Alistair sat at a corner table in the dining hall, his chair tilted back slightly as he leaned against it with his arms crossed. Across from him, the girl tore into the meal he had bought for her, eating like she hadn’t seen food in days.

Alistair had been observing her the entire time. Her skin was slightly tanned, and both her clothes and face were smeared with dirt. But as he looked closer, he noticed that the fabric of her outfit was unusually fine—much nicer than what most girls in this area wore. Though dirty and torn in places, it didn’t look like old or worn-out clothing.

She finished the meal quickly, downing the glass of water in one go. With her hunger satisfied, she looked noticeably more content and relaxed.

“So, you’ve been waiting for me,” Alistair said after giving her a moment to settle.

“Um… are you the archer? The advanced-class one?” the girl asked hesitantly, her voice quiet as she collected her thoughts.

“Didn’t your parents teach you anything? You should never ask an awakened about their class,” Alistair said, his tone sharp. “Ask the wrong one, and you might not live long enough to make that mistake again.”

“I… I… I’m sorry, sir!” the girl stammered, lowering her head. Her small frame trembled visibly.

-Alistair! Stop! You’re scaring her!-

Ameera’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind. Alistair furrowed his brows but didn’t respond to her. After a moment of silence, he let out a sigh and continued.

“I’m a ranger. That’s all you need to know,” he said flatly. “And yes, I would be the one people here call the advanced-class archer.” His gaze bore into her. “So, what business do you have with me?”

The girl lifted her head and looked straight at Alistair, biting her lip. She opened her mouth as if to speak but suddenly lowered her gaze, tears streaming down her face. She sobbed quietly, doing her best to stay silent. For a few moments, she remained like that, while Alistair waited patiently without saying a word.

Eventually, she began wiping her eyes and nose. She lifted her head again, this time with determination gleaming in her tear-streaked eyes. Drawing a deep breath, she finally spoke.

“I’d like to commission you for a job, sir,” she said.

“What kind of job?” Alistair asked, his tone even.

“I… I need you… I want you to kill the bandits that murdered my… family,” the girl replied, her voice trembling despite her effort to sound stoic. The words broke slightly at the end.

The dining hall fell silent. The few patrons scattered across the room, who had been discreetly eavesdropping while pretending to mind their own business, now stopped all pretense. Only the girl’s and Alistair’s voices filled the space.

The innkeeper, standing behind the counter, picked up a cleaning cloth and walked into the dining area. She headed to a table a few spots behind Alistair—a table that was already spotless—and began wiping it down.

Alistair didn’t particularly care about this. He remained silent for a moment, staring at the girl with an unreadable expression.

“Can you afford me?” Alistair finally asked. Before she could respond, his hand reached toward the plate in front of her, flicking it lightly. The plate jerked and spun, wobbling on its edge before teetering back and forth. “You can’t even afford a meal.”

The girl fell silent, her brow furrowing as she stared at him intently.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” she said, her voice steady now. “I don’t have any coins right now, but it shouldn’t be a problem. After you deal with—”

“Enough,” Alistair interrupted, holding up a hand. “Let’s continue this conversation in my room.” Alistair said while standing up from his chair.

A series of soft murmurs rippled through the dining hall, expressions of mild discontent from the patrons. But Alistair paid them no mind. He motioned for the girl to stand, and she rose hesitantly. As she followed him, he gently placed a guiding hand on her back and led her toward the stairs.

+Ameera…+

-She’s clean. I don’t sense anything abnormal about her.-

+Hmm, good job.+

-He he he.-

They climbed the stairs and entered Alistair’s room. He gestured for her to sit on the bed while he took the single chair by the wall. Once she sat on the edge of the bed, Alistair gave a small nod, signaling her to continue.

“Let’s start from the beginning. Who are you, and what happened?” Alistair asked, restarting the conversation.

“Yes, sir. My name is Emma, and three days ago, my village was raided by a group of bandits. They… killed everyone.” Her voice trembled, but she pressed on. “I was foraging for berries in the nearby forest when I heard the… commotion. I saw everything from a hilltop.”

She took a shaky breath, her eyes brimming with tears. “Most of the adults died fighting, while the rest… they gathered them, tied them up. Then they took the girls and women and dragged them into the houses.” Her voice cracked, and she began shaking. “No… Alva, my little sister—she just turned twelve last month—they… they…” Her words dissolved into anguished sobs. “Noooo! Please, Goddess, no…”

Her composure shattered. She slid from the bed onto the floor, her tears flowing freely as she mumbled incoherently. Then came the wails—raw and uncontrollable. Her body trembled violently between sobs, her cries echoing off the walls of the small room.

-Alistair…- A deep wave of sadness resonated from Ameera.

+Yes, little one,+ Alistair responded, infusing as much compassion as he could into their ethereal communication. He stood up from the chair and knelt beside the weeping child, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. The girl immediately clung to his hand with both of hers, holding it close as she continued to sob.

-We’re helping her, right?-

+I haven’t decided yet. Do you want to help her?+

-I want to help her.-

+Then we will help her.+

Alistair felt a flicker of warmth and hope rise from Ameera, faint but unmistakable.

-And, Alistair?-

+Yes?+

-Those monsters. We’re going to kill them all.-

+Absolutely.+ This time, a surge of rage bubbled up between them, shared and unrelenting.

____________________________________

After a while, Emma finally calmed down and returned to sitting on the edge of the bed. Her eyes were puffy, and her face showed signs of swelling, but she had managed to steady her breathing.

“After that… they killed them… Why would they do that? Wouldn’t they want to… keep them for later?” she asked, her voice still tinged with disbelief.

“They probably didn’t plan to stay long and decided they didn’t want to deal with prisoners,” Alistair offered.

Emma lifted her head and stared at him. “Is that so?” This time, her tone was stoic.

“Yes. How big is your village? What kind of crops did you grow?”

“Small village, no more than forty people. The bandits weren’t there for crops—we don’t even have any. We usually get our food from the merchant who comes from this town. They came for the silver.”

“Silver? It’s a mining village?”

“Yes. A fairly new one. Silver deposits were discovered around three years ago, so the kingdom decided to establish a village there. My father, the head miner, was also the provisional village leader.”

“They usually station guards at something as valuable as a mining village. What happened to them? Redirected for the war effort?” Alistair asked.

“Yes, exactly that. When the war broke out, most of the soldiers were called back to Lordton before being shipped off to who-knows-where.” She clicked her tongue in frustration.

Alistair could understand her dejection. The war had ended almost as quickly as it had started. The soldiers pulled from the village likely never had a chance to be deployed.

“And the soldiers that remained were… ineffective against the bandits.”

“How many?” Alistair pressed.

“There were only ten soldiers left in the village. The bandit group had around thirty people.”

“Any awakened among the bandits?”

“… Probably no more than five. Two of them were much stronger than the rest—they took out most of the soldiers. The bandit leader stayed at the back, but he and the two besides with him were… different.”

“Different how?” Alistair inquired.

“They just felt different. Dangerous. And all five of them wore the same kind of armor.”

“Now that’s interesting,” Alistair said.

Emma stared at Alistair for a long moment after hearing his response. “Can you do it?” she finally asked.

“A head-on fight would be risky. But, like I said, I’m a ranger—I can manage it. Now, about that compensation you mentioned earlier.”

Emma remained silent, her eyes fixed on Alistair. She was sizing him up, trying to decide if he was capable of handling the task.

“My father kept some stamped silver ingots hidden under our house. Three of those will be yours after you kill all of them.”

“That will do. How far is your village?”

“A day’s walk from here.”

“I see. And what did the mayor say when you reported this to the city guards?”

“… Excuse me?”

“You said the attack happened three days ago, so you must have arrived here two days ago. You didn’t find me until today, so I assume you went to the town center first.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“… Yes. I went there. I didn’t meet the mayor, but the guard captain said something about forming a punitive force.”

“… But?”

“… He said it would take at least a week.”

“The bandits will be long gone by then.”

“Yes.”

“And the Adventurers’ Guild? What did they say?”

“… They don’t accept any kind of commission without upfront payment.”

“I see. So that’s why you came to me. You’re desperate enough to bet it all on a single awakened like me.”

“Pretty much, yes,” Emma replied candidly. “One of the city guards, Oswin, recommended you. He said you’re probably the strongest person in town. I thought he was exaggerating, but then I heard about you from others too. They all seemed to share the same opinion of you… Were they wrong?”

Alistair only shrugged at the question. A flicker of exasperation crossed the girl’s face, but she quickly returned to her stoic demeanor.

“So? Will you take the commission?” the girl finally asked.

“Yes, I’ll take it.”

“Good. How many people are you going to bring?”

“Just me.”

“Wait, what?!”

“If I wanted to launch a head-on attack, the number of people I’d have to bring would just slow me down. Three days is already cutting it close. It shouldn’t take more than four days for them to finish organizing the loot—the silver. So we need to move fast.”

“My village is pretty isolated. The only road leading there is winding, so it might take longer with horses than just walking straight through the forest.”

“Good thing we don’t have any horses then,” Alistair said.

“You’re going first thing in the morning?”

“No. I’m going now.”

“What? Why? Wouldn’t you want to be in perfect condition?”

“Of course I would prefer that, but like I said, the timeframe is too narrow. I can’t afford to waste more time. If I leave now, I should arrive just before dawn—a perfect time for an ambush.”

“… I understand.”

“Hmmm. The room is already paid for the month. You’ll be staying here tonight. Ask the innkeeper for breakfast in the morning,” Alistair said as he stood up and walked to the trunk in his room. He pretended to search for something inside while discreetly retrieving a map parchment from his inventory.

Unfolding the map in front of the girl, he spread it out on the table. “Alright, point out where your village is, and I’ll be on my way.”

____________________________________

It had been two hours since Alistair left Lordton. He had been running nonstop at a steady pace. Running through a forest in the dead of night, especially without any light source, was typically very dangerous. Yet, Alistair moved effortlessly, navigating the dense woods as if it were broad daylight.

-You could run slower, you know. The village isn’t that far—we could reach it before dawn at a slower pace.-

“Yeah, we could. But this pace is manageable for me, and if we arrive early, I can rest then. It’s better than slowing down and risking arriving late.”

-I see. You’ll need time to set up an ambush, I guess. Are you really sure they’re still there?-

“Why? Do you doubt they’re still there?”

-I mean, you said it would take them around four days to sort things out. So I assumed that meant one day to rest and the other three to collect the silver. But I don’t think it would take that long. The way I figure it, it shouldn’t take more than a day to gather the loot—a total of two days. Am I missing something? Why four days?-

“Nice, you’re starting to think on your own. And you’re right—it shouldn’t take four days. They don’t even have to rest, so it shouldn’t take more than a day to organize all the loot.”

-Wait, what?! You lied? Why did you do that?-

“Two main reasons. First, I needed an excuse to leave town as soon as possible. Second, I wanted to see her reaction. The girl’s sharp—she should’ve realized the same thing you just did. But in the end, she didn’t mention anything.”

-She… lied?-

“I don’t know about that. I’m not very social—I can’t read people’s expressions, and I can’t even tell if someone actually enjoys my company or is just being polite.

“But that girl? She’s been trying to manipulate me from the start.”

-Manipulate how?-

“Well, the first thing I noticed was that she wasn’t as hungry as she claimed. Remember how she said the village was attacked three days ago? She was implying that she hadn’t eaten for three days.”

-But she did look very hungry, though. The way she ate that meal so fast…-

“Common misconception. People who haven’t eaten for that long wouldn’t be able to eat that fast. By then, their stomach would’ve weakened. If they tried to eat too quickly or too much, it would actually hurt them.

“But that girl? She ate quickly and without any discomfort. Then there were other signs, too—like her skin and lips. They should’ve been much drier. Her eyes should’ve been sunken, among other things.”

-Why would she do that?-

“To elicit sympathy, perhaps. To make me more willing to help her.”

-So she faked that… cry?-

“No. The crying was real.”

-I thought you couldn’t read people?-

“I can’t read people when they lie in normal situations. But most people don’t have much experience with extreme emotions like rage or anguish. I can tell if someone’s faking it. She wasn’t. But she did force herself into it.”

-Force it how?-

“She deliberately led herself into that emotion. She wanted to show me her anguish. Very manipulative.”

-So why are we here again? Running through the forest in the middle of the night to an empty, ruined village? Are you… are you just going to take the silver?-

“That would be the best-case scenario.”

-So we’re thieves now?-

“Of course not. If it comes to that, I’ll bring back her share of the silver.”

-Okay, but that still doesn’t explain why we can’t rest for the night and just go in the morning. You said you wanted to leave as soon as possible—why?-

“Because the girl is actually in deep anguish, very angry, and, most problematically, smart. That’s not a good combination. She might choose to do something reckless.”

-Something reckless, like what?-

“…I don’t know. It’s just a precaution on my part. The other reason we need to move quickly is there’s a good chance the bandits are still there.”

-What?! Why would they stay?-

“You remember the village location she pointed to on the map?”

-Yes? It’s a spot by a river near some hills or something. What’s wrong with it?-

“That’s exactly what’s wrong. The village wasn’t on the map. She said the village was established three years ago. The map was new—we just got it from a general store in town. There’s no way it wouldn’t show the village if it were real.”

-What does that mean?-

“It probably means it wasn’t a proper village. It’s likely a mining operation site, a temporary setup. That’s pretty common if the mine’s yield isn’t significant—there’s no need to build a permanent settlement. A temporary site can last for as long as five years.”

-Okay… so she lied about it being a village?-

“No, I don’t think she lied. To her and her sister, the place is home—it’s their village.”

-Wait, if it’s a temporary site, they shouldn’t be there, right? Wouldn’t it be better to leave the workers’ families in a proper settlement?-

“Not always, but some would. The ones that do probably settled in Lordton.”

-But not Emma?-

“No mother.”

-Excuse me?-

“She mentioned her father and her sister, but she didn’t say anything about her mother. If the mother’s out of the picture, it’s not that strange for the father to want to keep his teenage daughters close. And considering he’s the operation leader, it wouldn’t be hard for him to arrange.”

-Wait… if some of the workers’ families are in Lordton, then when she arrived two days ago…-

“Yup. She should know some people in town. But she still acted like she was all alone and hungry. Smart and manipulative, that girl.”

-I can see the manipulative side, but smart? How?-

“First, she can easily hold a conversation with adults—or at least, she thought I was an adult. The way she speaks shows she’s definitely educated and very social. And here’s the clever part: she probably didn’t tell a single lie. Everything she said was implied. She didn’t know how much I knew about the attack. If I had already heard about it before she approached me, I couldn’t accuse her of lying outright.”

-Okay, so it’s not a village. How does that change anything?-

“You remember the numbers?”

-Ten soldiers and forty villagers, against thirty bandits, with five awakened.-

“Exactly. Now think about it—twenty-five soldiers, with five awakened, is a reasonable force to raid ten soldiers and forty workers.”

-Wait, what? Soldiers? Not bandits?-

“There isn’t any known bandit activity or hideouts around here. That was one of the first things we learned when we arrived in town. So if they were bandits from another region, they’d have to be pretty lucky to stumble upon a silver mining operation that isn’t on any maps and isn’t near a main road.”

-Wait… you’re saying… locals?-

“Exactly. Not necessarily all of them locals, but someone in their group knows this area well.”

-…You’re saying soldiers because the five awakened were wearing similar armor, right? I can see those five being soldiers, but what about the rest?-

“Very good. Yes, it’s because of the five awakened wearing similar armor. The rest are likely regular foot soldiers. It’s pretty common for foot soldiers not to have uniformed armor. The five awakened are definitely commanders—adepts.”

-Not masters? Or maybe even grandmasters?-

“No. Masters don’t go around raiding after losing wars. They have far better opportunities waiting for them back home.”

-So you’re assuming these are remnants of the lost alliance army?-

“Yes. It’s not uncommon for retreating soldiers to band together with like-minded individuals and turn to banditry.”

-…-

Alistair could feel her confusion. He stayed quiet, letting her process the information.

-This is… I think this is too much.-

“What do you mean?”

-All of this is just… assumptions, right? I mean, you assume she’s manipulative because she didn’t eat right. You assume it’s not a village because it didn’t show on the map. You assume it’s local soldiers because some are wearing similar armor…

-It’s pretty far-fetched, don’t you think? She might’ve had some coins or something she could’ve sold to buy food. The map might be new, but it could still be based on outdated cartography. The awakened with similar armor? They could just be a close-knit group of bandits who bought their armor from the same place—or maybe they stole it from soldiers. And just because there’s no report of bandit activity doesn’t mean there isn’t a hideout around here, right? It could’ve been a very organized bandit group.

-There are plenty of possibilities to explain all this, but you’re assuming the worst case for everything.-

After her long rant, Ameera fell silent, nervously waiting for Alistair’s angry rebuttal. But surprisingly, he stayed quiet. The silence stretched on, heavy and unbroken, until Alistair finally spoke.

“You’re right. I did assume the worst-case scenario,” Alistair said calmly.

“Can I ask you something? Do you think I’m smart?”

The question came out of nowhere. Confused, Ameera could only respond candidly.

-I… yeah, I think you’re smart. Outside of the… rare emotional outbursts, you always seem to have everything planned. Your every action seems calculated, every decision pragmatic… So yes, you are smart.-

“Thank you. Can I tell you a secret? I’m not smart.”

-…-

“If I were smart, I wouldn’t have fallen for the sweet promises that blasted goddess made. If I were smart, I would’ve seen my Hero party’s betrayal coming. If I were smart, I wouldn’t have spent decades running away—living as a vagabond, as a beggar—afraid of being found by that fucking goddess.”

-!!!- Ameera could feel Alistair’s anger rising.

“If I were smart… Elise wouldn’t have had to die to let me escape. If I were smart… I would’ve devised a plan to exact revenge on everyone who betrayed me, on the people who killed my father, on the ones who tore my family apart.

“But nope. I’m so stupid that by the time I finally had the strength and the power to exact revenge, all of those people were already long gone. Except for the goddess, I guess.”

Without realizing it, Alistair had increased his pace. Where before he ran with measured calculation, now he was simply running. His right shoulder slammed into a low-hanging branch, causing him to stagger and nearly fall. Regaining his balance, he came to a stop and looked up at the night sky, closing his eyes.

He took a deep breath, feeling the cold air fill his lungs and then escape. He focused on the sounds around him—the rustling leaves, the faint chirping of nocturnal insects. He became aware of the fabric of his clothes brushing against his skin and the gentle breeze caressing his cheek. He drew another deep breath, slower this time.

Ameera noticed his anger had subsided. She also realized this exercise was something Alistair did often, a ritual to regain control over his emotions. She waited silently, giving him space.

Finally, Alistair opened his eyes and resumed running, his steps steady once more.

“So, yes,” he said, breaking the silence. “I’ve always assumed the worst. That way, I can prepare for the worst. No… that’s not right. There have been times when I didn’t—when I slipped, let myself fall into the trap of an easy, peaceful life. You know what happened then? When I stopped assuming the worst?”

He hesitated briefly, his voice darkening. “One whole company defected right under my nose. And I ended up having to kill my own grandson.”

They both stayed quiet after that, the weight of his words lingering between them.

After a while, Ameera finally broke the silence, her voice soft and hesitant. -I’m sorry all of that happened to you.-

“…Thank you,” Alistair replied, his tone subdued.

Ameera hesitated again before speaking. -Sometime, if you’re willing, I’d love to hear more about your past. About Elise, about your family.-

“There’s nothing interesting about my past.” He sighed but added after a pause, “But sure, sometime.”

-…-

“…”

Ameera’s tone shifted, a spark of mischief creeping in.

-Particularly about your life as a beggar. I’d love to hear about that. Did you learn a trick or two? Maybe learn to sing? You were big—I can’t imagine you sobbing and asking for coins.-

Alistair’s brows twitched. “I knew it! I knew you were going to hone in on that!”

-Is that when you started developing your obsession with money?- She teased, her laughter bubbling in his mind.

“…” He shook his head, a faint smirk playing at his lips despite himself.

-What is it? Too soon? It’s not like it happened almost a thousand years ago… oh wait, it did.-

“Hohoho, you’re a funny one, huh?”

-Hohoho, I learned from the best.-

Alistair chuckled under his breath, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. “So you know, I have a very beautiful singing voice.”

-What?! Bullshit! I’ve never heard you sing.-

“Just because I don’t like to sing doesn’t mean I can’t sing. And I only sing for my wives.” He added, his tone deliberately smug.

-!!!- Ameera gasped dramatically.

They kept bantering, Ameera’s laughter echoing in Alistair’s mind as he raced through the forest. Their destination was close now, but for the moment, it was just the two of them again.