Kite is speechless on the subject. What the masked man said was right. The world is so large that the desert is nothing but the tip of the iceberg. Has he been staying true to his feeling or running away from them? Has he tried to be alive rather than just trying to live?
"Have everything been nothing but a lie then?"
"Didn't I already explain the answer already?"
"It is all about how it matters to me..."
"Have you tried learning about things that interested you? Have you tried something new before? Well, in your case, have you tried experimenting with food?"
"Yes, I did."
"Didn't you have fun?"
When Kite hears that same statement, it was as if thunderstruck. If he thinks about it, the experience is indeed joyful, he had multiple failures in the past, but it was thanks to failing that he learned something new about ingredients every day. Kite did give up on some ideas, but it was after some trial and error. Kite reaches for his chest as he feels the distress disappears.
"Listen kiddo, you only see things in front of you because you comprehend that it is in front of you. If I were to give you a book, will you be able to tell me what is the book about?"
"Not until I opened it up."
"That's right. To know is to understand. To understand is to give rise to a thought. To give a thought is to think. There is a saying the duellis have, 'One who sees one's mind shall see eternity', it means that when thinking about something, think about the reasons first rather than the solutions."
"Reasons..."
"Didn't you learn how to cook since you were much younger? Do you even know why you cook in the first place?"
Kite looks back at his memories. When he was five years old, the first thing he ever learned from both Mr Kesh and Maria was baking bread. If it is looking for the reason they did so, it was because it was necessary for his training. But if he sees it as his reason, it was the desire to help his adopted family with the business.
The masked man seemed merciless however Kite can understand the hints he has been pushing onto him. To the masked man, it wasn't that doing the right things which makes someone correct but rather how things must be done so. After all, he had seen all the ridiculous things that happened today. From start to finish, everything he did was nothing short of madness yet his intelligence would suggest otherwise.
Kite recalled earlier the dialogue between the now-dead bandit leader and the masked man. The masked man said he is a wanderer. His knowledge probably isn't something Kite can comprehend because everything he did is something normal people will never dare to imagine. Kite looks at the wanderer now in complete awe with the way he looks at the world around them. Then Kite thought of something.
"Say, mister."
"Hmmm?"
"Can I travel with you?"
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The wanderer looks at Kite while giving him a strange look in his eyes. Then he starts laughing.
"Hahaha! Ah. Even after you saw what happened, do you want to tag along with me? Well, if you do, there's no telling what will happen to you. You might end up like those thugs or even worse. I might not even be around you if that did happen. So, are you sure?"
Kite looks at the wanderer completely serious. He is well aware that he is putting his life on the line. But he is determined to do something for himself for this lifetime. Kite answers with an enthusiastic yes as he resolves himself.
"Hu..., And your reason?"
"There are lots of reasons, like seeing the skylands, trying out the food at the chef's capital Archimagirus. But most important of all, go on an adventure!"
"Hahaha. That's probably the most childish reason one can give. Sure, having someone to travel with will be a nice change of pace. But there is a problem."
"Problem?"
As soon as those words left his mouth. Kite felt something just painfully smacks atop his head. It appears to be a stick, but looking at it properly, it seems to be a wooden scabbard with a wooden handle. Kite realizes the wanderer has been carrying a weapon with him this entire time. The mantle he wears over his red duster clothes hides it well out of sight. He just used the scabbard to hit him. Considering his strength, he can easily crack his skull if he feels like it.
"That hurt!"
"Yup, the problem is just you. You are completely defenceless."
"Isn't it obvious that I can't fight!"
"I am not talking about your fighting prowess. I am saying your reaction time is horrible because you are not aware enough. It took you five seconds to realize I hit you."
"You just suddenly hit me!"
"There are many creatures in this world that can hunt you down within that time frame."
"But I'm not strong like you. Besides, I think other master class won't be able to do the same thing as you."
Kite knows that the world is crawling with absurd creatures with unknown powers. The intelligent races of the world can only compete within their limits. Terrans, Fianas, Arca Duellis and Arcus Duellis alike had tried to surpass that gap only to be crushed. Grades were given to everything to allow the races to have something to suit their force perception of nature. The duellis are the ones who introduced such a system. For the major races, it starts with the 'beginner', 'intermediate', 'veteran' and lastly 'master' class regardless of their style of fighting techniques or fighting style. For the three races, such professions are called vim meam. The creatures of the world, on the other hand, start from 'naive', 'hunter', 'brave', 'legendary' and lastly 'transient'. Their category is called summum venadi.
If the recent event can describe these categories, the bandits will be those of beginners. A majority of naive class creatures can decimate them. A master class of the major race will only be at the level between brave and legendary class creatures at best. Although Kite has never met any other vim meam higher than intermediate until the wanderer, he is fully aware of how vastly different the wanderer is when anyone compares him to any terrans, fianas and duellis. The bandits are just thugs with normal combat experience.
The wanderer looks at Kite, rather than looking concerned, that stare looked more like a predator glancing at its young. Kite can tell he is smiling in a very evil grin and shivers ran through his spine. The wanderer pats Kite's back as if reassuring them that nothing will go wrong. Seeing how nonchalantly he is behaving right now, Kite is certain something absurd will happen to him. Kite braces himself for whatever the man before him has something installed for him.
"Oh, don't worry, we can fix that. I would do it myself but you will die without a doubt 100%. But there is a chance to help 'train' you and I wouldn't need to do anything."
"I don't like the way you put the word train..."
A sense of soul-crushing pain creeps in immediately. Kite is sure of the kind of training he would administer to him. His somewhat jovial demeanor betrays his actual expressions as the wanderer tends to be extreme from Kite's point of view. When they arrived back at the town, the townfolks have already prepared themselves for an invasion. They decently fortify the outpost despite the lack of experience while many travelers have long evacuated though some of them stayed back to help out the town's dire situation.
Kite understands their feeling but he has to break the ice and calm everyone down. They will not believe what he will say but he has to do it as convincingly as possible. Kite gives a wry smile as soon as he sees everyone in town.