“So, I’m going to get something done. Do you want anything, Jaxith?” Emelia asked, standing up. Miller noticed her from the other end of the counter.

“Thank you, Emelia. Actually, there’s a small request I have,” Jaxith replied.

“Go on,” Emelia said. Jaxith put his right hand into his coat pocket and pulled it out, holding two identical stones.

“Wait, I remember those! Aren’t they the guiding stones I gave you after you saved me?” Emelia asked.

“Exactly,” Jaxith confirmed.

“Well, it’s good to see you’re still keeping them. So, what do you want to do with them?” Emelia inquired.

“I want you to make sure they’re still functioning. I might need them if I lose Irene under any circumstances,” Jaxith explained.

“I understand. Of course, Jaxith, let me take a look,” Emelia said, taking the stones from Jaxith’s hand and inspecting them.

“Well, they’re not active anymore. Their divine energy depleted over the years. It’s been seven years since I gave you those stones. You should thank the gods you didn’t need them before, or you would have found them useless,” Emelia explained.

“Damn it. Can they be fixed?” Jaxith asked.

“I can do it,” Emelia said enthusiastically. “I’ll just put them in a small cauldron containing blessed water, then add a small divine stone to recharge them. After that, they’ll be active and ready for use again.” Alchemy was a great passion for her, not just a hobby; it had become her livelihood. Jaxith thought about something. If she had learned all of this alone, through books and a little traveling, how strong in alchemy would she be if she traveled to Reldret and studied there?

“Thank you. Oh, right, I forgot one little thing,” Jaxith said, putting his hand back into his pocket. This time, he pulled out a small white sack.

“What’s that?” Emelia asked, handling the sack. She felt something soft inside, like a piece of meat or something similar.

“While traveling here, we encountered an Onohly. I suppose Miller told you about it. I killed it anyway, and that’s not the point. I made a small cut with my sword at the back of its skull. I was trying to find if there was a specific organ responsible for providing the four tubes surrounding its face with the gas it produces. And I was lucky! I found a little gland that was attached internally to the four tubes by smaller tubules. I dissected it and brought it with me. I know it could be useful, but I don’t know how, so I’m asking you if you can make anything useful from it, something to help me as a hunter,” Jaxith explained.

“You mean useful as a weapon, right?” Emelia asked.

“I might really need something like that. The gas causes strong hallucinations that could turn a hard battle into an easy one just by using it. I still don’t know what types of dangers await me while protecting Irene,” Jaxith explained. Emelia sighed.

“You like the dangerous way, don’t you?” Emelia said, smiling.

“I do,” Jaxith calmly replied before raising another glass of orange juice that Miller had placed there earlier and taking a sip.

“You’re a strange man, Jaxith,” Emelia commented.

“And so are you. Give me one reason why a smart person like you didn’t think about studying alchemy in a kingdom like Reldret. You know you’re much smarter than a lot of those idiot nobles who always brag about their achievements in an important branch like alchemy, but they’re not even half as good as you. They’re just a bunch of idiots with a lot of money, so they decide to use it on something that looks useful just to say they’ve done something great, just to bring honor to their families. So, really, why didn’t you think about it?” Jaxith asked seriously. Emelia smiled before looking at her father, Miller, who was chatting with a client.

“That’s why,” Emelia said, looking at Miller. Jaxith didn’t understand.

“I’m sure that Miller wouldn’t mind you traveling to study the thing you love most. That man loves you and will do anything for you,” Jaxith said.

“I know, but I don’t want to leave him alone. I know how lonely he’ll feel without me. Before Mom got ill, I received an invitation from a famous alchemist from Reldret who was here in Vidin. When I knew he was coming to Vidin, I traveled to Arlyn the capital to meet him and insisted on helping him, trying to learn a thing or two from him. Surprisingly, he was more interested in me than all the noble students he was teaching, even though I wasn’t one of his students. You could say I was just sticking to him to learn. Before he left, he gave me this invitation—a complete, comprehensive scholarship just for me. He said I was purely talented and it was a waste that I was just using it for simple things. He wanted me to transform this hobby into a workable talent. I was so happy and decided to return to Ebonmere instantly and tell my parents about it. I was sure they were going to love it,” Emelia said, before stopping for a moment. Jaxith noticed she was getting uncomfortable about what she was going to say.

“You found her ill, right?” Jaxith asked calmly.

“Yeah. Troy, my husband, he brought a doctor who said she didn’t have much time. I came and found her like that. I even missed the doctor. She was ill for a while, and I wasn’t even with her. Thanks to Troy, he helped them. And it was just a few months after our marriage. I didn’t love him for nothing,” Emelia said, smiling.

“I didn’t mention anything to them. Father was already heartbroken, not believing that he would lose her. So, I decided not to bring it up. I just told Troy, and he told me that I should tell Father, but that wasn’t possible. Father would tell me to take this opportunity and insist that I travel with Troy, and I don’t want to leave him alone. I knew that Mom wasn’t going to live for more than a month, and then he would be lonely if I traveled. What if he became ill just like her, and I wasn’t by his side? I was gradually getting so attached to alchemy that I was forgetting my own family. Can you imagine that my husband helped them more than I did? And this was the time they needed me the most; I wasn’t even there. So, I decided not to make the same mistake again. I sent a message to the alchemist and told him that I couldn’t leave my family. He respected me and wished me luck. Troy also said that it’s my life and he didn’t want to intervene. We both didn’t tell anyone about this; you’re the first to know. After that, Mom left us, and I stayed with Father. I opened a small alchemy shop in Troy’s town, and every couple of weeks, I travel to check on Father. I just can’t afford to lose him too while being away,” Emelia said, looking at Miller. Jaxith looked at her before looking at Miller.

“That’s your life, Emelia. I can’t say if that was the right choice or not, but it’s not my choice to make. I think that Troy is a smart man to say something like that,” Jaxith said.

“He is… I just don’t know anyone who could understand me like him. He respected my passion, and even when I lost Mom, he was always by my side. I was happy that we married before Mom died; at least she saw me get married,” Emelia said, smiling. She was clearly hiding her sadness, but Jaxith couldn’t tell if there was regret behind that smile or not. That chance she missed usually doesn’t come twice, but family matters, that’s something missing for Irene, for example. For Jaxith, things are just black in that case, things he doesn’t even want to remember.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

“I wish you good luck, Emelia. You’re a good woman,” Jaxith said before returning to his orange juice. He could notice several people looking at him.

“Thank you, Jaxith. I’ll get going now. I’ll go to the small lab in Miller’s house; he’s keeping it in case I need it when I’m here. I’ll recharge the guiding stones and see what I can do with this gland that you extracted from the beast,” Emelia said as she stood up.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the strange visitors we got last night,” a bald man who had just entered the inn said. He was followed by two other men, and the few people in the inn were watching the situation intently. Jaxith’s back was already towards them as he was drinking juice and decided to ignore them.

“What’s your problem, Larry?” Miller asked from behind the counter. Larry’s intentions were clearly not good.

“Yeah, we’ve got a problem here, Miller. How can you still let this man and the hybrid with him stay here after what happened yesterday?” Larry asked.

“What do you mean?” Miller asked.

“We heard it, Miller, the whole village did,” one of the two men behind Larry said.

“I’m just behind your inn, Miller. My wife and kids weren’t able to sleep from fear until she stopped screaming,” the other man behind Larry said. Larry immediately walked toward the room where Jaxith and Irene were sleeping and looked inside.

“By the gods, were they doing one of those sick dark rituals in your inn or what?” Larry asked, looking angrily at Miller.

“Of course not. It’s more complicated than that,” Emelia said politely.

“I respect you, Emelia, we all do, but what’s happening here is just unacceptable. Your father is making a mistake letting dangerous people like those stay in the village. We heard about what happened in Orstone, and we don’t want anything connected with demons in the village. Can’t you see how he is? He’s a brute!” Larry said, walking behind Jaxith, followed by the two men.

“You’re crossing the line here, Larry. We’re all family here, and Jaxith here is a family friend who likes to help everyone. He’s a good person,” Miller said seriously. Jaxith, on the other hand, was still calmly and slowly drinking his juice. He was hearing every word but maintained his composure. He couldn’t be simply irritated.

“Good or not, we don’t care. We have children and wives, and we simply can’t ignore something like that in our village. She could kill all of us. Come on, Miller, you’re one of the most respected men in Ebonmere. How can you accept something shady like that?” Larry asked angrily.

“What do you want, Larry?” Miller asked seriously.

“I’m just a normal lumberjack who wants nothing but peace. Their existence threatens our peace. The whole village is against their stay here. They are not welcome here,” Larry said.

“That won’t happen. I can’t tell a guest to leave without a proper reason. They haven’t done anything wrong or harmed a single person,” Miller said seriously.

“Oh yeah, so we’re going to wait until we wake up and find ourselves in the middle of flames or what?” Larry said angrily before looking at Jaxith, who was still ignoring what was happening. Emelia started to worry about the tension in the inn; literally everyone was looking at Jaxith.

“Why don’t you talk, white-haired grandpa? You can hold that sword but won’t talk like a man, or are you carrying it for show?" Larry said sarcastically. Jaxith slowly put down his glass, taking a breath, but suddenly, the inn’s door opened.

“Hey, Jax, I’m taking Senka for a walk in the village. I thought I should ask you first,” Irene said, barging into the inn and walking toward Jaxith. She stopped when she felt the tension in the room. She was already close to Jaxith.

“Ahhh, is something wrong?” Irene asked, looking around. She felt that the people around her were eyeing her with hatred.

“Actually, there is. Looks like the only place you’ll take that Senka is outside the village. You and your boyfriend aren’t welcome anymore,” Larry said, stepping toward Irene.

“First of all, who the fuck are you? Second thing, Jaxith isn’t my boyfriend. Third thing, you smell like shit, so step away,” Irene said boldly. Her aggressive behavior hadn’t changed at all. She might be very kindhearted and cry easily, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s sly.

“She’s rude too. Listen here, hybrid, we can’t let you stay here. If you don’t comply, we’ll get a bit aggressive with both of you, including that cute one,” Larry said, pointing at Jaxith. Irene smiled.

“Jaxith? He’ll simply fuck you, and I think you’ll like it,” Irene said, smirking. She was completely unafraid of them. Of course, she wouldn’t be; she insulted the mayor in front of his guards. A simple villager wouldn’t stop her from making fun of him, especially since he started it. Jaxith remained calm but watched from the corner of his eye how Irene was handling the situation. The people around them couldn’t believe how bold Irene was to reply like that.

“Looks like this hybrid bitch needs to be taught a lesson,” Larry said angrily, stepping forward. But Irene instantly kicked him in the groin! Larry fell to his knees in pain. Emelia and Miller couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

“Who’s the bitch now, asshole?” Irene said angrily. She lost her temper when he insulted her. With the mayor, Jaxith stopped her from making any foolish moves, but with someone like Larry, she wouldn’t hold back.

“You piece of shit,” Larry said angrily before quickly pulling a knife from his side pocket. Irene quickly stepped back and put her hand on her hidden dagger!

“LARRY, STOP THIS MADNESS!” Miller bellowed, stepping forward apprehensively. Larry, incandescent with rage at being humiliated by a mere girl, was about to lunge at Irene when a heavy wooden chair slammed into his back. The chair splintered, sending Larry sprawling to the floor with a pained cry.

Jaxith stalked towards Irene and the prone Larry. He was the one who had hurled the chair, finally abandoning his passive stance.

“Sorry I couldn’t restrain myself, Jax, it’s ju-,” Irene began, but Jaxith silenced her with a raised hand, his expression brooking no argument.

Jaxith stood over Larry, who writhed on the ground. The other two men hesitated, Miller massaging his temples nervously, Emelia shrinking back in fear. Jaxith’s face was a mask of fury, a storm brewing in his eyes.

“What are you waiting for? Just beat the shit out of him!” Larry snarled, still writhing in pain.

One of the men, emboldened by Larry’s words, lunged at Jaxith. Jaxith reacted in a flash, kicking a nearby table into the man’s legs. The sudden impact sent the man stumbling forward, off balance. Before he could recover, Jaxith delivered a vicious elbow strike to the man’s cheek, felling him unconscious before he even hit the ground.

Jaxith’s gaze, sharp and unwavering, locked onto the remaining man. Fear flickered in the man’s eyes, but he steeled his resolve. He snatched a machete from a nearby table and lunged at Jaxith, the blade arcing towards him in a vicious slash.

With preternatural speed, Jaxith deflected the blow, his left hand connecting with the man’s wrist at a precise angle, instantly disarming him. Before the machete even clattered to the floor, Jaxith’s foot lashed out, striking the man just below the right knee, buckling him into a kneeling position. In a fluid motion, Jaxith executed a swift spin and delivered a devastating back kick to the man's face, rendering him unconscious.

In under a minute, three men lay prone, victims of Jaxith’s brutal efficiency. Emelia stared in disbelief, struggling to comprehend the sheer speed and ferocity of his actions. “How…?” she thought, “How could he move like that?” The question echoed in Irene’s mind as well. How could a monster hunter be so proficient in hand-to-hand combat? It was far more than simple brawling; these were refined, deadly techniques. She still couldn’t reconcile his monstrous strength with his supposed profession of hunting mere beasts.

“Anyone else wish to test their luck?” Jaxith’s voice was cold and devoid of emotion as he surveyed the now-cowering crowd. Silence was the only answer.

“Good,” Jaxith said, his voice calm but firm. “Now, let’s clarify this situation. Irene will do as she pleases until we depart. She will not harm anyone, and no one is to bother her. Any act of racism directed towards her will be dealt with by me personally. Am I understood?” The crowd remained silent.

“Excellent,” Jaxith continued, turning to Irene without looking at her. “Irene, why don’t you take Senka and see to whatever business you have in the village?” Irene hesitated for a moment, then, deciding against any argument, left the inn without a word from anyone.

Miller visibly relaxed, relieved that a full-blown brawl had been averted. His relief was short-lived. Jaxith abruptly drew his sword, whirling to face Larry.

“JAXITH, NO!” Emelia and Miller cried in unison, just as Jaxith plunged the blade into the wooden floor, a hair’s breadth from Larry’s head.

The sword's point was mere millimeters from Larry’s throat, angled like a guillotine, poised to decapitate him. Terror contorted Larry’s features as he stared up at Jaxith, whose expression was a mask of furious resolve.

“Now, about you,” Jaxith growled, his voice low and menacing. “If you ever entertain the thought of insulting her again, I will ensure you regret that thought with every fiber of your being. You miss with her, you miss with me. Understood?” He leaned closer, his face inches from Larry’s. Paralyzed by fear, Larry could only stare mutely. Jaxith increased the pressure, slowly drawing the blade downwards as if tightening a garrote.

“UNDERSTOOD?” Jaxith roared.

“Understood! Understood!” Larry stammered, his voice trembling.

“Good,” Jaxith said, his tone chillingly calm as he slowly straightened, sheathing his sword.

“Thanks for the drink, Miller,” Jaxith said icily, then turned and strode out of the inn as if nothing had transpired. The palpable fear he had instilled in the room, however, lingered like a suffocating fog.