the city; it was the first time I got to see them up close, and I was curiously looking them over, but the Vogt beckoned to me to move quickly since it was time for us to move.

Myra waved at me, and I smiled at her as our small caravan headed out to the city.