The atmosphere in the forest was quiet and dark, broken only by the sound of falling leaves and the approaching footsteps of the enemy. Lydia, despite being injured, fought to hold off the attacks. But the enemies were no ordinary foes. They moved in perfect formation, highly trained, each wielding sharp weapons and cloaked in a dark, menacing aura.
Lydia blocked one sword strike with her remaining strength, but an enemy from behind jumped into the air, swinging a large sword crackling with lightning magic. "Lydia, watch out behind you!" Shouta yelled, but it was too late. The large sword struck Lydia's magical shield, knocking her back several meters, almost causing her to fall.
"Lydia, are you okay?" Shouta asked anxiously, his eyes on the growing wound on her shoulder. Lydia nodded weakly, but her face was pale, clearly running low on energy.
"I can still fight, Shouta. But there are too many of them..." Lydia replied, her voice faltering.
Shouta's gaze shifted to the enemies closing in, his eyes locking on the magic gathering in the hands of one of them—an ominous dark vortex buzzing like a swarm of bees. The attack shot toward them with incredible speed. Without thinking, Shouta extended his arms forward.
"Wind, protect us!"
A wind shield appeared in front of them, halting the dark vortex. But the enemies didn’t stop there. Another one launched a barrage of ice arrows from the left, while another from the right fired a large fireball.
"This is bad..." Lydia muttered, tightening her grip on her sword.
Shouta felt something strange stirring inside him. Without hesitation, he yelled, “I won’t let this happen, Lydia!” He raised both hands, and powerful energy began to gather. A massive explosion of energy erupted from his body, sending a huge fireball that destroyed most of the incoming ice arrows. At the same time, he created a tall wall of earth to block the fireball heading their way.
But the enemies didn’t back down easily. One of them jumped high, unsheathing a sword coated in dark magic aimed directly at Shouta. Reacting quickly, Shouta summoned a wave of water that pushed the enemy back. The water instantly froze, forming sharp ice that pierced the enemy’s feet, causing him to fall with a scream of pain.
Lydia, drawing strength from Shouta’s courage, resumed her attack despite her weakening state. She swung her sword forcefully, cutting down two enemies at once. But one enemy, using dark magic, conjured shadow daggers, wounding Lydia’s thigh.
"Ah!" Lydia screamed in pain, collapsing to one knee.
Seeing Lydia badly injured, Shouta felt a surge of rage building in his chest. "I won’t let them hurt you anymore!" he shouted, and without casting a spell, he unleashed a devastating attack. From his hands, a combination of fire and wind formed into a massive firestorm, incinerating nearly all the remaining enemies in front of him.
The remaining mercenaries, now realizing Shouta’s power, began to flee. Only a few, badly injured and unable to move, remained.
When they returned to the guild, Shouta and Lydia were greeted by the guild leader, Darius Greystone, a man in his 50s with vast experience in the adventuring world, and his younger assistant, Kael Varnath, who was in his 30s but already highly skilled.
The guild leader looked at them seriously. “You’re lucky to still be alive. Now, tell me everything.”
Shouta recounted their battle, describing the mysterious group of enemies. Lydia added details about their use of high-level magic and strategic training.
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Darius leaned back in his chair, his face furrowed in thought. “If they attacked you, this isn’t just a random attack. There’s something bigger behind this,” he said slowly. Kael, standing beside him, crossed his arms with a sharp look. “But why target a kid like him? He’s just a rookie adventurer.” Kael glared at Shouta, as if searching for hidden answers. “Enough, Kael,” Darius interrupted, his voice commanding. “It’s not our job to judge. We need to focus on protecting them and investigating this.”
The guild leader decided to conduct an immediate interrogation. Shouta and Lydia were allowed to watch the process.
The two surviving mercenaries, badly wounded, were seated on wooden chairs, bound tightly with magic chains. Their faces were cold, though they were in pain.
Darius asked sternly, “Who hired you?”
The first mercenary stared at him coldly. “Kill me now. I won’t talk.”
Kael Varnath pressed harder. “You don’t have a choice. If you speak, we might offer mercy. If not, your lives end here.”
But the second mercenary chuckled. “We’re not afraid of dying. We were trained for this.”
Suddenly, the first mercenary bit down on something in his mouth—a small capsule. He immediately convulsed and, within moments, collapsed lifeless in his chair. His eyes remained open but blank.
“They…” Shouta gasped. “They committed suicide!”
The second mercenary, grinning wickedly, did the same. Before Darius could stop him, he too bit into a capsule. “You’ll never know who our master is…” Those were his last words before he died.
In the guild leader’s office, Lydia sat lost in thought. “Why did they commit suicide? Who hired them?”
Darius sighed deeply. “They’re part of a professional mercenary group. They only work for certain powerful individuals, usually nobles or secret organizations.”
Shouta clenched his hands, still reflecting on the forest battle. “But why me? What do they want from me?”
Darius looked at Shouta with a serious gaze. “I don’t know, but this isn’t something small. You need to be more cautious.”
The guild leader added, “We’ll investigate further, but for now, focus on your life. There’s something much bigger behind all this.”
As they leaned against the guild’s wall, Shouta asked, “What’s really going on out there? This world is bigger than I thought.”
Lydia turned to him, her eyes slightly squinted. “This world, Aran, is filled with conflict. The Qinlin Empire is clashing with the northern kingdoms, and in the south, ancient tribes are still holding onto their territories. But that’s not the only problem. There are creatures hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.”
Shouta stood up, staring out the guild window, wondering, “Who wants to kill me? And why?”
After the disappointing interrogation, Lydia decided to take Shouta to Viscount’s residence to report. Once there, Viscount listened intently to their story.
“So, that group was a mercenary band,” Viscount said, his expression serious. “This isn’t a coincidence. Someone hired them to hunt you down—or maybe just Shouta.”
Shouta raised his head, surprised. “Why me? I’m just a kid trying to become an adventurer!”
Viscount looked at Shouta with sharp, curious eyes. “Shouta, you need to be honest. Is there something in your past that might explain why someone would want to hunt you?”
Shouta paused, staring at the floor with clenched fists, his voice hoarse as he began to speak. “I don’t know who my parents are. Since I was little, all I knew was the whip and orders. They treated us like things, not humans.” His voice wavered, his eyes misty. “I remember that night… when I ran away from them,” Shouta’s voice caught. “Those people—they worked for someone very powerful. I don’t know who, but they wanted me for something I couldn’t understand. When I ran away, they sent people to capture me. That’s why I’ve always been hiding, living in fear.”
Lydia stood beside Shouta, placing a hand on his shoulder in support. Viscount listened carefully, his gaze focused. “If what you’re saying is true, this is much more dangerous than we thought. There’s something much bigger going on, and you’re caught in the middle of it. We need to dig deeper into your past, Shouta.”
Viscount then turned to Lydia. “What do you think, Lydia?”
Lydia nodded. “Shouta deserves to know more. If something is threatening his life, we need to protect him. We also need to investigate who’s chasing him, especially if they have such a wide network.”
Viscount looked out the window, thinking for a moment. “This isn’t easy. Whoever is chasing Shouta is no ordinary person. They must have a very strong reason. And you, Shouta, may not even know the full potential of what you’re capable of.”
Shouta swallowed hard, staring at Viscount. “What do you mean?”
Viscount walked slowly toward a desk and opened an old, dusty document. “There are theories about creatures born from pure, or perhaps cursed, blood. Families involved in ancient magic sometimes perform experiments to create ‘heirs’ who can control powerful magic, or have extraordinary potential. Sometimes they even conduct dark rituals to enhance a person’s power. Not many people know about this, but there are rumors that these families still exist, though they hide themselves.”
Shouta was stunned. “Experiments? Heirs? I don’t understand.”
Lydia explained, “Certain noble families, especially those tied to magic, sometimes conduct experiments to produce ‘perfect’ heirs. They believe their descendants will hold immense power, which is why someone might want to get their hands on you. The magic bloodline you have might be the key to something much darker.”
Shouta’s body felt cold as he absorbed the information. “So, I’m the key to something dangerous…”
Viscount turned to Shouta and said with a grave expression, “Perhaps. But we need to uncover the truth. And right now, you’re in greater danger than you can imagine.”
As Shouta sat in the dim light of the Viscount’s study, a sense of unease gripped him, the weight of his hidden past pressing on his shoulders. With Lydia at his side and Viscount’s guidance, the journey into uncovering his own mysterious origins had just begun.
To be continued…