“So, what’s your problem with Noah?” Max asked, while Cy continued to circle around Straw like a vulture. The magic user’s face went pale, but he seemed to ignore the question. Up until now, Max wasn’t too sure how effective Cy’s magic was. But seeing his reaction to being around and even mentioning Noah, it indicated how detailed he could see someone’s fate. Secrets weren’t hidden from him. “Oh, I see how it is.”

“How what is?” Cy asked as he grabbed Straw face, before dropping it when he realised how slimy her nose was. He reached into his never-ending pocket and pulled out a pair of black gloves before trying to grab her face again. Having had enough of the thoughtless intrusions of her personal space, Straw turned away from them and began the long walk back to the other girls in Bo Field. “Can you go bring her back?”

“No.”

“Oh, come on!” Cy cried in irritation at Max, who was leisurely leaning against the fence post he had made just over a week prior. “You know I’m not great around them.”

“And you call yourself a vet?”

“You called me a vet first. I’m just going along with the lie you told.”

“You called yourself ‘an amazing vet’ just moments ago? I never called you ‘amazing.’” Frustrated, Cy began to stomp after Straw. Max waited for a couple of seconds before deciding to go after him. As indicated by the story prompts, the system didn’t want them to talk. So, he was going to force words out of his mouth while he was uncomfortable. “Is Straw’s ‘delay in fate’ really that odd? Surely, it must happen occasionally.”

“If their fate is flexible then sure, it happens. Her destiny was fixed. Nothing was supposed to change that. And in the long run, nothing has changed. I’ve just never seen such a dramatic and unexplained shift before…”

“First, you say you have no experience with people like me, who have no fate. Now, you can’t explain how someone changed their destiny. You’re really inexperienced.”

Cy stopped in his tracks. He looked so hurt that it unsettled Max a little, but his face dropped to a more neutral expression after a moment. “There’s something strange about this village, Max. I’m not sure why so many unexplainable things keep happening…”

“Then maybe you should leave?”

“Ever considered that you’re the one who is supposed to leave? Perhaps you’re fate-less because you’re still here.”

“I’m happy here.” Max dismissed the idea.

“Are you? You have no real friends, no proper relationships with anyone.” Cy expected for Max to get angry; to snap back and try to give examples of friends he had. Instead, he was calmly looking at the small herd of cows, who were patiently waiting for Straw to catch up.

“It’s peaceful here.”

“… Didn’t you say some of your cows got abducted by Aliens? Doesn’t sound peaceful to me.”

For the first time since they met, Max let out a genuine, small smile. “Juniper and some other old girls got abducted. The shepherd boy turned into a monster and fell down a well. Kurt, the butcher’s son, got carted away to become a Duke. An amnesiac died on Shinu Road. And there’s a potential epidemic if we’re not careful with berry girls.”

“Berry girls?”

“But on days like these, when I’m just looking after the cows in the fields… it’s peaceful.”

Cy thought for a moment. “Doesn’t sound too peaceful. Sounds like the eye of a storm.”

“Max!”

“Adelaide.”

“How are you, Ada?”

“Same-old,” she said dismissively to Cy, while keeping her gaze fixed on Max. He did his best to not make eye contact with her as he unloaded the delivery. Bessie would’ve been displeased with his customer service, but she was too busy nursing her severe hangover while tearing farmer Mill a new one. Adelaide leaned into whisper, “We didn’t really get to finish our conversation last time. You were gone when I came out, and Aldwin was raving about some fake magic bones.”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“They weren’t fake,” Cy grumbled, slightly under his breath.

“Fake or not, they were gross.”

It was uncomfortable. At least Max was smart enough to bring Cy with him. Cy could do most of the talking while he checked her story prompt had really been cancelled. There was no sign of it. The only time he had seen a romantic story prompt cancelled was when someone took on the role of the main character or the romantic target in question died before the method to start was completed. Grilling Cy on the way to the village shop revealed she was still single as far as he was aware. She wasn’t dead either. So, where did the story prompt go?

While he ignored the other two, who were engaged in a deep conversation about Aldwin’s stupidity, the village shop bell gave out a little tingle.

“Are you Max?” The knight by the village shop’s door enquired.

His instinct was to deny and run. Had the village finally grown tired of him and thought he was a troublemaker? Had he caught on to what Noah told him yesterday about the strange commission after Cy disappeared? It didn’t matter since a prompt condemned him to answer.

Story Name:

The Outlaw

Genre:

Crime

Description:

Hunted down by the Kingdom, the MC decides to devolve into a life of crime.

Goal:

Usurp the king

Difficulty:

★★★☆☆

How to Start:

Lie or run from Reymond, the knight!

“That’s right.”

“You don’t have to answer him, Max,” Adelaide said defensively. Her tone and mannerisms were a mirror image of her mother. “You. Get out of my shop.”

“Yeah, outsiders aren’t welcomed here.” Cy chimed in, completely failing to see the irony of his words.

Reymond seemed perplexed at the sudden animosity thrown at him. Max was the only one who looked calm. “Ignore them. You need me to come with you, right? Cy, can you finish the delivery for me?”

“No, I’m not going to abandon you like this!”

Still confused at the situation, Reymond tried to reassure the frantic pair. “The mayor wants to talk to him. That’s all! There’s nothing to be concerned about.”

Hearing the mayor’s title, Cy’s face went slightly pale before he let out his fake laugh. It was slowly becoming iconic in the village for making everyone feel so uncomfortable. His attitude suddenly did a 180. “You hear that, Max? You’re just going to the mayor’s office-”

“House,” Reymond corrected.

His face got paler. “House… So, you’ll be fine!”

“Are you shitting me? That’s probably one of the most dangerous places in the village for him as an amnesiac.” Adelaide was genuinely angry as she stepped out from behind the counter.

“It’ll be fine.” Max reassured the pair of them. Adelaide reached out to grab his arm and, as an instinctive reaction, he jerked his arm back and away from her. “Let’s go, Reymond.”

“Uh, sure.”

Max stopped in front of the biggest and most luxurious house within the barely surviving village. The mansion had three stories, stained glass windows on the second and third floor, three chimneys, and a garden which was carefully managed. The crime prompt still hadn’t been rescinded, forcing Max to follow Reymond to the mayor’s house. But to their surprise, it had been a pleasant walk since they seemed to get along well. “You think he’s embezzling funds?”

“Well… he is a politician.” Reymond opened the garden gate for him.

“Yeah, but I thought he was a man of the people. The other villagers seem to like him.” Even if it was because they were all betting on when he was going to kick the bucket. The front door opened to a tastefully decorated corridor festooned with wooden carvings and paintings. Truly, the best art that the area could offer.

“You do know he made himself mayor, right?”

“What?”

“Think about it, Max. This village is awfully small to have a mayor. I heard he established the role and put himself in a position of power when he was in his mid-twenties. There hasn’t been an election since, and no one has contested his power.”

“There was probably a reason why,” Max murmured. If the gossip he heard from Aldwin was correct, then it all made sense. It was the reason why he never questioned it before.

“Here’s his study. Don’t get too surprised with the decorations. His son designed most of the rooms in the house-”

“He has good taste.”

Reymond gave a strong nod to show his agreement. “Too bad the mayor’s taste is… different.” A day ago, Max would’ve been surprised to have seen anything other than dated furniture and memorabilia that reminded people of ancient times. Now, he wasn’t the slightest bit alarmed from the vivid red room. Several silk paintings hang on the walls, each depicting things that didn’t exist in this world. A mahogany table and chairs set had been placed in front of a wide desk covered with bits of paper. Sitting on the mahogany table was the dragon sculpture Noah made. The only thing that caught him off guard was the intricately carved mural with some metal work behind the desk. It had been a while since he saw that symbol. No wonder Cy went pale at the thought of being near Noah and the mayor.

“Welcome Max,” the decrepit mayor said in a calm voice behind them, causing the pair to jump. “It’s about time we had a little chat.”