I returned to the village where I had spent the last few weeks.

After my family was turned into puppets and taken to Ende, I was left alone. And not just my family. My friends, extended family, neighbors, people I saw on the way home. They were all taken.

I didn't suffer the same fate simply because a few days earlier, I went on a camping trip with my closest friends.

We headed to the mountains to spend a few days there.

But upon our return, our lives were shattered. One girl from our group of six friends committed suicide. Two boys seemed to have given up on life as well; they managed to find odd jobs and live in poverty, trying to forget the past.

Among those who didn't give up are myself, my friend Zeno, and our friend Manabe. Unfortunately, we don't spend much time together. We agreed that each of us would gather information about this man, so we split up and see each other once every few weeks.

My family didn't have much savings, so while gathering information, I also had to work. Most of the time, I take jobs for two or three weeks in one place, in exchange for food and a place to sleep. Occasionally, they give me a few coins for the trip, but that's rare.

In my free time, I train in fencing. I also train to control the flow of mana in my body and learn different techniques.

Until now, I thought I was strong. I thought I was exceptionally talented, but now I'm not so sure anymore. That girl who was with that man... she was strong.

I didn't even notice her presence; she appeared out of nowhere and kicked me in the stomach, sending me meters away.

She was older than me, so I could blame it on differences in experience, but that would just be an excuse.

She was probably stronger at my age, too. Talents aren't equal; one has more, and the other has less. So it turns out she has more. Or perhaps she worked harder than me, or both.

Either way, if I want to defeat her, I have to train even harder.

"Hey Roy!"

Someone called out to me. I turned around and saw a twenty-something-year-old man. He was the son of the farm owner where I was staying, his name is Omar, he's of average looks. He has orange hair and green eyes. He dresses like a typical farmer, in clothes he's not afraid to get dirty.

He's the one I have the most contact with in the household.

"You've been acting gloomy since yesterday. Did something happen?"

He was straightforward and blunt. Honestly, I'm impressed he didn't ask me this yesterday.

I tried to avoid contact because I still wasn't sure what to think about all this, but he seemed oblivious to the atmosphere.

"Maybe something happened, maybe not."

I replied evasively, returning to my fencing practice.

"Is it about the puppet master?"

'The puppet master.' That's what they called that man. So far, nobody knew anything about him. Not even his gender. I'm the first to find out, but I still need to report it to the guards.

"Do you know about Torg? It's an hour north from here, the puppet master attacked there yesterday and took everyone. I heard rumors that they found dead bodies of several kids."

There was only one boy's body there, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised that rumors got exaggerated. After all, they're just rumors.

"Do you have any friends there? You know, we can talk about it. If you lost someone, it's best to talk to someone and get everything off your chest."

Omar is a good person. He's honest and full of youthful energy. He's also well-liked. And I feel the same way about him, I like him, but right now he's being annoying.

"I don't want to talk about it."

I replied this time, making it clear that I don't want his company.

"Huuh..." He paused for a moment, then smiled and continued, "Don't you want a sparring partner? Maybe I can't swing a sword, but I handle an axe pretty well."

He dashed off to the barn without waiting for my response.

Although I'd prefer to be alone, as long as it's just training and not conversation, I suppose I can endure it.

After a while, he returned with a long axe in hand.

I'd never thought about it before, but he was actually quite muscular. Working on the farm and chopping wood must have done that.

"Have you ever faced anyone before?"

I asked as soon as I noticed his stance. He didn't look like someone who was facing a fight for the first time.

"And not just once. I wanted to join the army and fight in wars once, but I had to give up on that. My father and mother were getting weaker, and on top of that, my older brother went off to the army. My sister couldn't manage the farm on her own, so I had to stay and help."

"This is news to me. You mentioned having a brother in the army, but I never would've guessed you wanted to join too."

"Yeah... you know, it's not easy talking about unfulfilled dreams, you know?" He scratched his head and gave a reluctant smile. "Although joining the army in this situation might not be the best idea. Right now, the kingdom, the knights, and the army are being criticized for not being able to stop the Puppet Master. Not only are they criticized, but they're also constantly dying trying to get to Ende."

The kingdom isn't having an easy time. Many civilians have fallen victim to this man, and the pressure on the army is increasing. Even the least informed people living on the outskirts of the country know about the situation.

"Don't you want to join the army? You're already 15, right? You could sign up."

We were supposed to train, but it turned into a conversation. But somehow, I don't mind.

"I used to want to, but not anymore. I... I've told you that my family fell victim to the Puppet Master, right?"

I don't think I've mentioned it. After all, I don't like talking about it.

"No, this is news to me. Sorry, should I not bring up this topic? It must be hard to talk about."

He seemed to feel guilty, so he looked away.

"I don't like talking about it, but it's not like I can't handle it once in a while. So, to continue, I lost my family to the Puppet Master, and since then, I just want one thing-"

I felt my voice getting heavy. Every time I start thinking about it deeply, I automatically get

angry. But I tried to keep my emotions in check, not to explode with rage accidentally.

"I just want to get revenge. I want to kill him. That's my only goal. Day by day, I train to one day finally take his life."

I'm sure my facial expression shows anger. However, Omar, as if understanding what I wanted to say, nodded.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"I don't blame you. You see... I once had a very close friend, to put it briefly, I fell in love with her. Five years ago, she moved with her family to the city, and two years ago, that city was attacked." His voice saddened. Today, I'm learning many new things about him. "At that time, I couldn't restrain my anger either. I wanted to grab an axe and charge at the puppet master without a plan, but... I eventually gave up. What could I do on my own? Like I said before, my sister wouldn't handle the farm completely on her own, so I had to stay."

He sat on a tree stump, probably contemplating about his friend.

"Now that I think about it, probably a lot of people lost someone because of the puppet master," I said, finally noticing something.

I'm not alone, my friends aren't alone. Many, many thousands of people lost someone dear.

I knew it before, but only now do I understand it. People are on my side and they understand me.

Before, I tried to do everything by myself, and get revenge for myself. But that's a mistake. I was thinking wrong. I don't have to do it alone. There are many who will help me. I should have done more. Just like that man said, I need to prepare myself and come back stronger, not only in my skills, but also in numbers. That's why...

"Omar." I looked at him with a serious gaze. "Will you help me get revenge?"

From now on, I will change, and from now on, I will start fighting seriously.

▼▼▼▼▼

I lay on the hard, straw-filled bed. This room used to belong to Omar's older brother, and technically, it still does. It's just temporarily allowed for me to sleep here during my short stay.

A few hours ago, I asked Omar if he wanted to join me in seeking revenge on the puppet master.

The answer was probably predictable,

he declined.

He refused for the same reason he didn't join the army and why he didn't pursue the man himself.

He had to help with the farm.

It was obvious, he had told me several times during our conversation. I felt a bit foolish for not noticing it, but Omar waved it off and steered the conversation away from my worries.

And now... what should I do? I wanted to gather strong companions who would aid me in revenge, but I didn't even know where to begin.

My head was spinning. So much had happened yesterday and today, I had so many different thoughts... Perhaps it would be best if I slept on it and thought about it tomorrow morning.

So I closed my eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

▼▼▼▼▼

I was awakened by the crowing of a rooster. As usual, it crowed earlier than it should have; there was still about half an hour until sunrise.

Waiting for the sun to brighten my room, I lay in bed.

I heard the creaking of the floorboards downstairs. It was probably Anna, Omar's sister. She always woke up first and started tending to the house.

An early bird, indeed. While I considered myself someone who had no trouble getting up, she was on a whole different level.

I also heard the birds singing outside the window. Just a few weeks ago, during winter, there weren't as many, but for the past few weeks, the chorus of birds had been growing and growing.

Finally, the sun rose, and its rays reached my window.

I got up and dressed. Heading downstairs, I greeted Anna. Just like Omar, she had orange hair and green eyes. Her hair was braided into one thick braid. She wore a comfortable, rustic dress that fell to her knees.

She said breakfast would be ready in half an hour and asked me to fetch a bucket of water from the well.

I had no trouble with that since I was about to head to the well.

I stepped outside. It was a slight chill, but in a few hours, the sun should warm the air.

The well was only 100 meters from the house, so it was a short walk.

I fetched the water bucket and splashed my face. The cold water woke me up even more.

I glanced at my reflection in the water. I don't know why, but it feels like my appearance has changed. Or maybe it's more about the vibe around me? Although I can't think of any reason why I would think that, I feel like I've changed.

I ran my hand through my red hair and wiped my blue eyes.

People around me say I look like a rogue, or unruly brat. I'm not sure if that means I look good or not. Manabe always said those were insults and laughed at me, and Zeno says that such a look attracts girls. So in the end, I don't know.

I poured the water into the metal bucket and headed back home.

"Did something good happen yesterday?" Anna asked me after I handed her the bucket.

"Something good...? Not really. It was just a normal day. Why do you ask?"

"You seem more rested. Although it might just be my imagination because the day before yesterday, you looked like you had the worst day of your life."

"It was still far away from the worst day, but I can't say that nothing happened."

"Hmmm..." She pondered, looking at my face. "If you want to talk about something, know that I'll listen."

"Thanks for the offer, but Omar beat you to it."

"Oh, he's so insensitive. He was probably pushy."

"Not really. Talking to him seems to have done me good."

"Is that so? He may not look like it, but Omar is really gentle when it comes to serious topics."

"Didn't you literally just say he's insensitive?"

"One doesn't exclude the other. He can be both insensitive and gentle at the same time."

"I think they contradict each other... Although, you're right. Omar really knows how to combine those two things."

Anna smiled, seemingly proud of her brother.

"Are you going to wake him up?"

She asked as she placed the pot on the magic stone.

This particular magic stone, when in contact with a bit of mana, starts to heat up, so every kitchen has one.

Also, anyone can use it because it requires just a tiny bit of mana.

"I'd sooner slay a big dragon than manage to wake him up."

"Fu fu," she laughed lightly. "With his snoring, you could indeed compare him to a dragon. If he doesn't want to wake up, just splash water on him."

"Okay, if anything, I'll blame it on you."

"Understood, I'll take all the blame. Omar would never get mad at me. Good luck."

With those words, she sent me upstairs to Omar's room.

Upon entering, I covered my ears. His snoring is probably even louder than a dragon's roar.

I don't know how it's possible, but his head was hanging off the bed. How can he sleep in such a position?

Wondering, I approached the bed and shook his shoulder to wake him up.

Needless to say, that wasn't nearly enough to get him to open his eyes.

So, moving on to the next steps, I simply yanked the blanket off him.

"Omar! Wake up!"

I said it loudly, but he only furrowed his brow slightly and kept on sleeping.

So, I moved on to the last step. I grabbed his hand and forcefully pulled him off the bed, causing him to fall onto the floor.

After that, he furrowed his brow even more and slowly opened his eyes.

"Just... five more... minutes...."

After those words, he closed his eyes again, getting ready to sleep once more, but I couldn't allow that. I grabbed both of his arms and started shaking them vigorously.

Finally, Omar opened his eyes and mouth again.

"Alright... alright, I'm getting up...!"

"I won't stop until you're on both feet."

I said, still holding onto his arm.

"Uhhhh"

He groaned heavily and slowly began to rise.

He swayed from side to side as if he was about to fall over and faint.

"Why do you always wake me up like this... can't it be gentler...?"

"If it was gentler, you wouldn't get up."

"Uhhh"

He stretched his arms upward and rubbed his eyes.

"Breakfast will be ready in about fifteen minutes."

"Okk, I'll be there in a moment..."

After completing my task, I headed towards the door, but before I left, I turned back towards Omar's bed because I heard a certain sound.

It was the sound of something jumping onto the bed.

My irritation must have shown on my face because I even made an unhappy sound.

Omar was lying back on the bed again, trying to fall asleep.

My patience ran out. I grabbed his leg and pulled him off the bed again, but this time I didn't stop there.

"Come on... I'm getting up..."

Omar still spoke with a sleepy voice, and I continued pulling his leg.

I dragged him out of his room and headed for the stairs, carrying Omar's body with me.

"Ouch! Oww! It hurts...! Not down the stairs!"

His head was bumping on each step, but I wasn't about to stop. Finally, I got him all the way down.

"Ouch... You'll regret this..."

He lay on the floor, holding his head.

"Omar?"

Anna came out of the kitchen to see what happened.

Seeing Omar lying under the stairs, she frowned and said in a stern, intimidating voice,

"Omar. Get up."

With just that one command, Omar got up. And there wasn't even a trace of the fact that just a moment ago he couldn't wake up.

Seeing this, Anna nodded and went back into the kitchen.

"How is it that I'm trying to wake you up in every way possible, and you're still asleep, yet Anna just needs to say one word and you get up right away?"

"That's the power of a younger sister. Trust me, you wouldn't want to anger her."

It's a bit hard for me to imagine Anna being angry. She's too gentle and kind for that. But if Omar says so, it's probably better not to anger her.

A few minutes later, we had breakfast together with Omar's parents. After that, I started my daily chores. Which meant working on the farm.