[coment and give me power stones!!]
"Ngggh..." my voice escaped my throat as a weak murmur.
What had happened? I don't know. All I remember was walking through the forest after meeting Gesse and...
"Ha!!" I jumped up and looked around.
I was in the carriage, covered with blankets and wearing comfortable clothes...
"Paul! You're awake!!" Hilda screamed and ran to my side, leaning down and burying my face in her modest breasts as she sobbed.
I was in shock for a few moments. Flute, Lilia, and Roxy looked at me with concern but sighed when they saw me awake.
We were safe now, and I instinctively relaxed.
"Huuu... I-I was... I was so worried about you... you left... (sniff) you were gone for three days and Laws came running back (sniff) t-everything happened so fast," Hilda's voice came out between sobs as she hugged me tightly.
"Shhh... I'm here now... ouch, not so loud," I murmured as I gently pushed her away from me.
"Paul, how are you?" Roxy murmured beside me as she knelt down.
"...I'm fine, where are we currently?" I murmured in a weak voice as I looked at the woman in front of me.
"You were asleep for a whole day, now we're three days away from the nearest city, don't worry." Her voice sounded like a melody to my aching body, and a sigh of relief escaped involuntarily as I lay back down.
"Paul... it's good to have you back. When we found you, you were barely breathing. I know it's not the right time, but could you tell us what happened in the battle? From your perspective, of course," Flute spoke, looking at me with slight concern.
"Of course... just let me..." I murmured, and a green glow illuminated my entire body, and I felt the energy returning to me once more.
"Ha! I didn't mean right now. You can still rest if you want!" she said with slight panic.
"No, I've rested enough. Thank you all," I said in a firm voice, my gaze shifting to Laws, who was driving the carriage.
"...Gesse betrayed us," I said bluntly. Roxy's eyes widened, Flute clenched her fists, and Hilda hugged me tighter.
"He was the one who sold out our position to Millis's soldiers. I've taken care of them all, as you can see, but Gesse is still on the loose and has openly threatened me." My voice came out in a murmur, even as I was barely digesting the weight of my own words.
"I see... and what will you do about it?" Roxy was the first to speak as she looked back at the road.
"What we've always been doing: continue traveling. But now I'll be more active. Besides, with each passing day, we're getting closer to Asura, and it's more likely I'll have even more enemies waiting for me there. I'll remain as cautious as I can," I declared as I stood up, stretching my cramped muscles.
I could see Hilda and Flute growing concern, and Roxy just nodded, her eyes closed.
"I understand... but I can't believe Gesse could do something like that to us..." Roxy murmured, playing lightly with her cane. "...he did it to protect his own skin, and now that he's survived, he feels threatened. If it were up to me, I wouldn't bother hunting down such a trivial person, but it's still a latent risk," I declared firmly. Hilda's brow furrowed, her gaze falling to the floor of the carriage as an awkward silence fell over the carriage.
"I didn't think he'd be that kind of person...but even so, I'll respect your decision." Lilia was the next to speak, and I just nodded with a weak smile.
...
Two months passed after that incident. We left the Shirone Kingdom and traveled far, far west.
Our destination was the Asura Kingdom.
The road leading to my country was flat, and the weather was warm enough to make me drowsy.
On both sides of the road were fields of grass as far as the eye could see, and right ahead was the faint outline of the Red Wyrm Mountains.
Above them, slowly rotating shadows could be seen. It was peaceful.
Now let me explain the geographical features of these parts a bit.
The Red Wyrm Mountains were an enormous mountain range that stretched across the Central Continent, dividing it into three parts, with Red Wyrms residing within them.
Red Wyrms were said to be the strongest monsters on the Central Continent.
Their strength was quite fearsome, but they typically gathered in hordes of several hundred.
There were two crossing points through these mountains where large numbers of red wyrms lived.
These were gorges between two sheer cliffs, known respectively as the Red Wyrm's Lower Jaw and the Red Wyrm's Upper Jaw.
Our carriage was heading toward the Red Wyrm's Lower Jaw, which connected the southern and western regions of the Central Continent.
Once we managed to pass through there, we would be in the Asura Kingdom.
But even with all this reviewed my instincts told me there was danger ahead so I decided to stop in a small town.
...
The small town of Linier was an access point to the lower jaw and was the resupply point for many adventurers and merchants who passed through here on their way to Asura.
Now that I thought about it, after two weeks of traveling through these mountains and finally arriving in my home country, this fact had made me unconsciously lower my guard.
But it was something I couldn't avoid, even so, I could feel some hostile looks from people who seemed to be involved in underworld business...
And yes, now that we are approaching Asura, it is undoubtedly true that Darius or some other nobles want to stop my arrival in the country.
After all, after the royal family, the Notos are the most powerful family in all of Asura and our domains cover a good part of the country, so control over them unleashes the ambitions for power of the weaker nobles.
"Paul...you noticed, didn't you? The way those guys were looking at you." Laws' voice was almost a whisper, but I nodded.
We both decided to restock our carriage with supplies for the rest of the journey and in return I received some hostile looks on the streets.
"Yes, apparently for some reason or another a lot of people recognize me...return to the carriage and get ready to leave" I declared and Laws nodded as he took the purchases.
I felt bad treating him like some kind of assistant but it couldn't be helped in these kinds of situations.
My control over my barrier aura and gravity magic has gradually increased but nothing to be genuinely proud of.
I have more ideas for other different types of spells but I haven't had any chance to test them, maybe now in the Red Wrym territories I can do it, but let's not focus on that.
After I parted ways with Laws, I started walking around town. I could feel that I was being stalked, but it wasn't a constant feeling of danger like with Pablo and Donald in Shirone...
Instinctively I made a run for the adventurers' guild and now that I think about it, I haven't set foot in one of these since I leave Millis, perhaps due to the hurried nature of our trip, But I still have no intention of fulfilling any missions, I can even bet that my rank as an adventurer has decreased after months not to use it.
The building was two stories high and made of wood with some stone pillars, it wasn't much but I didn't expect more.
When I opened the door of the place the aroma of alcohol and the bustle of the adventurers invaded my senses, Some adventurers fixed their eyes on me, but after a few seconds every single one of them lost interest in me.
How strange...in most professions, seeing a child enter these places is like saying I'm easy prey...
Maybe around here they're not used to seeing rookies. I guess they assume I'm a seasoned warrior, which I am, but that's not the point.
As in every adventurer's guild, the receptionist was a woman with enormous breasts...
I decided not to talk to her and went straight to the request board, I had a slight hope of finding something interesting and...
A paper caught my attention.
It stood out from the rest, stuck right in the middle of the board, as if to draw the attention of anyone passing by.
-Missing person application-
It was the title of the paper and it was sealed with the royal coat of arms of Asura and that of the Notos house...
Without thinking twice I took the paper, retreated to a corner of the room and began to read it.
-Request to find a missing person-
Name: Paul Notos Greyrat
Age: 10 years
Descriptive features: short brown hair, mole under the left cheek, calm gaze and noble bearing.
My name is Valentina Notos Greyrat and my eldest son was lost in the Mana catastrophe that shook our country. I was able to return safely to our home, but months have passed and I haven't heard from my son, which is why I've resorted to this.
My son is advanced in all three sword styles and he will respond if you try to escort him to Ars, Please, I implore whoever comes across him to bring him back safe and sound.
The reward will be 50 Asuran gold coins if he is delivered alive.
Signed by: Valentina Notos Greyrat
I clutched the paper tightly in my hands as tears slowly streamed down my eyes.
My mother...my mother is alive and now she is looking for me...even after so many months she is still looking for me...and apparently many people have noticed my resemblance to the description of the request.
But besides this making my heart happy, it also made me more cautious.
Many people probably already know about this search request and have already set their sights on me, and my mother also specified that I am a triple advanced...why?
Well, anyway, a reward of 50 gold coins is no small thing. Any adventurer who sees a reward of that magnitude will try to take me from Ars however they want...
"Ha...all this politics stuff is really complicated, isn't it?" I muttered to myself, and I could feel the gazes of some of the adventurers on me.
Without saying a word I looked back at them with equal ferocity and they looked away.
I guess it's time to head back to the carriage...
...
It was afternoon when I was walking down the streets and I could feel some looks on me, most of them hostile but they didn't bother me...but still, why do people look at me like that?...
Wasn't it just a simple escort mission? And it also specifies that I have to arrive alive!!
Are these damn adventurers only thinking about money?!...well, apparently so.
My group was on the outskirts of the city, we were already in mountainous terrain so we would camp here due to visibility.
"Hey Paul! How did it go there? Did you find anything useful?" Laws asked while looking at me curiously.
Hilda and Lilia were already preparing things for dinner, unaware of what was happening.
"Yes...I actually have some very good news," I murmured with a smile, but...
"Paul! Something bad has happened!" Roxy's voice reached my ears and I quickly turned to see her.
She was running from the city and looked agitated.
"Roxy?...what's going on?" I muttered as I approached her.
"This...this is what happens" she murmured and handed me a paper which had a familiar seal...
The seal of Minister Darius Silva Ganius...
-Request for the hunting of a person-
Target: Paul Notos Greyrat
Age: 10
Physical description: slender boy, brown hair with a mole under his left cheek, conceited look and pompous personality.
The child He was lost in the Mana disaster, although it was confirmed that he is alive which makes him an inconvenience, he is advanced in the three styles of the sword so a group ambush is recommended.
The child's body, alive or dead, is required for the reward.
Reward: 100 Asuran Gold Coins
Signed by: Darius Silva Ganius.
I stared silently at the paper for a few long seconds while hundreds of questions swirled through my head, but only one reached my lips.
"Who gave you this?..." My voice came out more threatening than I thought because Roxy took a step back
"Two mercenaries stopped me while I was returning, they asked me if I had not seen a child with your characteristics, I told them no and they gave me this request" Roxy's voice came out as a murmur as she waited for my reaction.
"...I see, and what happened to the mercenaries?" I muttered softly.
She frowned and her gaze met mine.
"I killed them, I told them I would help them and when we were near the forest I surprised them both with an unenchanted fireball" she said without hesitation.
Oh yeah, she may not look like it, but she's also an adventurer.
"Okay, thanks a lot Roxy, this explains everything" I mumbled as I tore the paper.
"I'm sorry, but what do you mean by that?" Laws asked as he looked at me with a worried expression.
"There's a similar request in the Adventurer's Guild, but the difference is that it's only to escort a missing person and it's signed in my mother's name." My voice became more threatening with every word he said as the pieces fell into place in my head.
"an alibi... the one who filed the hunting application against you also filed the one you're talking about to save face," Roxy intuited while scratching her chin.
"But I don't understand... they hadn't declared your mother dead, Paul? Why would they send a proposal with her name on it then?" Laws muttered as he looked at me.
"...the statements about my and my family's health status have only been shared among high society...that's why they can do this kind of thing without expecting much from the townspeople...Or so I think, I don't know either" I murmured with a weak smile.
Even months ago, news of my family's condition had reached Millis, which caused me problems, but this...this is new.
"This is obviously a strategy to get rid of me, Hilda's family collaborated with Darius to absorb the Notos, apparently even after the tragedy in the capital they have not given up" My voice came out weakly as I watched Hilda and Lilia prepare the bonfire.
"I don't think you should blame her, Paul, she just-"
"Of course not, she's just a kid after all, her parents manipulated her into doing it," I said firmly, interrupting Roxy.
"...O-Okay, so what are you going to do about it?" She asked at the end.
"Do you remember where you were being led?" I asked and she nodded.
"Okay, please take me to where they were leading you, I need to finish them off before they become a threat to our group." My voice came out in a firm tone as I looked at the blue-haired girl in front of me.
She hesitated for a few seconds but then nodded with determination.
...
I decided that I would go alone to take care of the bandits, despite Roxy's protests, I decided that it would be best.
As I suspected before, the petition in my mother's name is simply a front for Darius and the real one is the one that reached Roxy.
This honestly doesn't surprise me now that I think about it, the hunting request against me only circulates in the underworld so my chances of finding who spread it would be low, But still, I can still take care of some of them before they become a problem.
Which brings us to this moment: the bandits' meeting place would be on the outskirts of the city on the opposite side of the beginning of the mountains, It wasn't too far and I could retreat quickly in case something happened.
Roxy only got close to a cabin which I could identify by its size.
In front of this there were a total of twenty people around a bonfire, all of them wearing black robes and carrying swords at their waists.
I approached slowly, hiding in the cabin to listen to their conversations.
"Any news? Remember, if we can't find him here, then we'll have to search the entire lower jaw, and that would be a problem..." a person muttered.
"Still nothing...besides Bertram and Sirus haven't returned, those bastards must have gotten lost in the city" another voice muttered clicking his tongue and causing the others to laugh.
"I don't think Sirus is that stupid...and I still don't understand why he's so determined to capture that boy. He's a stupid nobleman. He should be dead by now."
Hmmm interesting...
"Do I have to repeat it again?!, it's 100 gold coins and we are 20 people!, do you know how much you can do with all that?!!" A voice resonated throughout the campfire, causing the other mercenaries tremble with fear.
"a-ah!, b-boss!, we didn't know you had already arrived!, will you also help in the search?..."
"Of course, it's not every day that you see a reward of such magnitude, so this child will be our top priority for now!"
A man about two meters tall came out of nowhere and sat in the middle of the group, his presence was imposing and he seemed to intimidate the others with good reason.
"tch...but still, I always thought that bastard Darius only liked girls, that perhaps the cursed nobles don't have enough?"
The same man said but now in a tone of genuine confusion...
"Hmm...that's right, Darius would be a fool to think he could subdue someone so powerful, who isn't afraid of having his head chopped off while they're in bed?!" a man said and then spat on the ground in disgust.
Okay, I think I've heard too much!
"So you're looking for Paul Notos Greyrat, huh?!....well you're in luck!! Because now I'm here! Ready to finish you all off!!!" I announced while unsheathing my sword before the astonished gaze of those present.
An awkward silence spread throughout the campfire and I clicked my tongue in frustration.
"Hmm! This bastard child! Giving himself away...Oh, never mind, I'll kill you anyway!" One of the mercenaries shouted and rushed at me quickly.
Okay...here we go.