I'm only a day's journey away from the city now.

I've been detecting a midstless aura on the wind for a while now, but hopefully, I don't encounter it. From the aura's strength, it seems that there are multiple.

From the direction of the city, noises begin to drift to my ears. Of course, the noises can't be from the city as it's too far away.

As I drift closer, the noise becomes discernable. A clang, a scream, a few noises of impact... This sounds like some sort of battle! I'd better go check it out.

I pick up the pace and begin sprinting towards the commotion. Making my way over the top of a hill, I peer down onto a paved road with wagons and horses on it. This must be a caravan!

I see midstless and warriors engaging in combat around the wagons, but one of them seems to be more heavily guarded than the rest. So, someone important must be in there.

I begin sprinting down the hill to the caravan, but it'll take me a couple of minutes to reach the battle, even at this speed.

A few minutes later, I break free of the forest and place my eyes on the scene. Around me lay dead midstless and dead warriors.

One warrior remains, surrounded by multiple midstless. His back is to the same wagon I had spotted before. Like I thought, there must be someone important in there. The lone warrior is ragged and cut, but his form hasn't wavered in the slightest. He stands firm with two short blades in either hand. He has chestnut-brown skin and curly black hair. His clothes are baggy but torn, and the cut clothing reveals heavily trained muscles. He can't be more than a year older than me!

This guy has piqued my interest. I can't allow him to die here. From the back of the scene, I burst forward towards the closest midstless. I dispatch a couple before they can react to my sudden arrival. My presence behind them alone is enough to be a nuisance. Uncoordinated and unintelligent, they can't decide which target to focus on. The boy in front of them is more beat up than I, so they end up turning to me.

Boy: "Don't underestimate me!"

The boy yells in frustration. I realize that I'm cutting into his battle, but I had no choice. The boy and I both attack the midstless from either side until there are none left. After taking a moment to catch his breath, the boy turns to me.

Boy: "I had that handled. You didn't have to help me, stranger."

I raise my eyebrow in slight annoyance at the comment.

Adachi: "I'm sure you could have. However, I decided to help anyway. Got a problem with that?"

Boy: "And what if I do?"

The boy bears his teeth, almost growling at me with every word. Then, suddenly, his eyes glaze over, and he falls forward.

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I catch him during his fall, only to realize that he's much more wounded than I had initially thought. Midstless claws have destroyed his back, and he's lost far too much blood as well. How was he able to fight so diligently in this state? I knew he had piqued my interest for a good reason.

I hear a door crack open from the carriage on the road, and a small voice echoes from within.

???: "H-Hello? Is anyone out there?"

Adachi: "Yes! I have an injured boy here. Can I put him inside the carriage?"

???: "Of course, Of course! Bring him here!"

I throw the boy over my shoulder and carry him into the carriage. After placing him on the seat, I look up and see a girl not much older than me, and our faces are uncomfortably close. We both shoot back to a comfortable distance, and I clear my throat.

Adachi: "Hey there. My name is Adachi."

As we shake hands, the softness of her skin almost scares me.

Alice: "N-nice to meet you. My name is Alice."

Alice can't seem to make eye contact with me for some reason. She keeps shifting uncomfortably, and it's clear that she's a shy girl. However, her blonde hair and blue eyes are captivating. Although I've never seen a girl before, I can tell she's a natural beauty among them.

Alice: "-thing we can do for him?"

Huh? Was she talking this whole time? I shake my head and exit my trance.

Adachi: "I-I'm sorry?"

Alice: "I said, isn't there anything we can do for him? I can't let him die here."

She has a good heart. But, of course, I planned on saving this boy anyways. So, I pull out my pouch of Dodona seeds and almost pull one out before realizing there's something I need to make very clear to this girl.

Adachi: "Alice, I can save this boy's life..."

Her eyes light up, and she clasps her hands together in anticipation.

Adachi: "However, you must promise not to tell of how I did it, nor what I did it with. Do you understand?"

Alice nods her head with vigor.

I nod back and reach into my pouch. Then, pulling out a Dodona seed, I look to read her reaction.

Her eyes light up, and her mouth lands agape. She clearly has some idea of what it is I'm holding in my hand.

I drop the seed into the boy's mouth and make him swallow it with water.

Turning him over, I watch the effects of the seed on his wounds.

Surprisingly, the wounds begin to seal up all the way. For some reason, these seeds seem to be more potent than the ones from the cave. Is it because of where they were grown?

Alice is in shock because of what she's just seen.

Alice: "Just who are you?"

Adachi: "I told you. The name's Adachi!"

Alice puts on a pouting face and crosses her arms.

Alice: "That's not what I mean! You came out of nowhere and cleaned up the last of the midstless, putting your life on the line to help strangers. Not to mention you have a pouch of miracle seeds that aren't supposed to exist anymore!"

She takes a second to catch her breath.

Alice: "Whatever. You don't have to tell me anything. Thanks for everything you've done. I would be dead if not for you."

I laugh and scratch the back of my head, thinking of how I should respond to that.

My thought process ends prematurely when I hear horses galloping up to the carriage. I tense up. Are they friends or foes?

The door to the carriage swings open, and I'm greeted by the image of a dozen armed men on horseback.

Man: "What are you doing to Mistress Alice?! Get out of there!"

Before I can respond, I'm grabbed by the back of my collar and dragged out. My back hits the ground, and the air leaves my lungs. Just how strong is this guy? I'm not someone who can be tossed around that easily!

Alice: "Stop Atrus! He was the one who helped us! We owe him a great debt!"

Atrus: "Sorry, Miss Alice. An outsider with questionable origins cannot be trusted. So, I'm taking him in."

As I try to stand up, I see the mustached warrior stand over me and press my back into the ground with his heel. The last thing I see is the butt of a spear heading straight for my head.

*Thud*