Kaiser blinked in confusion, then looked down at the white slab in his hand—the same one he had bullied Ariella to get earlier. Without realizing it, he had been holding it all this while, even while drawing his sword moments ago, Kai only used his dominant hand. Having momentarily forgotten about the peculiar piece of wood.

He briefly examined the slab with a newfound curiosity, wondering what the short man meant. Eventually, he asked.

"Why, is this thing special or something?"

The blacksmith let out a hearty laugh. "Haha, sort of. It's Apela wood, produced by rare trees found near the Boundary. You know how strange the Boundary is, so most folks tend to avoid it, that wood isn't spared either. But believe me, they’re just being overly paranoid, if you ask me. I've used this wood for crafts multiple times already, and nothing weird ever happened. It's really amazing how light it is, wouldn't you agree?"

The blacksmith looks intently at the wood Kaiser held, then shifted his distant gaze at the window, his tone turning wistful. "It's a shame we'll be leaving this village soon. I won't get to venture near the Boundary to find more of this for a long, long time... Maybe never."

Kaiser watched the display blankly, his mind unfazed by the blacksmith’s attempt at a heartfelt sales pitch. He had seen this kind of performance before, often done by scammers or professional salers in varying degrees. Intriguing introduction of the product with a touch of mystery, emphasizing its unnatural origin and rarity. Then finished up with some words of authenticity to assure the listeners of its harmlessness.

The clever use of mystique and authenticity to reel in the customer.

Whether it's real or not, the Blacksmith sure does a good job in his opinion.

‘Really? You're just trying to lure me into buying your trash. No need for the Oscar-worthy performance,’ Kaiser smiled, deciding to save the man the hassle as he intentionally fall for it.

"Since I found it in the pile, can I have it?" he asked, feigning interest.

"Sure, only for a really affordable price. One silver would do," the blacksmith said with a grin.

"Deal," Kaiser agreed without hesitation. "And could you add a carving set on top of that?"

The blacksmith's face fell, clearly remembering how he had just said he would not dig through his packed inventory again, just moments ago. With a resigned sigh, he muttered, "This is the last time, Kai. Last time. I won’t be taking any more orders after this. You hear me... Just wait right here."

As the blacksmith disappeared into the back room, Kaiser found himself back to gazing at the hound again.

However, his mind was somewhere else. He felt satisfied with his purchase, not because it rewarded the blacksmith's dramatic effort to sell his junk, but because Kaiser was interested in buying it from the start.

An idea had already sparked in his mind when he saw the seemingly worthless slab of white wood. Urging him to get it no matter the price.

What could he say? His plan in mind was probably the most decent thing he ever thought of in his life, so price doesn't matter, more so when his pocket of gold is deep.

He thought about crafting something meaningful out of the Apela wood for Ariella and Cia. Ariella had been noticeably uncomfortable with the hideous mask he bought to cover her beauty. She often took it off when they were alone and quickly put it back on when others approached, afraid to displease him or cause trouble—an act that only made her more endearing in his eyes, which pained him more in turn. After all, it was his own paranoia that obligated her to wear that mask.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

He still remembered an insignificant event that happened earlier on their way here. When Ariella encountered a group of kids playing in the street. One of them accidentally bumped into her, and though she had genuinely wanted to help the child up, the sight of her ugly mask had made the kid cry in fright, instead. Although, she hid it, the sadness of the goddess was almost palpable to him.

He knew, she does deserve that.

Kaiser wanted to shield Ariella from the unwanted attention of others, but not at the cost of her happiness. There was no suitable mask for sale in the village, and the market was too modest to provide anything decent other than the mask she wore which was originally made for kids... So, he decided that he would make a likeable mask for her himself. The slab was just the right size to craft a mask that would be both protective and more fitting for her, with even a bit left over to create something special for Cia.

A small smile tugged at his lips as he envisioned Ariella’s delighted expression when she received the new mask. It was a rare moment of softness in his otherwise hardened demeanor, a fleeting vulnerability that he quickly masked with his usual stoic expression. But even he couldn’t deny that the thought of making them happy brought a sense of purpose he hadn’t felt in a long time.

It didn't take long before the blacksmith emerged from the storage room. The short yet masculine man was sweating excessively, his struggle evident as he handed Kaiser a small wooden box filled with a modest set of carving tools.

"Huff, huff... Be grateful brat, now I have to rearrange my things inside." He grumbled.

After checking inside, Kaiser gave a satisfied smile. Accepting it with a nod.

"Neat. Thanks, I'll make to take good care of my last purchase." He said, grateful for the equipment despite its simplicity. He even gives a tip for the blacksmith's effort.

Only then did he turn to leave, giving the horned hound one last glare, as if telling it to stay in its place.

Nevertheless, it was a satisfying day and was rather refreshing thanks to the encounter with other people after two days of solitude with Ariella and Cia. The air outside was different, too. It has the myriad sound and odd taste of bustling society, a bit uncomfortable for him, but at the same time, slightly soothing.

Although, Kai was slightly reluctant to admit, but his glad he substantially heeded Alfred's advice about not seeing everyone as potential enemies. Prompting him to get outside and socialize once in a while, and know others better Instead of outright judging them.

Stepping outside, Kaiser mood plummeted because the first thing he saw was Brick. Who was busy loading swords onto a wagon, the blades lustrous edges suggest they're freshly sharpened. The wooden wagon looked sturdy, but seemed lacking in size. It was probably designed for the hound to pull. However, something else in the wagon caught Kaiser's attention inside the wagon - a mechanical object made of various interconnected metal parts.

"What are you staring at?" Brick snapped, his irritation evident as he put the sword down, clearly offended by Kaiser's unintentional scrutiny.

Kaiser met Brick's glare with a light smile, not missing a beat. "The face of a loser, duh."

Brick ground his teeth, his face flushed red with anger, and for a moment, it seemed like he might explode and assault Kai. But surprisingly, he took a deep breath and managed to hold back his temper.

"Just get out of my sight already before I throw these metals at your face, bastard!" he growled, turning away to avoid meeting his hated young man's annoying face.

Kai's smile remained nonchalant, not wanting to escalate the situation unnecessarily. But he couldn't leave without satisfying his curiosity.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll go away. But what's that, first?" He pointed at the strange mechanical object next to the swords. It looked intricate, pieced together for a specific function that wasn't immediately clear to him.

"Traps, what else?" Brick replied with a sneer. "Why, don't tell me you haven't seen one before." He said, staring at Kai, anticipating an offended reaction.

However, his just not in the mood for it. He shrugged. "I have, but different models and more advanced." he said nonchalantly before turning to leave.

Just as he was about to walk away, Brick's rough voice called out again, catching him off guard. "By the way, in case no one informed you yet—something big will be happening tonight. I hope you're prepared," Brick added, merely sharing information distributed to all Hunters participating in the hunt tonight. Although, they have personal grudges. Brick isn't irrational enough to involve it in his line of juty.

However, that actually unintentionally did dire damage to Kaiser. He froze in his tracks. A cold realization washed over him as he processed Brick's words as his eyes slowly widened.

'Why didn't anyone tell me this earlier.'

Precisely because of that, there's no sense of seriousness in his mind to urged him to prepare. Leading him to be swayed by his personal desires which ironically, was too lazy to sleep during the day and instead, prompted him to do something else. Something he wants to do, rather than what was necessary. Which is understandable considering his a hard-headed teenager with such tendency.

Why would he sleep in daytime if he desliked it? Besides, patrolling is just strolling around the village and even if he spotted the monster, his confident in his speed. it's no big deal.

Or so, he thought...

Now that he thinks about it, judging by the newly purchased traps, sharpened swords and Brick not performing daytime patrol, meaning he would probably be participating, too...

Tonight won't be the usual patrol.

Looking up at the lilac sky of evening, Kaiser drew a shaky breath, his lips twisting into a crooked smile.

'I'm f*cked.'

It reminded him of the times when he takes a crucial exam without review.

Of course, it didn't end well.

He thought it was a mere quiz, not the final exam of his life!