As the early morning light shone through the window sill, Sai lay in bed wrapped in his blanket like a cocoon.
Suddenly, he heard tapping sounds coming from his window, but he thought it might just be a bird. However, a feminine voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Oh, my godchild," the voice said. "Would you please open the window? I would like to meet you."
Sai rubbed his bleary eyes and turned to the window, where he saw a red-haired young girl with green eyes pressing her face into the glass. She was wearing a white shift dress with floral patterns, and had dragonfly wings that shimmered in the light.
Sai realized she was a Fairy and opened the window to let her in. "Thank you, child," she said as she flew into the room.
The Fairy was powerful, she was level 40. She was twice the level of the Knights and Mages that escorted Sai to the Sapphire Principality. She could match the power of the Knight Commander that stood next to the princess.
The Fairy had a big smile on her face as she looked at Sai from head to toe, but her smile faltered when she saw the iron cuffs on various parts of his body. "Nice to finally meet you, my child," she said. "I am the fairy Rowana, a Master of the Poison Magic Arts. Tell me, what is your name?"
Sai replied, "My name is Sai Giri. It's nice to meet you."
"Before I say anything else..." Rowana looks to the floor. "I would like to apologize for how the Sapphire Principality has treated you," Rowana bowed her head. "I'm deeply sorry. We shouldn't have sent any heroes to the Sapphire Principality especially with the animosity between the fairies and the current royalty."
Sai shook his head. It wasn't like the fairies controlled how the princess acted. They might be the superpower of this world, but it wasn't like they can control everything. "There is nothing to be sorry for. The princess was the one who enslaved me. Not you."
Rowana nodded her head. "If it was anyone else, I would assassinate them. The Princess is currently the strongest in the human race."
I raised one eyebrow. "Is she that strong?" Sai thought there must have been some great warrior or old master stronger than her.
Rowana elaborated, "If she was in the same group as the current batch of Heroes. The princess would be the third strongest."
Sai slowly nodded his head. 'Alrighty then. The princess is very powerful,' Sai thought.
Sai then asked the next question. "So out of current heroes not including the princess, where do I rank?"
Rowana shakes her head,"Sour Apples gift is the first of its kind in history. It is hard to judge the gift when comparing it with other heroes."
'Well that's fair,' Sai thought.
Sai wondered what he should say next. Sai's mind was clouded with doubts about whether he should trust the Fairy. His past experiences with managers and coworkers who had betrayed him left him hesitant to put his faith in anyone. With both his past and current life offering little hope, Sai contemplated what question he should ask. Eventually, he came to a realization. Rowana might be a companion to a hero, not to someone who intended to run away from the Sapphire Principality.
Despite his hesitation, Sai mustered up his courage and asked, "If I were to say that I don't want to be a hero, would you abandon me?" He wore a sad smile as he posed the question.
"My dear child, even though you have forsaken your position as a hero for those who do not appreciate you, I will never abandon you," Rowana spoke with a smile that seemed eerie. "I will even assist you in setting fire to the entire Royal Palace!" she exclaimed gleefully
‘Burning the entire Royal Palace down. Sounds very cathartic,' Sai admitted in his mind. "Perhaps we can plan to do that at a later time. For now, is there any way to remove these iron cuffs from my neck and limbs?"
Rowana used her dainty hands and grabbed my collar. She then tried to stretch it, the iron cuff did not move. A frown appeared on Rowana's face. "These are not Iron Cuffs. These are made from Mithril," Rowana eyes started to glow. "They have Death Enchantment!?"
Sai was worried, "Is that bad?"
Rowana looked enraged,"Everytime the Death Enchantment activates you lose a portion of your lifespan."
Sai was speechless. He felt a dark hatred for the princess. He clenched his hand.
"How many years did I lose," Sai asked angrily.
Rowana was silent. She kept moving her finger across the metal. "I'm sorry. I don't know. We need to remove the collar before it kills you. We will need to beg the Great Fairies to heal the damage."
"What do we do now?" Sai asked.
"I need to make a trip to the Fairy Garden... No, not that's too far. Rather I should ask help from the Ancient Forest Treant for a mithril weapon," Rowana strategies. "We can't break a collar without one. It will take a week to get there, another week to get back," Rowana went into her satchel and pulled out a snake.
"What the freak!" Sai moved back from the clearly dangerous snake.
"This is my familiar. Slither the snake," Rowana explained proudly.
"I will devour your entire species," Slither said seriously. "One day, I will be a Divine Beast and murder you all! Especially that darn sun!"
"He's just grouchy since he's not a morning person," Rowana said offhandedly. "Slither will assist me in training you."
"I am having a lot of doubts about this plan," Sai said, eyeing the dangerous snake.
Slither, the snake who served as Rowana's familiar, had a completely black coat and a yellowish underbelly. Slither's eyes were distinguished by their yellow sclera and black, slitted iris.
"First I need to begin your training before I leave. Tell me about your Gift," Rowana asked.
Sai hesitated momentarily before ultimately deciding to speak the truth. "The Sour Apples gift enables me to produce three Sour Apples once per day. When consumed, the Sour Apple will increase my Durability by one point. Only thing I need to sacrifice is my taste buds and the joy of living."
After a moment of silence, Rowana scrunched up her face and nodded as if she had made a decision. "That's doable. Among the twenty heroes, your Gift would rank as the fifth highest, if I'm being generous, or the eighth place, if I'm being negative. The Sword Saint, The Genius, The Copycat, and The Item Drop have greater potential than you."
Sai felt conflicted, he was happy his gift was stronger then most of the other heroes gifts. However he felt nervous that there were four others with stronger gifts than him. He noted down the gift names and then asked, "So what should I do next? Do you have a plan?"
"We have a full day ahead of us," Rowana admitted. "We are going to check your combat abilities. We then head to the dungeon in the Royal Palace. Then we are gonna learn some Magic Arts."
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Sai's face was drained of color.
Slither raised his head and looked at Sai. "Welcome to Rowana bootcamp."
-------
In the training area behind the Tulip Palace. Sai was standing in the middle of the training field with Rowana in front of him. Sai and Rowana were both holding swords.
Rowana then said, "Let's begin training! Come attack me!"
Sai ran forward, and immediately swung his sword. Rowana blocked the strike and countered with a swift slash of her own.
It was a real sharp blade but it didn't even hurt him. 'My Durability really is that high!' Sai cheered in his head.
"Twelve-two points in Durability means your defense is as strong as a knight's steel armor," Rowana said as she attacked again. "However, let me tell you something, you won't last long in battle until you learn to dodge attacks."
Rowana's face was stern. Sai knew that he was getting better at dodging as the battle continued but he wasn't close enough to hit Rowana.
Rowana then said, "Not only do you need to learn to dodge, you can also block and counterattack," Rowana demonstrated by blocking his sword. "Also, if you want to win, you need to land your blows. Try to kill your opponent, OR they will end up killing you."
Sai nodded his head.
"Now let's continue!" Rowana yelled and attacked furiously.
They trained for hours, until Sai was covered in sweat when the training was over.
"Go rest for a while, we are going to the dungeon next," Rowana said cheerfully.
Sai groaned pitifully. "Blessing."
Level 1 Title Hero Agility 0 Durability 23 Mana 0 Mind 0 Strength 3 Remaining 0 Gift Sour Apples
----
Sai was led outside by Rowana. They were heading toward the royal palace. Slither the snake was around Rowana's neck. Sleeping peacefully.
A sword was strapped to his hip. "Where are we going?"
Rowana replied, "We are heading to the dungeon. You will be able to gain Glory and level up by slaying Horned Dogs. With me around you'll be perfectly safe!" Rowana cheered.
Sai nodded his head. The priest mentioned the Horned Dog.Fearsome adversaries of humanity. The Horned Dog dominated much of the continent and outnumbered humans and other races by a considerable margin, primarily due to their spawning in large numbers from Dungeons.
"Oh we're here," Rowana said.
The tower was made of stone and featured a staircase ascending to the top. Neither windows nor doors could be found within its walls. From the Sai vantage point, he could spot the red portal located on the uppermost platform of the tower.
"Slither please use your Magic Art to make us invisible!" Rowan said, she grabbed Sai's hand.
The light seemed to shiver. Rowana and Sai became invisible.
"Sai please keep quiet, we will sneak into the dungeon," Rowana said.
They both approached the stone tower and started to ascend the stairs. They reached the top where two guards stood.
The guards were clueless, as the pair was approaching. With ease Rowana and Sai slipped into the red portal.
"We are inside the dungeon," Rowana continued, "I will guide you through the dungeon, I will also explain how to deal with the Horned Dogs."
The dungeon walls were rough and the floor had jagged rocks that create uneven terrain. The air was stale and musty, with little to no natural light to guide the way. The red portal was the only source of light in the vicinity.
"Slither, light please," Rowana asked. A light orb illuminated the dungeon, it hovered over the pair. "Follow me, keep a lookout for Horned Dogs."
As they ventured further into the dungeon, they soon came face to face with a pack of four Horned Dogs. These fearsome creatures resembled Dobermans, but a white, knife-like horn protruding from their foreheads. The Horned Dogs were displeased by they presence and greeted them with menacing growls. All four Horned Dogs were level 1.
"Good I found you!" exclaimed Rowana. In front of her, four green needles suddenly materialized and swiftly flew towards the Horned Dogs before they could attack. The needles hit their targets with precision, causing the Horned Dogs to collapse and fall to the ground.
"Are they dead?" Sai asked.
Rowana grinned, "Only paralyzed. Now go over there and kill them."
Sai nodded, in gamer terms, he was being carried by Rowana. He approached the unconscious Horned Dogs, hesitant as he drew his sword and prepared to deliver the final blow. It was a weighty task, and he closed his eyes as he swung his weapon, feeling a heavy burden as he took their lives. He did the process three more times, killing the group of Horned Dogs.
A ring sound alerted him. 'Level up!'
Sai frowned and said, "Blessing."
Level 2 Title Hero Agility 0 Durability 23 Mana 0 Mind 0 Strength 3 Remaining 3 Gift Sour Apples
Once he finished, he turned to see Rowana examining the fallen creatures. "Well done," she praised him. "But there are more Horned Dogs in the dungeon. Let's press on and search for them." With that, she beckoned him to follow as they continued their exploration.
Sai killed an additional twenty-four Horned Dogs with Rowana subduing them. All the Horned Dogs were level 1. Happily he gained another two levels.
Sai said. "Blessing."
Level 4 Title Hero Agility 0 Durability 23 Mana 0 Mind 0 Strength 3 Remaining 9 Gift Sour Apples
"That should be enough for today," Rowana said.
"I haven't even battled against any Horned Dogs," Sai lamented, as he was not someone who enjoyed fighting. Nevertheless, there was a certain allure in conquering a Dungeon and slaying monsters.
"Tomorrow, you can engage in combat with the Horned Dogs," Rowana suggested. "However, I would prefer it if you allocate your points wisely and have a stronger mental state before facing them."
Sai frowned and agreed she was right.
Rowana and Sai left the dungeon and headed back to the Tulip Palace.
----
Rowana and Sai were in a guest room.
Rowana retrieved a book and brush from her bag, and proceeded to remove several glass bottles from her bag, each containing a different color liquid. Sai assumed that they were paint bottles.
“Let's begin your lesson on Magic Arts,” Rowana said and opened the book. “To perform magic you need three ingredients, Mana, Willpower and Imagination.”
Rowana opened the book and then poured a smidge of the green and blue glass bottles onto the paper. “To perform magic, one requires Mana. To effectively control the Mana, Willpower is crucial. Furthermore, an Imagination that is similar to a portrait, capable of shaping the Mana.” Rowana painted a perfect painting of her poison needles.
Sai nodded in understanding. "In essence, Magic Arts transforms my imagination into reality, provided I have sufficient power to invest in it," he summarized.
Rowana nodded in agreement. "You have grasped the concept quite well. However, despite its simplicity, it is harder in practice. One must possess sufficient Mana to cast the spell, enough Willpower to manipulate the magic, and a clear imagination of the intended Magic. All three of these pillars are crucial for successful Magic Art."
The Headmaid Erisenda walks into the room carrying a tray of refreshments. “I have brought tea for the guest. I hope you enjoy our hospitality.”
Rowana looked queasy. “What are you doing here!?” Rowana blurted out.
Erisenda bowed her head. “I am sorry for the intrusion. I will be leaving now.”
As Rowana rose to her feet, she exclaimed, "No, no, no! Please forgive me." She appeared anxious and flustered. "I am simply taken aback. I had expected you to relocate to either the Ruby Republic or the Emerald Country, given your reputation, or should I say, infamous reputation..."
Erisenda replied. “I am simply a maid. I haven’t done anything to earn your respect.”
Rowana opened her mouth then closed it, she then sighed and looked much older then her youthful appearance. “May you find peace.”
Erisenda nodded her head and then left the room.
Sai looked at Rowana in curiosity. “What was that about? Who is she really.”
Rowana grimaced. “It's quite a lengthy tale, so I will skip to the ending. Erisenda is the mother of Sapphire Principality Princess Ophelia.”
Sai looked at Rowana then back at the door. "That would explain a lot."