Part 1
“Uhh! The more I read about them the more I feel like something’s fishy about them...those ‘heroes’. Humans that amaze the gods with their actions to the point where those same gods abdicate their thrones in their favour? Bah, since it’s a legend it’s probably just exaggerated!”
Sinking in the red leather of the armchair inside the library I gently threw the just finished book on the pile that had formed in the last hours. The amusing scent of old paper and leather had mesmerized me to the point where I completely lost track of time. Had it been two hours? Four? I didn’t precisely know but my back and legs were begging me to stand up and do something after all those hours sitting in the same weird position. I found it comfortable to sit with my legs up on one armrest and my head on the other.
“Huff, time to go I guess. Mhh father should be home some...probably....hopefully”
I said while looking out of the wide window. A deep bright orange sun was lazily shining it’s last rays on top of the red roofs of the nearby houses while chunky pink clouds acted spoiled as ever by being carried around by the warm sea wind. A little stretch of the back and a crack of the knees is all I needed to get back in shape. As always, after a reading session, comes the tidying up, which meant to rearrange the books on their respective spots. It was easy this time since ever since coming back from the raid I got really hooked up on legend-like books. Mysterious races, mythical places, legends of heroes, gods and evils, extinct species, legendary beasts...everything of this kind sort of piqued my interest. It had only been five days since that unfortunate event but I already covered the majority of those topics in the library, since I had to stay at home ever since. One topic was the most common among the legends: “The legend of the seven heroes”. It’s a story that runs back five-six hundred years from now. During that time a war of world scale was being fought against every race. Elves against humans, humans against demons, demons against elves, elves against dwarfs, dwarfs against beast-men,...basically it was a chaos where everything could be considered a battlefield, from the valley to the city to the small farmers village. The world population was rapidly decreasing while the bodies kept piling up. In this chaos where even the gods dared not to interfere, seven heroes, choses by the World itself, rose up to put an end to this chaos. Thanks to their tremendous power and infinite knowledge they were able to stop this madness and bring peace back to the world. Everyone hailed them as heroes that could rival the gods in wisdom and strength, so the gods, amazed by their efforts and knowing that their reign had come to an end, gave them access to the World Above and gifted them with their godly powers. Though one of the gods was unwilling to give up his throne so, in an attempt to kill the heroes, he was banished in the Underworld, unfortunately he was able to kill one of those heroes. The god’s name was erased on every record of this world and was then declared the Forsaken, ruler of the underworld, where he still resided, looking for a way to walk those lands once again. An interesting story yes, but I couldn’t refrain from wondering how much of the truth was written on those pages. In the end, legends always hold a certain percentage of truth, it’s just a matter of figuring out what is true and what is not.
A soft smell was coming from the nearby room, slipping under the door like a shadow. It had a certain degree of wilderness to it but it was wisely covered by species. It wasn’t sweet like a cake nor bitter like mother’s asparagus, yet I could taste the softness of it only by the smell. My mouth unconsciuosly started watering simultaneously with the grumbling of my stomach.
“Mhh, guess we’ll have fish tonight!”
I said in a slightly singing tone while crossing the door that leads to the living room.
Part 2
[It’s late...very late! What the hell is father doing?]
Dinner had already finished hours ago and there was still no trace of father. Mother was clearly getting restless, pointed out by her unnecessary noise made by her nails hitting the table. Today was the fixed day father had a meeting with the higher ups regarding the events of the raid and, as the captain of the raid, he was going to have the hardest time out of all the members. Under the suggestion of Donner-san, in order to keep me out of trouble, I was confined inside the house so that the story that I was injured could seem more truthful. But I actually had an ulterior motive to stay at home. I had no physical injuries that’s true, but rather I had some issues with my mana flow. During the last fight I completely ran out of mana while still casting the last spell, in order to finish the ongoing spell I was forced to absorb a small quantity of natural mana inside my flow. That’s what master Kyrven called mana poisoning. Lucky for me only a very small quantity of natural mana got inside of my flow so it wasn’t a life threatening situation but still it could have become a serious problem in the future if left undisturbed. To solve that I gladly spent the past five days lazily reading books while letting my mana flow circle and expel the natural one.
“Mother, Julie seems tired I’m going to put her to bed”
“Eh? Ah yes yes, thanks Raph”
“Why don’t you have some tea, mother. You seem rather on edge, should I brew some?”
“No no, don’t bother yourself with me. I’m just worried for your father”
Said mother while looking at me with a pathetically fake smile. Her facial muscles were painfully stretched resulting in a forced smile that looked similar to that of a clown mask.
[As am I…]
I grabbed my little sister from her armpits and let her sleepy head rest on my shoulders while I carried her up on the wooden stairs and to the cradle in the studio. The window was previously opened in order to air the room so I gently closed it, trying to make as little noise as possible so as not to wake her up, I tucked her in and gave her a gentle rub on her forehead. She smiled as brightly as the sun, careless of everything that happened and was happening.
“Ahh god blessed ignorance. I wonder if you’ll still show me that smile fifteen years from now”
I gently closed the door, still trying to be as silent as possible, I wouldn’t want to harm the sleep of that little angel. When walking down the stairs, the door in the living room opened, finally showing my tired and clearly upset father. Mother’s expression brightened up as she ran towards him and threw her arms around his neck. I patiently waited for them to finish before announcing my presence with a sound cough.
“I'm sorry Liz but I’m not that hungry right now...I’ll just have a tea. Raph you should sit, I have some things to explain”
A silent nod was all I answered before taking a seat right in front of him as mother started heating up the kettle.
“So? I guess it didn’t go too well this meeting uh?”
“Raph!-” said mother angrily while pointing her index towards me”- that is no way to speak to your father! You should be more wary of what he has gone thru-”
“It’s ok honey, he’s not wrong. There’s no need to sugarcoat the clear facts. Ahhh, for starters about your issue Raph, everything has been cleared. Donner and the others all testified that you were not involved in the fight due to you being wounded at the very appearance of the monster. Since you were considered as a mercenary you cannot be persecuted or punished for the actions of the group. Soo, basically you’re safe. On the other hand the blame had to fall on someone, and that someone the higher ups decided to be me, since I was the captain of the raid. Summing up what it took them a whole day to tell me, I am now excluded from ever participating in any action involving the military, be it as an adventurer or a mercenary. I am forbidden to ever teach the sword to any soldier of the allies of Migur and of course I lost my job as an instructor. Honestly it could have been a lot worse but I was spared that fate thanks to Donner, Erik and Galvan taking part of the blame. As a result they were banished from Migur’s military. That’s the gist of it”
A deep silence fell inside the room. Father was looking down into his just served fuming tea with his hands on his knees, looking like a beaten dog. Mother on the other hand had no words, or at least no spoken ones. It was like she was trying to let the sounds out of her throat but something was blocking them. Gentle tears were wetting the sides of her cheeks. I was silent. Even though the conversation was mostly between me and father I didn’t want to say anything. One could not tell by only his looks but he was way stronger than it seemed. Circumstantial cheering words would have only been a display of pity, something definitely out of line for someone of his caliber. Rather than that, the best topic to get him off of his dark cloud was the future.
“So, what about now?”
“Uh?”
He was looking at me with a shocked expression and his mouth half opened. The tea cup was still on the table where mother put it, sign that he was way too deep in his thoughts.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“I bet you have already thought about what comes next so I shouldn't be the one to tell you that with just mother’s work raising Julie would be difficult”
His eyes regained some of their previous life as if his soul itself had decided to get back into his body. He picked up the tea cup and blew some of the steam away only to take a small sip before putting the cup back on the table.
“Mphh my own son dares to lecture me! Hahaha now I could really say that I have seen them all! But yes, if I’m being honest I did think about it and I have a couple of ideas we could get by”
“Darling it’s not necessary that you start working right away, we can keep afloat for a little while even if you don't rush yourself!”
“It may be so but I don’t like surprises so it might be wiser to start right away. Now as for the ideas, two of them seem very successful to me. I want to hear your thoughts Raph!”
“Sure thing father. You know I’ll be honest about them”
“Painfully so! First of all, how about a blacksmith specialized in military related gear like armor, swords, arrows and all that follows? I am not a master blacksmith but I do boast some ability”
“Mhhhh, it would be a good idea if you were more skillful in that matter. There are already a couple of blacksmith sponsored by the military and a couple more that are not. Other than already having a lot of competition you’d have to overcome the difference in skill. I’m not saying it would be impossible but it’s a very risky move”
Father silenced himself for a moment, holding his bearded chin with his left hand and tapping the table with his fingers with the right.
“Yes, you are probably right. Then about the second one. You know that I have a passion for wine right? What if I make use of that passion and start selling wine? Like a shop specialized in wines. I could suggest the customers with the perfect wine for the occasion or order their required wine through my connections. This doesn’t sound bad, right?”
I took a moment to think and unconsciously imitated his thinking pose, the only thing missing was the brownish beard.
“Yes, this could actually work out. There are a lot of bars in the central district but few of them serve good wine. Or at least that’s what Erik-san told me. There are a few shops that specialize in selling alcohol around the city but none emphasizes wine. If we could find a nice place to set in and a modest quantity of wines to sample, we might be able to make some real gold out of this!”
“Haaaa see Liz? Raph agreed to something I said...the world is about to crumble!”
“Ha ha very funny father”
“You know you are going to help with the shop right?”
“Are you sure you want to leave a kid with wine?”
“Haa, if Erik wasn’t there during the raid you wouldn’t even have had a sniff of liquor hahaha! I trust you with it”
“Then it’s settled. You better find ourselves a nice place father. All this talking got me sleepy, I’m going to bed first”
“You can trust me with it son. Oh and...thanks for saving me back there. I’m not sure that we would be able to hold a conversation like this if you weren’t there. Thank you”
“Don’t get soft on me father. You would have done the same”
Part 3
“Raph! Stop whatever you are doing and come help me! We’ve got the last shipment ready to unload!”
“Yes yes I’m coming, just give me a second!”
I shouted out of the small round window of the first floor. It had been a little less than a month and a half since the conversation about the wine shop and the warm wind from the sea was slowly starting to change into chilly whispers. It happened much sooner than the previous years, some even said it was a bad omen. Despite that, everything was going fine for us. Father, throughout his connections, was able to find a nice cozy place close to the central district of the city at an affordable price. The conditions of the shop itself weren't the best at all but it was something we could work out. It took me and father a whole month to get the building in a presentable state. There were parts of the stone floor that had to be remade, a couple of walls had to be reinforced not to mention the ceiling that was literally falling apart. As soon as we finished repairing, mother stepped in since it was time to decor. She didn’t really do anything except bossing us around and choosing the furniture for the shop. Of course neither me nor father had a say in this. After two weeks everything was done and ready to be presented to the public, all that was left was to unload the last shipment of wine. Thanks to Elodor-san influence we were able to receive shipments of wine from all over the Blank Lands so a lot of special and rare wines, rarely seen around Migur, were ready to be displayed in our shop.
After father called for me I stopped piling the barrels of wine on the first floor and ran down the thin spiral staircase leading to the back of the shop where the staff area was. A small room, probably about three meters long and four wide, held a little food storage and a couple of comfy chairs other than a sink. A sliding door connected the staff room to the main shop where bottles of wine were displayed all around a wooden elevation in the center of the room that held the most esteemed wine we could sell. Near the sliding door was the white wooden counter with some more wines displayed behind it. The entrance door had a small gold colored bell that rang everytime the door was opened.
“On my three Raph, ready? 1. 2. 3!”
It took the both of us and a strengthening spell on my end to lift that last heavy barrel before the hooded merchant directed his horses the other way around and out of the city. We carried the heavy barrel inside the shop and close to the central elevation. Since it was our most pricey wine it was only natural for it to be the most advertised.
“Once again on my three. 1. 2. 3!”
With a sound ‘tonf’ the barrel was put in his rightful place and we both let out a heavy breath. It was finally complete. Our everyday efforts had finally paid off. I was eager to finally put the “open” sign on display out of the front door.
“Alright Raph, now it’s time for the final touch!”
“What??”
“What do you mean what, have you forgotten? We need to hang up the shop’s name!”
“Ohhhhh!”
“Look! There are already some people outside waiting for us to open. We can’t let down our first customers, can we?”
“Of course not!”
We grabbed two step-ladders and the sign with the shop’s name written on it. Outside three people were waiting close to a shadowed wall across the street, all three clearly looking towards our shop. Two big nails for each corner were enough to keep the sign from falling. The sound of iron into iron of the hammer only lasted for a couple of minutes. The sign was up and shining with it’s blue letters on a white background. We brought back inside the ladders and washed our hands. Outside the door the “open” sign was facing inwards showing it’s red letters to the people outside. Father gave me a satisfied look followed by a bright smile, just like a kid, and turned the sign to the other side while happily announcing:
“The Bluescale Wine Shop is now open! Please dear customers come inside!”
The three people eagerly got themselves a spot inside as soon as father finished pronouncing his words. Unaccustomed to work in such an environment and eager to show his skills regarding wines, father’s face resembled that of a child in a candy shop. The day went on quite fast, filled with new customers eager to buy our rare wines, curious people who seemed like they wanted to purchase something but couldn’t decide and bored people that came in looking at wines out of their pure boredom. The dark came as we were cleaning the shop before closing.
Part 4
“It wasn’t bad for our first day, right?”
“It wasn’t bad? We have completely shattered our expectations, Raph! We even sold a couple of bottles of expensive wine! If it goes on like this I may even feel grateful for losing the job as a trainer hahahah”
We were idli chatting while walking home when we took the last turn before entering our home’s street. At the farthest edge of it was our house. The bright red light of the fireplace was lighting the living room and casting shadows of its inhabitants outside of the window. On top of the roof, the red chimney was coughing out white smoke that resembled a snake baring its fangs towards the sky. For some reason I felt uneasy while looking at it but I promptly discarded the thought as soon as I reached the entrance. I couldn't wait to tell mother how successful our first day was, and I bet father was too. He knocked on the door as usual before twisting the knob and entering the house. Inside the room mother was sitting on the table while holding Julie and caressing her head. She had a pale face as if a ghost had just came to visit her, her teeth were almost gritting making a horrible noise. In front of her, a boy that seemed a little older than me, dressed in dirty rags was looking down at his feet. The silence was unbearable. Even though I just entered, I felt uneasy just by looking at the strange scene. Only when I closed the door behind me mother finally raised her head towards us, finally noticing us. The boy slightly moved his eyes towards our direction but as soon as our sight met he rapidly diverged them.
“Liz...what’s happening? Why are you so down?”
Father asked, perplexed. Mother stood up and walked towards him and only when she reached close to him she looked him in the eye. She was crying. A messy cry, just like a waterfall. She grabbed father’s shirt with ther free hand and buried her face in his chest while frustratingly repeating:
“I’m sorry...I’m sorry...I’m sorry”
Father stood there, unsure of what to do. It took him several minutes and a cup of tea to calm her down., but he was just able to contain her cries and not totally get rid of them.
“Honey, why don’t you take it slow and explain us what’s the situation is? Like, why are you so sad? And who is this young man sitting here?”
Mother tried to articulate some words but whenever she is overcome with emotions she completely loses the ability to speak. Tears started falling once again.
“If you please, would you allow me to explain the situation?”
The one talking this time was the boy in rags. He was in a pretty bad shape but I could see that behind all that dust, dirt and rags a pretty boy was hiding. He had short dark brown hair, longer at the top and shorter on the sides, small deep green eyes and long eyelashes that gave him some sort of royal-like beauty. He was a little taller than me, about five centimeters at best. He was thin yet well built but because it was clear that he had scarcely eaten for the past days his physique was lacking. He had the shadow of a future sharp jaw and a strong chin. His skin was roughed up but one could see a faint scent of clearing routing behind it.
“Oh, oh , yes. If you would, it'd be pretty much appreciated. Liz tends to get overcome by feeling quite often”
“It is my fault that she is in that state right now. I apologize”
“You don’t need to but...would you mind telling me who exactly are you? I can’t seem to remember you nor recognize you from anywhere young boy”
“Pardon my rudeness. It seems that it only took two months for me to lose my manners. My name is Lucas de Bryonne. Son of Marquis Stephen de Bryonne and Elizabeth Steeder. I come from the kingdom of Hadoc. It is my pleasure to meet you Arthur II Bluscale-sama”