4th day of the month of the Brown Minotaur (April) 8:15 PM

  “Thanks for your help, young man!”

  The old lady he'd just served the potion she'd ordered greeted him and exited the cottage, closing the door softly behind her. The small wooden house wasn't large, but he liked it. He could easily create low-level potions without too many logistical difficulties thanks to the equipment he'd brought from the city.

  I didn't think I would feel so comfortable in a provincial village.

  Dino adjusted his lab coat, slightly soiled by the remains of some herbs used to brew some potions during the long afternoon he'd been working. Despite being a simple village like many others in the Nexia Empire, Dunos was quite a busy place, and there was often a demand for healing potions or something that aid plant growth. He was only capable of using magic up to level 2, with a few level 3 spells being the exception, but they weren't much.

  Hmm...it's pretty late. I should go to sleep.

  It had been a difficult day for Dino. He'd had to brew more than ten potions in a few hours to help the farmers who had recently repelled some demi-humans who had attempted to steal from their fields. A fierce battle had broken out, and they were fortunate it was just a handful of disorganized goblins, otherwise there could have been casualties. By now it was evening and he was completely exhausted. Dino rose from his workbench and headed for his bedroom, where a subpar—but still decently comfortable—mattress awaited him. He took off his lab coat and hung it against a nail in the wall, then jumped onto the bed.

  “What a day! Mrs. Salsa keeps asking me for healing potions for her back pain.”

  Dino laughed lightly as he thought of the kind old lady who came every three days to ask him for soothing potions for the pain her age caused her. Until a few months earlier, he had worked in a shop in the town of Arel—the town closest to the border villages—as an apprentice to an old magician.

  Unfortunately, his boss had died under mysterious circumstances. His throat had been slit in the middle of the night and his body was discovered by the authorities only the following day, when a customer entered the shop to make a purchase. Dino wasn't sure what had happened exactly, but the authorities dismissed it as a robbery gone wrong; after all, there were a lot of valuables in the shop. He never understood why the thief had left without taking the priceless Full-Potion on display.

  Jaako's death was truly a tragedy. I didn't know him well, and he paid me very little, but I can't say I'm happy about his departure.

  He rolled over in bed and crawled under the covers, which were quite thin and unpadded. There was a small window in the room, but he always kept it closed. Dino wasn't worried about thieves breaking into his house; aside from a dozen copper coins and a couple of gold pieces, he had nothing of value that could be stolen. However, it was cold at night and, with the window open, he wouldn't have been able to sleep.

  I wonder what happened to Jaako's shop. Someone must have bought it, if only I'd had the money!

  Dino wasn't a particularly ambitious boy: his dream was to open a shop to sell potions to adventurers in exchange for a little money and tales of their journey. Usually, skilled wizards like him had a good chance of joining an adventuring or monster-hunting group—a sorcerer, even a level 1 or 2, was always useful. But he had never been a boy of action; he enjoyed reading and learning, not getting his hands dirty with dirt or monster blood.

  “I have to stop thinking and go to sleep. I'm behind on work...”

  A few months earlier there had been several attacks on nearby villages by Kingdom soldiers, or so the government had claimed. Whatever the truth, it didn't change the fact that many of them had been destroyed, and others severely damaged or decimated. The village where Dino was staying hadn't had such a problem, and he felt fortunate for that. However, there had still been several requests for healing potions from poorer villages who couldn't afford to hire adventurers from the Arel Guild to deliver them.

  Needless to say, poor Dino was overworked for this reason. The only nearby village that hadn't requested potions was called Anna. It was a little larger than Dunos and had about a dozen more inhabitants. Rumor had it that it had recovered from the attack by Kingdom's soldiers thanks to the help of a mysterious enchanter named Almodeus.

  “It is said to be a powerful spellcaster; it would be interesting to meet him.”

  He muttered under his breath, just before closing his eyelids and falling into a deep sleep.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Dino woke with a start when he heard screams coming from outside his house. He turned on a light with magic—with the Little Light spell, he could infuse an object with energy and temporarily transform it into a source of light.

  What the hell is going on?!

  He rushed out of his house and nearly had a heart attack. People were running and screaming everywhere, while some of the village men were rushing toward the east side—the one closest to the Dark Jade Forest.

  “Are we under attack?”

  Dino moved to see what was really going on. The possibility that they were under attack by the demi-humans of the forest couldn't be ruled out, but such chaos couldn't have been caused by mere goblins. Could an evolved one have emerged? The Dark Jade was famous for being full of monsters evolved through magical power, a fairly rare phenomenon normally, but not here. As he reached the border, he almost didn't have a heart attack. The flimsy wall they'd erected had been breached, the nearby houses looked more like piles of broken wood than dwellings, and a couple of trolls were devouring the carcasses of the men who'd gone to battle with nothing more than a farm implement.

  “T-Trolls?”

  Dino swallowed hard and took a step back. He didn't know more than one fire or motion-based spell, so he'd never be able to stand up to one of those behemoths, let alone two. Unfortunately, while he was consumed by worry, the monsters had already moved toward him. Given their size, the trolls would have quickly caught up with him even at a marching pace.

  “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

  He ran away without a second thought. There was no point in fighting a losing battle. Dino wasn't skilled in physical combat, so if he wanted to escape in complete safety, he would have to use a horse. The village of Dunos was small and had only three horses in total, used solely for trade.

  I really hope no one has already taken them all!

  As they reached the stable, a man on horseback immediately emerged. He had a devastated expression on his face, and it was clear he was one of the men who had gone to repel the monsters, and had then fled in fear; he was terrified to the core.

  “Hey! Wait! Mr. Claus, we can run away together!”

  “Go away, stupid boy!”

  Not knowing if there were other steeds, Dino tried to ask for help from Mr. Claus, a regular customer. He was a grumpy man, but the boy truly hoped the situation had changed him; unfortunately, it didn't. As he approached, the man kicked him in the face and tried to run away with the horse.

  “Oh! What manners, damn it!”

  Dino immediately stood up, spitting out the mortar that had fallen into his mouth. He looked at Mr. Claus, who had already begun to gallop away. He was about to shout at him, but the words died in his throat when one of the trolls grabbed part of a house and threw it at the man on horseback. The initial blow missed, but the horse reared up and knocked Mr. Claus from the saddle.

  “No! Help! Help! Someone help me!”

  The man's screams were completely ignored by the rest of the fleeing villages. Dino wished he could do something—despite what Claus had done to him—but he didn't have time. The trolls pounced on their prey without wasting time. One grabbed his leg, and another bit his throat without tearing off his head. In a matter of seconds, Mr. Claus's still-living body was torn into pieces.

  Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God!

  The fear of suffering the same fate as Claus gave wings to Dino's weak legs and he began running again toward the nearby stable. If he'd found a horse inside, he would have galloped in the opposite direction from where the two trolls were, unlike the recently deceased man, who had run away haphazardly, blinded by fear.

  “Let there be some. Let there be at least one!”

  Praying to each of the six deities customarily worshipped in the Nexia Empire, Dino entered the open stable and saw that one horse remained, sleeping as if nothing had happened. Except for the one Mr. Claus had taken, one was missing. It could have fled in fear, or someone else had taken it as soon as the chaos broke out.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “W-Wait, young man! Please!”

  At that moment, an elderly lady entered the stable. It was none other than Mrs. Salsa, the kind old lady who occasionally came to her shop for potions. How she had survived, given her age, was a miracle.

  “Mrs. Salsa! Are you okay?”

  “This isn't the time for chit-chat, young man! We have to run! Please, can we use that horse together? I know the way to a nearby village where a friend of mine lives; we could seek shelter there.”

  The combined weight of the two was negligible, but given Dino's limited riding skills and the fear of the horses, it would be dangerous to run away together. He glanced at the sleeping animal; it wasn't a war mount, so it lacked sufficient training to combat fear and would bolt at the first sign of danger.

  I have never ridden a horse without the use of a chariot, but I cannot abandon this woman here.

  Dino sighed and accepted Salsa's offer: knowing where to go would be better than wandering aimlessly in the night. He was a kind-hearted boy; how could he leave behind an elderly lady who could barely move? The trolls had an extremely keen sense of smell; they would have found her even if she hid in one of the houses or behind a rock. Leaving her alone would have been like condemning that old lady to certain death.

  He helped her onto the horse and then took the reins. The steed was still half asleep, but after a few minutes it seemed ready to bolt. it had heard the trolls' heavy footsteps near the stable, and fear had suddenly awakened the muscles in its legs.

  “Where should we go?”

  “You have to follow the path to the edge of the forest and then go east to the nearest hill!”

  “Let’s go, then!”

  Dino had asked for directions ahead of time to avoid making a mistake. He wasn't a skilled jouster, so following instructions on the spot would have been difficult. He gave his horse a push and it bolted out of the stable. Unfortunately, just before he could clear the gate, a loud, broken roar was heard.

  “Raaa....aaah!”

  His heart stopped for a few seconds when a huge, sturdy arm smashed through the adjacent wall. Poor Lady Salsa let out a cry of pain as the troll grabbed her by the belly. The beast showed no mercy and squeezed the poor old woman with superhuman strength, breaking several of her ribs.

  “Help! Do something, boy!”

  “Mrs. Salsa, hold my hand!”

  Dino did everything he could to save the poor lady. He grabbed her hand and used the other to hold onto the stable door. The horse became frightened and began to run away, inadvertently helping Dino counter the troll's strength. Of course, the stalemate didn't last long, and soon something broke...

  “Go! Go!”

  Without looking back, Dino left the stable door and soon began to gain distance from the troll, thanks to the horse. He held Salsa tightly by the hand, despite the pain in his arms. Although the tug-of-war with the troll had lasted only a few seconds, Dino was sure that if he hadn't left the door, he would have lost a shoulder.

  “Mrs. Salsa, are you okay?”

  He asked worriedly. He was sure the lady was injured, but luckily he knew low-level healing magic. If it was just a few broken ribs, he'd be able to heal her without too much trouble.

  “Mrs. Sal-“

  The words died in his throat. The old woman's face was painted with pain, while her lower half was completely absent. The tug-of-war had caused the woman's frail body to tear in half, killing her instantly. Salsa's internal organs and blood lay splattered on the ground in the path the horse had traveled.

  “Oh, God!”

  Once he realized the woman was no longer breathing, Dino suddenly let go, frightened and disgusted. The woman's body rolled on the ground like a sack of garbage, while the horse moved further and further away, making him smaller and smaller.

  “...”

  Dino didn't know what to think or say. He felt his heart tightening in an invisible grip. He knew what had happened wasn't his fault, and that his reaction—though wrong—had been correct and involuntary. The troll would have followed the scent of the old woman's blood to them; dumping the body had been the right thing to do. Doing it so disrespectfully wasn't, but Dino hadn't done it on purpose.

  Forgive me, Lady Salsa. I hope the Gods have mercy on your soul.

  He tried to put the incident behind him, attempting to direct his horse toward the place the deceased old woman had indicated. Reaching the end of the trail, he began to move east. He was exhausted and the adrenaline rush had now worn off, bringing immense weariness to his body and mind.

  It should be all right if I remember correctly, but I can't fall asleep. I can't...I can't...

  Despite his good intentions, Dino's eyelids lost their fight against exhaustion and slumped shut, sending the boy into a deep sleep. The horse, still driven by fear, continued to gallop, blessed by the starlight, while the distant cries of the villagers of Dunos faded away forever.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Amy Nichtigkeit's mornings began early, around seven in the morning. The first thing she did upon awakening was prepare breakfast for her siblings and the Ink Wanderers, who defended the village. She wasn't as skilled in the kitchen as her late mother, but she did her best. Of the three spheres the great enchanter Almodeus had given her, she had already used two to summon about twenty Ink Walkers. Individually, they weren't particularly powerful, but when combined—literally—they could hold their own against even an orc.

  “Better hurry up…”

  The young woman rolled up her sleeves and began cooking. It dismayed her to think that she now had to manage a mini-army all by herself; the Wanderers refused to take orders from anyone but her. No one had said it explicitly, but given the forces at hand, Amy could consider herself the village leader from a purely military standpoint.

  “Good morning, big sister!”

  Loyd and Nemi said in unison, greeting her happily. Even though it had only been two months since their parents' deaths, the two children had already gotten used to the absence of the two adults. Sometimes they cried and said they missed them, but everything passed with a few cuddles.

  “Morning, guys!”

  She replied, smiling back.

  “Go wash your hands and then come to the table. Your breakfast is ready.”

  The two children obeyed immediately and moved toward the bucket of water they used as a sink. The smile quickly broke across Amy's face as she realized once again how obedient Nemi and Loyd had become since the incident. She had had to work hard to keep the house running, and this had resulted in a subtle change in her character. She was only fifteen, but she had to behave like a woman twice her age.

  Luckily, at least food is no longer a problem.

  Thanks to the Wanderers who took care of the hunting, the amount of meat that could be served on the table had increased almost sixfold compared to before. The human villagers now occupied themselves primarily with cultivation. The Great Almodeus had sent undead to help build houses and defensive walls. She could only be grateful to that powerful spellcaster who had helped them without asking for anything in return.

  “Morning, Boss! I'm on guard duty today!”

  A short figure declared, entering the front door after knocking. Amy smiled at him and waved back. She still fondly remembered summoning those little beings, scaring the other villagers. Fortunately, they had immediately calmed down when they learned that those Ink Wanderers had been given to them by the Great Almodeus. There was not a single one of the villagers who did not have respect and loyalty for the mighty enchanter, and the Wanderers' actions only served to allay any doubts they might have had.

  “Good morning, Buko. Everything okay on the night shift?”

  She remembered the names of the various little creatures by heart because she had named them.

  “Everything's fine, don't worry. However...”

  Wrinkles formed on the Wanderer's forehead, as if he had bad news to report to his boss.

  “...We captured a stranger who arrived at the village walls shortly before dawn.”

  “A stranger? Is he or she hostile?”

  “It doesn't look like it. We've locked him in the shed and already questioned him.”

  Buko answered confidently, with a slight proud smile – it almost seemed as if he had done all the work, by the way he talked about it.

  “It seems he's a young boy from a nearby village. Apparently, it was attacked by some trolls...”

  “Oh my God! This is terrible!”

  Amy immediately felt a sense of melancholy. She could well understand how it felt to have your home attacked and destroyed. That boy must have been devastated by the losses he'd suffered.

  “Did you already feed him?”

  “Yes. What do you suggest we do with him, Boss?”

  "I do not know..."

  The girl put a hand to her chin and sat down at the table. She wasn't sure what to do with the boy other than let him stay with them. They had some free seats, and perhaps he could help out in the fields. It would be wiser to speak in person to the young man to avoid any misunderstandings.

  “Could I talk to him after breakfast?”

  “Of course, Boss! We'll obviously be your escort. Trust is good, but mistrust is better!”

  Buko replied, slapping his hand on his clammy chest.

  “I just ask you to be careful. The boy seems to be an enchanter!”

  “An enchanter?”

  This news made Amy feel a little worried. The first thing that came to mind when he thought of a wizard was their savior. The Great Almodeus was a spellcaster of unimaginable power; if that boy were even half the wizard their savior was, it would be dangerous to interact with him. At the same time, if they could befriend him, he could be of benefit to their village.

  “Is he dangerous? Like...is he comparable to the Great Almodeus?”

  “Of course not! No one is equal to the Absolute!”

  Buko replied laughing, as if he had heard the biggest nonsense ever said by mankind.

  “That boy can barely use level 3 magic.”

  “Okay, got it.”

  Amy suddenly calmed down and put a piece of meat between her teeth. Level 3 magic was still impressive, considering the average in the Empire was level 2. However, if Buko told her that it was no big deal then she would believe him. She glanced at her siblings, who were eating without much interest in the conversation, before turning back to Buko, ready to give another order.

  “I'll go see the stranger after breakfast. Tell your companions to treat him well and not be aggressive. I don't want him to see us as jailers, okay?”

  “Got it, Boss! I'm going to give the order and be back!”

  Wasting no time, the Wanderer left the house and closed the door behind him. Amy breathed a sigh of relief and went back to eating, trying to think positively. Since the attack a few months ago, she had become a bit paranoid.

  Thanks to the Great Almodeus, we've managed to build a respectable barricade, but our war potential is still barely superior to that of an average village. Perhaps we should hire some adventurers?

  It wasn't unheard of for some lower-ranking adventurers to go and live in the villages. In that situation, a sort of peaceful ecosystem of give and take was created: the villagers offered food and lodging to the brave fighters, while the latter defended the village with all their might. Of course, it was a rare practice, often used by low-ranking adventurers who didn't want to risk their lives for a promotion.

  Villages readily accepted this protection, even if it was of poor quality, because it was better than nothing. Even a Copper or Bronze adventurer could hold off a few villagers armed with only rudimentary tools. But what truly benefited a village was a priest.

  Often, some minor priests would venture out to spread the word of the Gods throughout the world, or so they said. In the Empire, there was no such institution as the church, but rather there were temples. Each temple worshipped one of the six major deities and offered various services in exchange for a monetary reward. However, every temple was independent from the others and followed different rules, and they were only present in large cities.

  If a priest with healing skills had arrived in Anna's village, it would have been a tremendous boon. Not only would disease have been much less dangerous, but infant mortality would certainly have been minimized too.

  Perhaps we should ask the Great Almodeus to send us someone? No, that would be too disrespectful.

  They had remained in contact with the powerful enchanter through a few servants who often dropped by to deliver supplies or check on the situation. Almodeus's apprentice, an extremely tall girl named Almodea, had also come occasionally—but she hadn't visited in a while. Amy had assumed she was simply busy and didn't think too much about it.

  Better eat and then talk to this stranger. If he knows how to use healing magic, he might be useful to us.