I'm officially 14 now, and it happened to coincide with the day I got promoted to a Shadow Knight. The Dark Lord knighted me to officiate the ceremony, and— that was it. A few claps could be heard, but there was no feast or clanking of beer cups. Perhaps in the Viking guild, probably. It was not uncommon for adventurers to get promoted, but it was rare for someone to become a Shadow Knight at my age.
Rick was among the small audience who attended the ceremony. He had been a Dark Knight for quite sometime now and only goes on special quests assigned by the Dark Lord himself. He came up to congratulate me, but I did not expect him to start shedding tears. Getting all emotional seeing your kouhai getting promoted, will I experience something similar one day perhaps?
I won't lie though, throughout the entire ceremony, my mind was completely focused on something else. My main objective today is to gain an audience with the Elementalist and to hopefully get some information about the whereabouts of my grandfather or perhaps who the assassin was. Fingers crossed that I will finally be able to meet him today. Otherwise, I will have to ask the other guilds for information about this assassin if my memory description about him still works. Sigh, so much to do today. I should take this opportunity to update my quest log.
Main Objective: Seek audience with the Elementalist to gain information about the assassin and grandfather's whereabouts.
Side Objective Uncompleted: Dig out the bloody golden chest for good.
Sounds about right. Time for me to head to the Elemental Guild then. I brought along my Shadow Knight badge with me just in case. Best to show some kind of proof to the reception about my new rank. I proceeded to head towards the Elemental Guild, only to find myself standing in front of their building all flabbergasted. Pardon my language, but their building is fucking huge! Doubling the size of what the Dark Guild currently has. Is this the reason as to why Grandfather was loaded? The Elemental Guild had no problem in paying for his expensive services, is that it?
I headed in nervously, making sure to knock on the door for safety measures. Even their main door size is doubled from what my guild has. Not to mention much fancier looking in terms of the designs and quality. Felt like I joined the wrong guild after looking at their building. I heard a "come in" and opened the door.
"Greetings, how may I serve you?" asked the receptionist.
Ermahgerd, she's so beautiful! Hang on, is this due to the fact that I barely made any contact with the opposite sex for these past few years or is it just my hormones acting up? I need to keep myself in check before I get bonked for being horny! Wait a minute, I just only realised that the receptionist is an elf. Shiiitttt— am I just a sucker for female elves now? Did Lily somehow unlock a hidden fetish in me?
"H— Hello, I would like to meet with the Elementalist if that's possible?" I asked with an awkward smile. She stared at me and chuckled.
"Seeing the guildmaster on the same day you got promoted? I thought you would be out there celebrating your new rank," she continued chuckling. H— Huh? How did she know that I got promoted today? Have we even met before?
"I'm sorry, but— how did you know that I got promoted today? Have we— met before?" I asked her.
"Oh, pardon me, the guilds always keep track with one another to have a better understanding of the members. Otherwise, some random stranger might declare himself as some high-ranking adventurer with a fake badge. Don't worry, I assure you this is the first time we have met," she winked at me.
My heart thumped. Ah, damn it. I guess I really am a sucker for elven ladies. I smacked my forehead resigning to that fact.
"So, am I allowed to meet him? Will this badge prove my ranking? I assure you that this is real," I told her.
"Hehe— no silly, just wait here while I deliver the news to the guildmaster. I believe he had been expecting to meet you some time ago," she chuckled.
Damn it, are all female elves this adorable? Am I falling for this receptionist now? Don't you dare, don't you dare!
I sat at their luxurious couch while she went to find the guildmaster. I took the opportunity to calm myself and sincerely reminded myself that I'm here to speak to the Elementalist, not to flirt. After some time, she came back and gestured for me to head in. I said my thanks and bowed to her. A member of the guild came and escorted me. Why does it feel like I'm about to meet a king?
The inside of the guild was remarkable. It gave off a rich mansion vibe. Marbles filled the floor, while the ceiling was decorated with exquisite designs. You can see plenty of statues and busts decorating the walkway and throughout the building. The place I was being escorted to was on the ground floor. It seemed that only members of the guild are allowed to head to the higher floors. They should be their own personal quarters. Is that why I hadn't seen Lily for the past three years? She had been secretly living in luxury all these while? You can spend all your time here, and you wouldn't get bored! Damn it, I should have tried my luck in joining the Elemental guild the last time!
The escorting member gestured me to enter after he had knocked on the door. I headed in and was immediately confused. Isn't this—a dining area? A really small one too. There were only two chairs facing opposite one another, with a small rectangular table directly in the middle of the room, filled with food and fruits. I was fully expecting to meet the Elementalist seated at the top of a flight of stairs, asking me to bow to him or something. Isn't that what guildmasters do? Perhaps it is only the Dark Lord and his ego. I was certainly left stumped by the unexpected venue until I heard someone speaking.
"Please, be seated," said a voice.
What a soft and gentle voice, yet there was something commanding about it. Strangely soothing to hear, without you realising that you are following his command. Not something I was expecting from a guildmaster.
I took a seat and out came a well-dressed man who seated directly opposite me. The table was small, so we could literally see each other's facial features from this distance. He was an elf with greenish eyes and brownish hair that was long enough to reach his waist. What a fabulous man. He was staring at me for some time before he squinted. I felt goosebumps all over my body as I was not used to being stared at, not to mention by such a pretty man. Please don't awaken another weird fetish in me, please—I still like women—PLEASE!
"I was expecting you to see me earlier. Yet, it took you three years to finally be here. May I know as to why exactly?" he asked with an annoyed tone and continued squinting his eyes.
Is he annoyed at the fact that it took me this long to finally meet him? It is not as though I can just stroll up here and demand to meet with him when I was just some random newbie who had just arrived in the city.
"I didn't know who the Elementalist was since my grandfather only mentioned him in one of his letters. I only confirmed that you were the guildmaster of the Elemental guild after I did some research of my own," I explained to him honestly.
I honestly didn't know that the 'Elementalist' was actually the guildmaster until I did a little digging of my own. I knew there was an Elemental guild, but someone being called 'Elementalist' could have been anyone or maybe some assassin who decided to call himself that for all I knew.
He sighed and dropped his head. Is this—fella really a guildmaster? He acts so differently than the Dark Lord, who always acted dark and gloomy.
"As expected of him. Richard was getting old for his age to remember what he needed to tell you. No doubt he had forgotten to inform you to never speak of your last name to anyone," he sighed. Huh? Richard?
"R—Richard? Who is Richard?" I stared blankly at him.
"Richard Hawthorn, father of Jack Hawthorn, who is in turn, your father," he explained.
Wow, those names sounded foreign to me. Not only do I not know the names of my parents, I didn't even know the name of my grandfather.
"W—wow. I never knew any of their names. Thank you for telling me about them. But should you really mention the H name so blatantly? Isn't the Queen's order to capture anyone at the mere mention of that name?" I asked him.
"Not just capture, mind you. Direct execution on the spot. But have no fear, there are none of her spies here. Contrary to what you see outside of our building, our perimeters are well-guarded. Very few beings can escape the ears of the many elven members inside and outside of this building. But enough about that, let us continue with the topic at hand. Your grandfather is an extremely reclusive man. He went into hiding right after the war with the Demon King and the announcement of the desecration of the Hawthorn family. I was not expecting him to live in the forbidden forest, however," he explained.
I said nothing; I only knew so much about grandfather but nothing of his past. Now that someone is willing to tell me about it, the best thing I can do is pay full attention and listen.
"I know why you're here. You wish to know who was the man who defeated your grandfather and whether he is still alive, am I right?" he asked, and I nodded.
"I would advise that you give up on taking revenge for your grandfather. That man is known for being notorious in his line of work. He is known as the Silent Assassin. One of the best assassins and bounty hunters to date in this world," he said.
"He is also part of the group known as the Four Great Powers. Are you aware of this title? It only belongs to certain individuals who have accomplished great deeds around the world," he continued. I shook my head as I had never heard of such a title before.
"Sigh, then I would suggest that you visit the library and seek the book about the Great Powers. You would need to understand that you are no match for him. Even I daresay that I might not be a match for him myself. In a fair fight, perhaps. But his specialty is silent killing, which is an extremely cowardly way of fighting. Humans really go to extreme lengths to gain their fame," he sighed.
I sighed as well. I guess I need to pay a visit to the library one day. It seems like that is all the information that the Elementalist is willing to provide, so I decided to take my leave as to not disturb him any further. I bowed to him and proceeded to head out of the room.
"One more thing, Mister Zen. As for the whereabouts of your grandfather, you do not have to worry. I am doing everything I can to gather information about where he could be. Richard is—a good friend of mine. I will do anything within my powers to ensure his safety," he assured me as he gripped his fist. I can sense anger in his tone. It seems like the two of them were in good terms.
I bowed once again and gave my thanks, to which he returned the bow. I was taken aback that a guildmaster would actually bow back to me; I don't think I can ever get used to this. I was expecting him to be more arrogant or something, but I was greatly mistaken. Lesson learned, never stereotype that elves are snobbish or arrogant towards humans in general.
I sighed once again when I was back outside. While I certainly did obtain some information about my grandfather and the assassin, I still need to gather more. Time for me to update my quest log again.
Main Objective Updated: Visit the library to read more information about the Four Great Powers
Side Objective Uncompleted: Dig out the bloody damn chest!
Alright! Time for me to head back to the cave and dig out that golden chest for good! I have a good feeling that today is going to be the day. Only a few more centimetres of solid rocks, and I'll finally be able to open it. I ran as fast as my feet could carry me towards the cave, carrying about a dozen pickaxes just in case. There is no way I am leaving the cave until I finish what I started today. I must open it. My obsession with this chest will finally be over.
I've always been careful heading into this cave at first. I always made sure to check the interior to see whether there were any new goblins or creatures inhabiting it while I was away. But after a year, I've concluded that there is barely anything that wishes to live here anymore. Good news for me as I can just rush into the cave anytime I want.
I reached the so-called dead end of the cave. I had been seeing this exact view for the past few months, constantly chipping millimetres of solid rocks day after day. I made sure to cover the chest with rocks before leaving to prevent any potential looters from finding it. I pushed all the loose rocks aside and revealed more than three-quarters of the chest's flap. Only a few more hours and I can finally open it. Time for a full hard labour to dig in!
I've lost count of the number of pickaxes I swapped when it broke. I toiled and laboured with blood, sweat, and tears. After a couple of hours of digging, I finally, FINALLY dug out all the rocks that were covering the flap of the chest with about five pickaxes to spare.
I threw the pickaxe I was wielding aside and hugged the chest. Tears were flowing from my eyes. A whole bloody year of manual labour and I finally dug it out. I prayed to all the Gods above that this was not a fluke. It better not be empty or some shitty common item that can be bought from merchants inside.
I took a deep breath and with a feeling of excitement, I opened it. Golden light was pouring out of the chest, which had me squinting. I reached in to grab whatever it was inside. Hm? Feels like—gloves? Gauntlets perhaps. I held it up with both of my hands and hugged it. It glowed with a shiny, dull emerald colour, separated by layers of protective materials atop one another. The build quality was superb. It felt indestructible after I knocked on it a couple of times. This is definitely a legendary item. Hell yeah! All my hard work had actually paid off! I quickly tried wearing the gauntlets as fast as I could.
Thunk!
Huh? My right arm fell to the ground instantly. Am I not strong enough to wear it? What is going on? But I can hold it up easily. That's weird, maybe I should get it identified first. I unfastened the gauntlet and hid it in my back pouch. I proceeded to close the chest and hid it with rocks, making sure to leave some visible portions of the chest so as to fool any potential looters into opening an empty chest. Heh heh heh, yes, I am evil. I didn't waste a year of my life for nothing.
I hurried back to the city to look for my favourite blacksmith. It was late evening when I finally made it to 'Holly Begonia'. I opened the door before he decided to close up shop.
"Wow, what can I do fer ya?" said the blacksmith from somewhere I couldn't see. Is this his new way of welcoming customers now? After a while, he came out from the back.
"Oh, hey kiddo. Ya rarely come at this hour. How can I help ya?" asked the blacksmith.
"I was hoping you can help me in identifying these gauntlets," I showed him. He inspected the gauntlets and gave an instant reply.
"Woah! No can do kiddo. Yer going to need an item identifier fer this. Where did ya even get this? It's really beautiful and its design is out of this world. It's light too," he said as he lifted the gauntlets.
"I found it in a cave. Is there any item identifier that I can find?" I asked urgently.
"Hm, the closest one is at the edge of the city. Ya might be able ta make it if ya start runnin' now," he said.
I bowed to him and ran with all my might towards the shop in question. I managed to find the shop with the name 'Tiny Bittersweet' located at the front. I knocked before heading in. Glad that it had not closed yet.
"Well now, how can I help you?" A lady appeared from the darkness. Uh, lady or a witch? The shop was eerie and dimly lit. There was only a candle on the counter top.
"I— was hoping that you can help me in identifying these gauntlets that I found," I showed her.
She held up the gauntlets and examined them with a magnifying glass. The wait is just killing me with anticipation. After a couple of minutes, she finally spoke.
"This is going to cost a lot of money, kid. Perhaps a gold coin or two. This is a legendary item you have here. Congratulations," she smiled.
"Make it happen. I need to know what these gauntlets are about," I told her.
She compiled after I had passed her the two gold coins. She took out a jewel or some sort of gem and started chanting. She began to rub the gem on top of the gauntlets as though to stimulate it. Wait, that is just me talking.
She then took out a scroll and slammed the gem onto it. The scroll started glowing with bright lights and the gem was seemingly absorbed into the scroll. The lady read the scroll and passed it to me.
"Sorry kid, guess it was pointless for you, after all," she sighed. Huh? What does she mean by that? I studied the contents of the scroll quickly. Hand of the Lightning God is the name of the gauntlets.
Requirements > 25 skill
Hidden spell 1 > 30 skill
Hidden spell 2 > 35 skill
Hidden spell 3 > 50 skill
Nani, da fuck?! I need skill stats to use this?! But—I barely managed to increase my skill stats throughout my journey so far. Damn it!!
I asked the lady whether she had any stats scroll in hand. She did, and I bought it from her, even though it was pricier than what was available outside. She took the chance to earn more, but I didn't really care. I blew on the scroll quickly with my fingers crossed.
Zen Hawthorn
Strength - 25
Skill - 20
Agility - 30
Constitution - 20
Damn it. If only the requirements were strength, then I could wield these gauntlets right now. I am going to need to find a way to increase my skill stats should I wish to use them. No, I must. I am not giving up now and wasting a year of my life digging this up for nothing. But how am I going to do that? I need to find more information on how to increase my skill stats, even though they are rarely used in this continent. Are there people who have the knowledge on how to increase them?
Should I ask the Elementalist or perhaps Lily? The guild is known for specialising in using skill stats for their spells. But I can imagine the Elementalist telling me to search for the information in the library. Alright, fine, I'll visit the library tomorrow then.
I decided to call it a day as I had sort of accomplished all of my objectives today. A brand new room awaits me back in the guild. A bigger and more spacious room, baby~ Today is definitely a good day despite the minor setback. I got promoted, spoke to the Elementalist, and finally dug out that golden chest with a legendary item inside. A bit of a bummer that I cannot wear these gauntlets, but I will make it happen. Curious to see what the three hidden spells are.
As I was walking back to the guild, I heard a commotion up ahead. A door swung open with a little human girl falling to the ground.
"You're useless! You can't even do anything right!" shouted a lady that came out of the door. Woah, scary mom alert. But c'mon, you shouldn't call your child useless. That is not right.
"You can sleep on the ground outside! Don't come back for all I care!" she continued her shouting. Typical Asian parents. I hope she can go in right after her mother has calmed down.
"Why are you still crying? I'm the one who should be crying having to deal with the likes of you. You can die for all I care! I've had it! I'm going to beat you until you learn your lesson!" she held up a glass bottle in an attempt to beat the girl.
Alright, that's it. I rushed in and grabbed the lady by the wrist to stop her from hitting the bottle on the girl. She was taken aback by my strength and speed that she was speechless for a couple of seconds.
"W—w… What do you think you're doing?! Unhand me or I'll call the soldiers! This is physical assault!" she shouted as she struggled to free her wrist.
"Calm down, lady. You shouldn't beat your own child. Not to mention out here in the public. You are causing a scene here," I told her. I have had it with this lady. She shouldn't be treating her own child this way. It is practically abuse.
"She is not my child! Just some stupid orphan that the administration decided that I should be taking care of. I would have been happy if she could at least help with the house chores but nothing she does is ever right. She just can't do anything right!" she shouted at the girl again.
I couldn't see the expression of the girl as her long pink-reddish hair was obstructing her face. I would assume that she is crying as I heard the sound of sobbing. Hmm, how should I handle this situation?
"Would it satisfy you if I bought her? Keep her away from you? Is that what you want?" I asked her with a threatening tone.
I would have assumed that it would cause her to think twice as some random stranger was attempting to purchase an underage girl. A normal person would have called me mad or a pervert for offering but I guessed I was wrong about this lady.
"You want her? Take her for all I care. But you will need to pay a pretty penny for her. She is still young and a virgin. I bet someone like you would be having your way with her as she screamed for help. Hahahaha!!" she laughed loudly.
Something snapped inside my head when I heard what she said. This lady did not care about this girl at all. All she cared about was greed and nothing else. I am not going to leave this girl with this greedy ass bitch.
"You want money? Here is a damn coin. Now scram back into your house and stop causing a scene!" I shouted at her and threw the gold coin at her face. I held the little girl's hand and pulled her along with me away from the scene.
The lady was laughing and smiling at the sight of the gold coin. She did not even bother to notice that the child was being taken away. I brought the little girl as far as possible from that place to calm her down.
As it turns out, I was the one who needed to calm down. What the fuck did I just do?! I smacked my head at the thought. I bought her during my rage, but what am I going to do with her? I have no idea how to raise a kid properly. Damn it, what am I supposed to do now?
We stood along some fence facing towards a small river. I can still hear her sobbing. Was she sad that I bought her? Or is she going to miss that lady who she thought was her mom? Maybe I shouldn't had bought her in the first place, curse my impulse in randomly buying things.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I asked her calmly.
She was still sobbing with the occasional hiccup. I petted her head and gave her a hug. She seemed to calm down after a while. I noticed that her legs had marks of being beaten. What a rough life she was living. Maybe I did the right thing in bringing her away from that place. It might not be such a bad idea after all.
"Do you understand what I am saying? Are you able to talk?" I asked her.
She seemed to understand what I said before. Thankfully, she started nodding after wiping away her tears.
"Yes. Thank you, Mister, for helping me earlier. I really appreciate what you did for me," she bowed her head to me. I was taken aback. She appeared to be well-mannered and she could speak properly. Is she really as bad as what the lady said?
"Tell me, are you okay with me taking you away from that lady? If you wish to return, I do not mind bringing you back there," I explained to her.
"No, please. I do not wish to return to that horrible place. That lady is a greedy alcoholic that does not care about any of us. All of the fundings from the administration she had either spent them all on gambling or drinking. I don't want to go back, please don't take me back—" She trailed off.
I petted her head to calm her down. She was extremely worried that I would be sending her back. I smiled at her and continued stroking her head. Her long hair was obstructing most of her face. I took out a string from my hip pouch and tied up her hair into a ponytail to get a better look at her face.
"What is your name? If you wish to follow me, you'll be staying at my place and helping out with the cleaning. Is that okay?" I asked her.
"I—don't have a name. But yes, I do not mind helping you with house chores. Contrary to what she said, I am able to do chores properly and I can cook as well," she said.
"No name, huh?" I pondered.
Hm—should I name her? What would I name my own kid if I have one? I unconsciously put on a thinking face.
"How about—Rose? Your hair colour is pink with a hint of red and so are your eyes. Let's call you Rose as your first name," I told her.
What about her last name then? Does she even remember her family name? I looked above and an idea came to mind. The moon was shining brightly tonight.
"How about—Rose Starr? With double R. Are you fine with that name?" I asked her as I pointed towards the star that shone the brightest.
She looked at me with starry eyes. Tears filled her eyes and she started crying again. Despite her impressive vocabulary, she is still young. I patted her head once again to calm her down. She continued to cry while thanking me constantly.
After she had calmed down, I introduced my first name to her. I also told her to call me 'Onii-chan' instead. I am not old enough to be called 'mister' nor am I fit to be her father. I guess being her older brother would be more appropriate right now. Hence, on this very day, I found Rose and welcomed her into my life. My one and only little sister, Rose Starr.