Two years passed since I started practiced. I could say that I have made astonishing progress but let’s stay modest. I have use these years to strengthen my body and refine my control over my mana. Right now I am able to focus my mana in each of my limbs to increase my speed or the strength of my hits. It is a beginning but I am not satisfied

“Father…”

I haven’t seen my father much these years ,he made great progress with the guard he taught resulting in a decreased of death and injury and the promotion of some guards to D rank. It is a little victory for the City but I still felt a little bit sad to not be able to benefit for his training. Training that I didn’t forget. Exiting my bedroom, I am heading to the living room

“Good morning Arthur”

“Morning mother”

My mother smiled at me already sat in the living room in front of a sumptuous breakfast. Honestly I never knew how she can manage all this by herself

“Are you already heading for your training?”

“Yes mother”

Sitting with her I served myself and discussed with her about the evolution of my training

“Before the start of your training can you help me and head to the market to buy some medical plants”

Receiving the list and reading it all over , I was preparing myself to leave the table when my mother interrupt me

“Arthur… I know that these days your father isn’t much home but...”

“It’s okay mother “I interrupt her “I am conscious of the importance of if task and I know that he is as sadden than us concerning this situation “

“Thank you dear” smiling my mother planted a kiss on my forehead

Smiling at her I head to the market. Now older I can finally navigate here by myself I can finally appreciate the decoration of the shop, the smell of the bread coming from the bakery, the sight of the beautiful ladies with curves which fascinate me so much

“Shit I am still too young”

Crying a little I head to the stall of medical plants when I overheard an interesting conversation

"...disappeared without a trace two nights ago," an unfamiliar gruff voice reverberated. "Just vanished from his shop overnight. All his tools and contraptions gone too."

"How bizarre," came a merchant’s troubled reply. "Jerold was just starting to gain notoriety for his inventions. What could have happened to him?"

"No one knows," the unfamiliar voice continued ominously. "But there have been whispers...some are convinced he dabbled in forbidden arts to craft those devices. Retribution for unnatural acts."

I suddenly felt a chill run through me

“Yeah , fuck this shit” I thought

Coming from another world i as many thought that i could create new thing, introduce new technology but reality hit me hard...really hard. I wasn’t a fan about complotism and it could really be an isolated case but i didn't want to take risk. I was still young; I could have idea but i didn't have means to convert them.

“Hell, I don't even have what it took to protect me. I know that my parent can help me but can they really fight against the strong of this world? My father is a C rank and he is already sufficient to protect a city, what can we do if a B rank came?”

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No it was too soon. Soon? I didn’t even know if i wanted to take that route. A merchant had power but it wasn’t that type of power that I wanted. I didn't want to depend of others to defend myself, so being a fighter was the best for me, and a fighter who have the most liberty was still an adventurer

Now having this goal i should take measure about what to do to prepare myself. I was still too weak right now; i still needed means to improve my physical strength and improved my control over fire magic as father was busy.

“They may not accept the fact that I want to become an adventurer. I still think that in the past they may have taken that but I still don’t know why they choose to stop.”

Thinking about this I rapidly bought what was on the list and headed home

I realised that my parent may not be okay with my decision to become an adventurer so I needed some time to instil that idea, but for now I would choose an apprenticeship which was physical and where we used fire. With these two condition the choice was easy: Blacksmith. With this I could build my strength, learn how to use and control fire magic; how to forge, maintain and repair weapon and equipment.

“It can become a plus for an adventurer to know with a glance the state of his or the equipment of an opponent and how to exploit it. Yeah with it and what i learn with my mother these two years a style already come to my mind”

These two years I decided to use the time dedicated to training with his father to learn how to concoct some potion, poison and to bandage some injury. It could be strange for a 5 years old kid to learn about all this but mother was a little too proud seeing her son showing interest about her job and wanting to help her so she didn't really oppose me. Two years later when I wasn't training I still helped her and I gained knowledge little by little.

“I am pretty sure mother was also an adventurer she doesn’t only know how to heal but also has knowledge about what plant should be used to counter the poison of a specific monster or in what zone a plant grow. She is so dedicated to healing that i even forget that she is able to defend herself I need to divide all this into part”

For now, though, I had to convince my parents that becoming a blacksmith's apprentice was the correct career path for me. I knew neither Marc nor Helen would be thrilled about their son spending long hours around scorching forges and molten metal. But they surely would see the value of the knowledge I would gain.

Over the next few days, I subtly steered conversations towards blacksmithing and weaponry when chatting with my parents. I made sure to highlight my budding interest in metallurgy and the combat applications of different equipment. I also discretely emphasized how nicely those skills would complement my elemental fire magic.

One evening at dinner, as the conversation once again tilted in the direction of forging and fighting techniques, I decided to broach the topic directly. Taking a deep breath to gather my courage, I made my case.

"Father, mother, I've been thinking hard the past few days about which craft I should apprentice in," I started respectfully. "I know you only want what's best for my future. But I believe becoming a blacksmith would help me learn valuable skills and find my path."

I went on to elaborate how it would allow me to use my natural fire magic in a productive way. And working the bellows and hammering steel would build my physical strength. I concluded my pitch by saying

"I've always been fascinated by your armor and weapons. Learning to craft and maintain them would let me follow in your footsteps."

An uneasy silence settled over the dinner table as Marc and Helen exchanged conflicted looks. Finally, Marc spoke up.

"You make reasonable points, Arthur. A blacksmith's skills are highly valuable, and your magic does lend itself well..." Marc trailed off, looking to Helen as if to confirm they were considering this sensibly.

Helen let out a slow sigh before responding. "You know we only want you to be happy and safe, Arthur. If this is truly where your passion lies, we should consider it seriously."

I allowed a small smile, trying to conceal my swelling elation. This was going more smoothly than i had imagined.

The discussions extended late into the night as they deliberated the risks and rewards. Marc voiced concerns about the danger of the hot forges and molten metal. But eventually he came around, realizing the combat expertise I would gain. Helen took more convincing, constantly worrying about potential burns and injuries. But after extracting multiple promises from me to be extremely careful, she also reluctantly agreed.

By the time I collapsed into bed that night, my path forward was decided. In two days’ time, I would begin his apprenticeship under Jorn, the most renowned blacksmith in the city. I could barely contain my excitement. I shuffled restlessly beneath the sheets, eager to embark on this new journey.