That night, I decided to create a makeshift shelter where I could stay overnight. Sting offered me a place in his house, but I declined. I didn't want to cause panic in the residential area, especially since most of villager who survives earlier are living there.

These were the same people who had walked away first after seeing me killed by the captain.

Lucky for them, if they had stayed any longer, they would have died as well.

This event would surely cause confusion in the village. The growing number of missing people, the disappearance of the village chief… only I knew the truth. They were all dead.

There was no way we could continue living here, not in this village, nor in this kingdom.

Also i needed to find Stella and Ishla as soon as possible. Ishla was wounded, and the toll of using long-distance teleportation on her body was too much. I doubted they had successfully reached Tlauven.

There was a higher chance they were still somewhere inside this kingdom. The king will surely send men to hunt them down.

Anyway, I should rest now. This has been a really exhausting day.

I slowly closed my eyes, my mind filled with thoughts.

I finally pulled it off. Now, I can use dark magic not just to amplify my spells but also to manipulate space, just like the demon who killed me did back then. But that technique consumes an enormous amount of mana... I have to pour so much dark mana into the space until it becomes dense enough to bend even the space. It's difficult and inefficient, but if I can master it, I might stand a chance against stronger enemies.

Just as I was sinking deeper into my thoughts, a voice suddenly snapped me back to reality.

-- Leon! --

Huh? Is it morning already? I just closed my eyes for a second...

I pushed myself up and stepped outside.

I rubbed my eyes, still groggy.

-- Are you ready, Leon? Did you sleep well? -- Sting asked.

I looked around, expecting to see the researcher he had mentioned.

Where's your friend? - I asked.

Sting scratched the back of his head, looking annoyed.

-- Forget about her. She's demanding payment. We'll figure out where to go on our own, don't worry. --

Payment? - I raised an eyebrow before pulling out a small bag filled with gold and silver. - Is this enough? -

Sting's eyes widened in surprise.

-- Whoa, that's real gold, right? Where did you get this? --

I smirked slightly, tossing the bag in my hand.

- Remember when I fought Dilo and Llyod? This was the reward. I kept it hidden in my pants because after what happened, I figured staying in this kingdom was impossible. So, I saved it... Thinking that maybe we could start a new life somewhere else. Maybe even buy a house. -

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

-- If that's so, let's go to Ar'ci. Maybe this amount will change her mind. --

Sting began to walk, but I stopped him.

- Hold on, Brother Sting. -

I turned back and dispelled the makeshift shelter I had built for the night. Then, without hesitation, I wrapped Sting in a thin barrier, forming another one around myself.

Sting looked confused.

Before he could question me, I controlled the barriers, lifting both of us into the air.

The moment our feet left the ground, Sting panicked. His arms flailed as he struggled to find balance in midair.

-- Leon! What is this?! I don't want to die yet! -- he shouted, his voice filled with pure terror.

I couldn't help but smirk.

- Don't worry, you're not gonna fall. Be a man. - I said calmly, floating effortlessly beside him. - Now, where are we going? -

Sting gulped, still looking down nervously. This was probably his first time flying.

Sting pointed the way to the other village, and I decided to tease him a bit more by flying faster than usual.

I glanced at him his mouth was wide open, probably screaming, though I couldn't hear a thing over the rushing wind.

Twenty minutes later, we finally arrived. This village was much larger than ours, located at the foot of a mountain. I noticed several openings carved into the rocky slopes, with men moving in and out, carrying tools and sacks, there's also a huge field of flower under us.

Curious, I turned to Sting.

Brother Sting, why are there holes in that mountain? - I asked.

-- The main source of this village is mining, and those people are miners. -- he answered.

I slowly descending toward the field of flowers

But for one last act of mischief, I let Sting drop rapidly, stopping him just before he hit the ground.

His panicked expression was priceless.

I couldn't help but smirk.

-- Enough of this flying thing, it feels like I'm dying every second of it! -- Sting protested angrily.

I Smirked

-- Anyway, come on, we're going to Ar'ci's house. -- he said.

We walked through a field of flowers, but I noticed the villagers slowly turning their heads to look at us.

-- Hey! Don't step on the flowers! -- one of them shouted.

-- Oh, sorry! -- Sting replied, putting his hand together and bow in apology.

After about five minutes of walking, we finally reached a large house made of stone.

-- AR'CI! AR'CI! -- Sting shouted, pounding on the door.

-- SHUT THE FUCK UP! I TOLD YOU TO COME BACK IN FIVE DAYS FOR YOUR SMOKE BOMBS! -- an old woman's voice snapped from inside.

-- It's me, Sting! -- he called back.

The door creaked open.

An old woman appeared. Her skin had a greenish , but her ears were long and pointed like an elf's.

-- What do you want? I told you, if you want me to accompany you to Tlauven, you need to bring me 1,000 silver coins. -- she said flatly.

-- Oh, right. -- Sting muttered before turning to look at me.

I tossed him the bag of silver.

-- Is this enough? -- Sting held it up to her.

The old woman caught the bag, tossing it up and down in her hand a few times.

-- This is not enough. Come back when you actually have 1,000 silver coins. -- she said, tossing the bag back.

I frowned.

- How do you even know? You didn't count it. - I protested.

The old woman turned to me with an unimpressed expression.

-- Who is this boy? Listen, I've lived for almost 500 years. I don't need to count to know when a bag isn't full. -- she said.

-- Don't argue with her, Leon. She's an expert at this... -- Sting muttered, extending his hand toward me.

I tossed him the bag of gold instead.

-- How about this? -- Sting handed it to the old woman.

Her eyes widened.

-- This is…!? -- She opened the bag, sifting through the coins. Then, a sly grin spread across her wrinkled face. -- THIS IS GOLD. Well, in that case, give me half, and I'll come with you. --

-- Half?! 1,000 silver is equal to 2 gold coins, and you're asking for 6?! -- Sting exclaimed.

-- Shut up, Sting, you ungrateful piece of shit. 6 gold, and I'll go. Deal or no deal? -- she said, crossing her arms.

Sting turned to me, clearly conflicted.

I gave him a slight nod, signaling to take the deal.

-- Okay, fine... 6 gold. -- Sting grumbled.

-- See? The boy understands the value of my time better than you do, Sting. Who is he, anyway? -- the old woman asked, raising a brow.

-- He's the son of Sister Stella and Brother Gustav. -- Sting replied.

-- Oh, those two. I remember five of you always coming here back then to pick up potions. And how's Enchu? Is he dead yet? -- Ar'ci asked.

-- I don't know much about Uncle Enchu, but I heard he's part of the council now. -- Sting answered.

The old woman gestured for us to enter her house. Inside, the place was filled with shimmering gems and strange, intricate tools.

-- The council, huh? I heard the Baron sent letters to all the villages in the province, demanding reinforcements for Hanisha. That's why all the adventurers are gone. Now, I have no one to send out to gather rare gems. -- Ar'ci muttered.

Sting turned to me.

-- Anyway, Leon, this is Ar'ci, a friend of mine. She's the one who taught Sario and me how to craft consumable weapons. If you're wondering, she's half-orc, half-dwarf. --

-- Yes, I remember now. The two of you were the most difficult students I ever had. -- Ar'ci said, eyeing Sting. -- What about the other guy? I haven't seen him since last year. --

Sting's expression darkened.

-- Sario… is dead. He was slain by a Goblin King. -- he said quietly.

Ar'ci sighed, shaking her head.

-- Oh, I see… Human life perishes as fast as ever. One moment, you're born, and the next, you're gone. It doesn't surprise me. You fragile humans are always like that. -- she said with disappointment.

Ar'ci tossed her tools and a handful of gems into a large bag.

-- Why do you want to go to Tlauven, anyway? -- she asked.

I need to find my mom. - I replied.

-- Oh? Did she abandon you? -- Ar'ci asked

No, she just teleported there with her friend. - I explained

.

Ar'ci picked up a strange-looking glass and held it up to her eye, studying me carefully as if she were examining something unseen.

-- Oh, wow... what do we have here? -- she muttered, her lips curling into a smirk. -- It seems you really are the son of those two monsters. Even at this young age, you're already ten times stronger than an average adventurer. --

Then, as if nothing had happened, she set the glass aside and continued packing her things.

-- We'll start our journey tomorrow morning. I need to take care of a few things first. --

Sting let out a sigh of relief. -- Finally, no more flying today... -- he mumbled under his breath.

- I thought we're going out today - I protested

-- Relax, kid. Tlauven isn't going anywhere. You should get some rest. You'll need it. -- Ar'ci said

Something in her tone sent a shiver down my spine.

is she implying something or Was it just my imagination…