Cain and Welt sat down in their chairs in front of the western gate. The same old bricks and closed gates were a site Welt was familiar with. Even though today was supposed to be their day off, Cain had called him over to play cards. Since he had nothing to do, he figured it would be fine to go with Cain’s suggestion, but Welt’s eyes widened as Cain got his fifth win in a row. The pairs formed on the wooden box were exactly the same ones marked with a faint trace of mana at the corners of the cards. Cain was painfully making it obvious that there was only one reason for his consistent wins.
Welt stared at him and placed the stack of cards back on the table. “Since when could you see the flow of mana?”
Cain scoffed before smirking. “Probably around my third loss.”
“And you just let me win all those other times?” Welt shook his head at Cain’s grand revelation. He leaned back in his chair and said, “You sly bastard.”
“Yep.” Cain took the playing cards and placed them in his pocket.
“Why?” Welt looked at his friend with puzzlement. “If you knew the entire time, why did you just go along with it?”
“Because you were still slowly working on perfecting your craft. I just wanted to see how far you could go.” Cain shrugged his shoulders. “I thought it would cheer you up as well.”
“Heh…you’re unbelievable.”
“Not really. I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid. Welt.”
“Alright…you didn’t call me over here to play cards then. What is it you wanted to say?”
“I think you should go with Arthur and Paul.” Cain’s voice was steady and firm, unlike his usual demeanor.
“What do you mean? Why would I go with them?”
“You aren’t serious, are you Welt? C’mon after the fight with those cultists. You don’t believe that this is your limit, right?” Cain‘s eyes focused on Welt, who wore a downcast expression.
“I can’t…I can’t overcome the hurdle.”
“You can and you will.”
“I haven’t been able to. No matter how much I tried, I don’t have the confidence anymore.”
“Not by yourself, but with those two, maybe you’ll find something that will help you grow.” Cain stood up and brushed the dust off his pants. “Look, the reason I became a guard is because I love this town. It’s my home, my purpose. But for you it’s different. You came here with me because you didn’t know where else to go.”
“That’s not true-”
“Just hear me out Welt, alright?.” Cain walked to the side and pushed aside a few planks, revealing a leather backpack. “You’re my friend. You were the top scholar in magic studies in the academy and many people, including me, were envious of the talents you have but somewhere along the way you lost yourself.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point here is that there is a chance for you to fix your core and reform your magic circles, but it’s not here. If you stay here, your chances go from fifty, forty, hell even from ten percent to zero.” Cain placed the backpack onto the wooden box as a loud thud echoed throughout the area. “What you need is to see more of the world and grab onto the opportunities given to you.”
“You’re not saying…”
“I am. This is an opportunity for you to do more with your life besides being a guard, and if you don’t grab onto this opportunity…well I’m going to beat the shit out of you.”
“You’re lying.” Welt released an awkward laugh but soon stopped upon seeing Cain’s stern gaze.
“I’m not. I can’t stand seeing you rot like this.” Cain pulled Welt to his feet and grabbed him by the shoulders. ”How can I call myself your friend if I just let you waste your life here?”
“Even if I go, it won’t make a difference,” Welt muttered, keeping his head down.
“And how has staying here helped you?” Cain shook Welt’s shoulder and smiled as his friend kept his head up. “Exactly, it didn’t.”
“Then what about the Captain? In my contract, I already stated that I would serve-”
“Leave that to me.” Cain released Welt and handed him the backpack. “You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll talk to Carl. Listen to me, nothing will change if you just beat yourself over it and those two will keep you on the right track.”
“That’s some faith you have in them,” Welt jokingly said, taking the backpack.
“Can you blame me? You’ve seen how hard those guys worked us.” Cain revealed a bright smirk before patting Welt on the back. “I know they’ll give you a hard time, so take my condolences when you leave.”
“Thanks.” Welt held out his hand toward Cain.
“You can thank me when you return, you bastard.” Cain accepted the handshake and said, “It wasn’t bad spending the past few years as your guard partner.”
“The same can be said to you.”
With a firm handshake, Welt nodded and left the area, leaving Cain by himself. Cain looked at the guard tower and scratched the back of his head. “Ha…the things I do for my friends.”
.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
.
.
Welt gradually opened his eyes and stared at the children and Paul, who were chatting in the black and gold carriage. Around them were several heavily armed knights mounting war horses. The carriage was approaching an intersection as Welt looked out the window and yawned.
“Oh? Looks like Welts awake now,” Arthur said.
“Right on time, too. We’re about to hop off,” Paul added.
“Hop off? Are we that close to the crossroads already?” Welt asked.
“Yeah, the stagecoach said it’s right in front of us,” Raphael replied.
“Does Arthur really need to leave us? Can’t he come with us?” Claire asked.
Her teary eyes made the others awkwardly look at Arthur, who simply smiled. He gently patted her on the head and said, “There’s no need to be so sad. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”
“I don’t want you to go!” Claire puffed her cheeks and looked away from Arthur.
“Claire…Arthur already told us he would visit us sometime later this year,” Raphael used a napkin to wipe the tears in her eyes but soon felt the carriage come to a stop. He looked at Arthur and said, “I guess this is it, huh?”
“For now, the world is a constant cycle of hellos and goodbyes, but I’m sure we’ll meet again,” Arthur replied while moving his hand away from Claire.
“Make sure you visit us alright?” Raphael shifted his gaze to Paul, who raised a brow and said, “Please keep this idiot safe. He tends to get himself into dangerous situations when you look away.”
“Don’t worry, Raphie, I’m sure we can protect him.” Paul wrapped his arm around Welt, who rolled his eyes.
“Just don’t make my job harder. I don’t want to take care of you as well, Paul.” Welt sighed while opening the carriage’s door. “Let’s get going.”
As the three got off the carriage, they took their belongings from the back and tightly held onto them. Soon the escort turned around and began travelling back towards the previous intersection as the three waved their hands in the air. They could see Claire crying her eyes out while waving both hands out the window as Raphael desperately held onto her with one hand and waved with the other. His smile was mixed with a trace of sadness, but they had already said their farewells during the ride.
Once the carriage could no longer be seen, Arthur turned around and looked at the signs. “Alright gentlemen, it seems we are at what they call a fork in the road and, as the leader, I shall guide us.”
Paul and Welt both watched as Arthur excitedly stared at the two signs. After a short pause, Welt turned to Paul and whispered, “Shouldn’t we be the ones choosing where to go?”
“Shhh, it’s fine. It’s his adventure,” Paul replied.
“No, I don’t think that’s-”
Before Welt could finish his sentence, Paul hushed him and pointed to Arthur. The young boy before them happily began walking toward the left road. The stone bricks beneath their feet glistened from the sunlight with each step he took, and soon Paul followed closely behind. Welt rolled his eyes and took one last glance at the sign before frowning.
On the sign there was the name of the adventurer town Gladwell to the left with an arrow pointing to the right, and to the right was the monster frontier Tagus with an arrow pointing to the left.
“What kind of idiot put up this sign?” Welt grumbled before walking after them.
.
.
.
“So they finally left. Did you fix the sign on the roads?” Carl asked.
“Who do you take me for? Of course I did,” Tucker replied while laying down on the sofa.
Carl glanced at him from his desk before letting out a sigh. “Just because it’s your last day here doesn’t mean you can just goof around.”
“Oh it’s fine…the Capital summoned me, so if I leave in a day or two I should get there on time.”
“No…that’s not what I’m talking about. Can’t you make yourself a bit more useful before you fuck off?”
“Nope! I’m resting on my last day Captain, besides you have David and Mark still.”
“Mark is busy training the new guards and David asked for a day off so he could visit his child with his wife.” Carl rubbed his eyes before glaring at his old friend. “I have no one but you right now.”
“Tough luck, buddy.” Tucker chuckled at Carl. “Why is David going to the cemetery? He hasn’t been there in a while.”
“Apparently, it was a suggestion by our little hero.” Carl moved the stack of papers to the side and stood up from his chair. He looked out the window and into the empty courtyard. “Heh, it’s funny. I didn’t think I would miss them already.”
“Yeah, I’m surprised as well. I honestly grew quite fond of them.” Tucker pushed his triangular hat up with his finger and said, “I still remember when Arthur pressed his head down on the ground. I never imagined a kid as small as him would have such a big impact.”
“He’s very well-behaved and cares a lot about those around him. It’s impressive how far he’ll go for those he cares about.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Carl’s face lit up with a radiant smile. “That reminds me, did you ever teach him how to read a map?”
“Read a map? No? I don’t even think he knows how to read.”
“Wait, then how is he supposed to know where to go? He said he wanted to go to the adventuring town and sign up at the guild.”
“I mean, Paul and Welt are with him, so they’ll probably guide him there. Besides, there’s no need to worry about those three. They’re pretty damn strong and smart, so I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
“Hmm…” Carl closed his eyes and chuckled. “You’re right. I’m probably just getting old and worrying over nothing.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying! It’s time to retire and leave this job to someone else!”
“I’ll consider it.” Carl laughed at the suggestion and gazed out the window with a smile. Wishing all the best for those who left the town.
.
.
.
“It’s a lot further than I thought it was.” David clenched Stella’s hand as they walked by the new gravestones. “That kid always does unnecessary things.”
Stella nodded while glancing at the clean gravestones and white lilies that were resting at the bottom. “It’s because of those unnecessary things that you’re so fond of him.”
“I guess that’s true.” David smiled as they made their way up the hill, soon a single gravestone appeared before them.
It seemed as if someone had recently planted and watered them, causing their eyes to widen in surprise at the simple grave surrounded by countless white lilies. The gravestone, which should have been covered in moss and dirt, was completely clean, reflecting the sunlight as it gleamed warmly. Even the characters that were etched into the stone were carefully scrubbed, removing any excess debris that could have found their home there.
David knelt down in front of their son’s grave and rested one hand on the surface. “So this is what Arthur wanted us to see.”
Stella joined David and wrapped her arms around him while resting her head on his shoulder. Their eyes grew teary as small beads formed at the sight before them. The gentle breeze that carried the fallen leaves from nearby trees and pure lilies swaying back and forth meant one thing to them.
It was time for remembrance and new beginnings.