The silence that followed the flame burst was deafening, and the once tranquil clearing now bore the grim consequences of my actions. The ashen remnants of the fallen hunters mingled with the scorch marks on the forest floor, creating a morbid symphony of destruction.

I stood in the midst of it all, struggling to comprehend what had just happened. Slowly, I started coming back to my senses. I looked down at my hands, which were slightly trembling, as I was replaying the course of events that led to this over and over in my head.

'They were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time,' I thought bitterly.

Everything unfolded so fast that I couldn't wrap my head around it until it was too late. When the hunters ran up to the clearing in pursuit of the boar, I was right in the middle of casting a spell. My essence was freely coursing through my body as I conjured the earth spike.

When I saw them appear in front of me, all I can remember was a sudden surge of fear that enveloped me due to my secret being discovered, and then I momentarily lost control of my magic.

Before I realized what I was doing, the flames had already burst forth and consumed the unfortunate hunters' lives...

I hate the fact that I lost control more than anything. It was similar to what happened back in that cave with the spider-like monster. I realize now that I will have to focus more on essence control than anything else so something like this doesn't happen again.

On the bright side, I got to keep my secrets, but the price for them was maybe too high. Killing a monster in the heat of battle that wants nothing else but to tear you apart feels justifiable and noble, even as you prevent it from attacking other people.

But to take the life of a fellow human, especially one who didn't do anything to you, was something entirely different. However, there was nothing I could do to take my actions back, and I will have to live with the consequences for the rest of my life...

I can now kind of understand why the nobles are monopolizing magic for themselves. Not that I agree with it or that I believe they are doing it from the goodness of their hearts. More likely, they are doing it out of greed to keep all the power for themselves.

Still, letting such a power land in the hands of criminals or, more likely, in the untrained hands of some commoners could spell disaster. 'It would be like letting a toddler play with a hand grenade,' I thought. All the more reason to keep my own powers a secret for now...

Full of guilt and also afraid that someone might have heard the sound of the explosion, I decided to quickly flee the scene and return to the city. Any thoughts of herb gathering that I was so eager for in the morning instantly vanished from my mind.

However, right before I started running in the direction of the city, I froze in my steps as I realized something. I then turned around and carefully observed the burned-out clearing.

'That's right, I have to get rid of the evidence...' Now that I could properly think it through, the situation wasn't as bad as it seemed at first glance.

It wasn't uncommon for a hunter's party to become "lost" during a hunting trip. However, if someone stumbled upon such a scene, they would instantly realize that no monster could have done it.

'I need to bury the ashes and somehow get rid of the smoldering trees...' I released a deep sigh as I went ahead with this morbid task so that I could get out of there as soon as possible.

I once again released my essence, plowing up the clearing and burying the hunter's remains into the ground. I then generated a pressure wave to shatter the few burned trees around the clearing, and then I buried the splinters too.

As a finishing touch, I compacted the top layer of the earth back to how it was before. Now everything looks as if a pack of boars has run over it.

'It is like nothing happened here at all, and there are no witnesses left to tell the tale...' I showed a small smile as I allowed myself to admire my handiwork for a second. I couldn't help but be amazed at how much my magic control has improved in the past few weeks due to my newfound understanding of magic...

On my way back to the city, I walked slowly, lost in my thoughts. I often wondered how it would feel to take the life of a human after I started my quest for power so that I could have a comfortable life here.

I'm quite aware that power is not something that is freely given here. You have to seize it for yourself and destroy anyone who stands in your way. And I wondered how hard it would be to take the life of another human.

Now I have the answer... It turns out it is, in fact, quite easy. Almost too easy...

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

I still remember the fear in the hunter's eyes as the flames consumed them, and there was nothing they could do about it. I'm aware that I may be forced to take more lives in the future if I continue on the path I have chosen.

However, on that day, I vowed to myself that I wouldn't kill others if there was any other way. I felt that if I resolved everything with murder, I wouldn't be any better than the mindless beasts roaming the woods...

***

I returned to the city while still lost in my thoughts. I mindlessly completed the rest of my work in the shop and then went straight back to my apartment. I felt empty inside and didn't feel like doing anything. So I just lay in bed for the rest of the day until I fell asleep.

The next morning, I already felt much better. After a long, dreamless night, I woke up feeling refreshed and decided to focus on my work to help clear my head of any unnecessary thoughts.

'There is no reason to dwell in the past. I need to focus on the future...' There is nothing I can do to reverse the hunters deaths, so drowning myself in guilt over it doesn't help with anything... But as I entered the shop, ready to embark on another journey to the forest to finally gather some herbs, I was stopped by Isadora.

"Darian, you can't go to the forest today." She said with a worried expression.

"A group of hunters didn't return from there yesterday, and there is some concern that it was the work of some powerful monster that found its way there. The magistrate closed off the forest for the public while the beast hunters were scouting it for any signs of the lost hunters."

'Oh crap...' was my first thought. But then I reminded myself that I had made sure to get rid of all the evidence. 'There is no way they could trace it back to me.' I reassured myself as I nodded at Isadora and returned to the workshop.

The forest remained closed for the rest of the week, but in the end, they didn't find anything—no monsters or any trace of what happened to the team of beast hunters. Which was to be expected as there was no monster in the first place...

While I was stuck inside the city, I decided to pay a visit to Myra. I was in dire need of some kind of distraction from the recent events. But as soon as I entered her family's residence, I was informed by Sebastian that Myra's father wanted to talk with me in his office.

'What does he want with me?' I wondered as I ascended the stairs to the upper floor, where his office was located.

Myra's father was a very busy man. With his title of Vogt, his duties kept him back in our village most of the time, which he administered in the name of the Count de Santis. So it was kind of rare to run into him here in the city.

I knocked on the door of his office, my mind filled with curiosity and a touch of apprehension. The door swung open, revealing a spacious room adorned with rich furnishings.

"Darian, come in." He beckoned, gesturing towards a chair opposite his desk. I stepped inside, closed the door behind me, and took a seat, trying to appear composed despite the racing thoughts in my mind.

"Sebastian told me you wanted to speak with me, sir," I said as I looked at him.

He looked at me with his piercing blue eyes. "Of course. In fact, I've been meaning to speak with you for some time now."

His words caught me off guard, and I couldn't help but wonder what business he could have with me.

"Darian," he began, his voice carrying a somber tone, "I trust you are aware of the differences in status between yourself and my daughter, Myra."

I nodded. It was never a problem when we were just kids in the village. Not that I care either way. 'Wait, does he think I have some feelings toward Myra?' I thought amusingly.

"Of course, sir, I'm aware. But Myra was nothing but a great friend to me all those years we spent together."

"I tolerated your relationship back then as you were just kids, and I was glad to see my daughter being happy like that..." He paused for a bit as he seemed lost in thoughts.

I could already see where this was going... He then continued, "But as you are both getting older, it would be inappropriate if you continued to see each other unsupervised."

"I trust that your intentions are nothing but pure, though others might not. And if you two were seen together in public too many times, it would damage Myra's reputation and ruin her future prospects..."

I was pretty fed up with being looked down upon once again just because of the circumstances of my birth. But there was no point in getting angry over something I could do nothing about right now. That, of course, doesn't mean I was just going to give up without a fight...

"But sir, I'm sure you're aware that I'm now a resident of the city, and as an herbalist's apprentice, my status isn't that much different from Myra's."

"Although I recognize your talents...," the Vogt replied, "it's not just a matter of your own standing but also your wealth and family reputation has to be taken into account as you are trying to establish yourself here."

I frowned at his words. 'Wait, so he is basically saying that no matter what I do, I will always be looked down upon as an upstart? Heh, just wait until you find out I'm one of the exalted... I wonder if you would dare talk to me like that again...'

But everything has its time, and I'm nothing but patient... For now, I had to accept his decision, and although I didn't like it, there was nothing I could do about it.

"You can write letters to her, and occasionally you can have dinner with us, but that is all." The Vogt said and stood up, signaling that our conversation was over.

On my way out, I ran into Myra in the hallway. "Darian!" she exclaimed. She had puffed cheeks and red eyes. She must have already gotten the news before I arrived.

I smiled at her in a poor attempt to cheer her up. "Don't worry about it, Myra. I will be sending you plenty of letters. And we will see each other from time to time..."

I could see tears starting to well up in her eyes before she ran away while crying. I turned away with a determined look in my eyes. 'I need more power... I need enough power that nobody will dare tell me that I'm not worthy of Myra's friendship ever again...'