As they returned to the village, the sun was setting on the horizon, casting long shadows over the quiet streets. Nobody was yet aware about Jadon's demise, so Wain moved through the village with ease, heading toward a house he had become acquainted with by pure chance.
It was a strange twist of fate that Kadden happened to be the son of Rahel.
When Rahel and her husband opened their front door, their faces lost all colors as they laid eyes on their son, standing alongside Wain.
"We're deeply sorry for our son's actions, sir," they both bowed respectfully, convinced that their son had angered the magician, and they were ready to plead for Kadden's life.
"Mum, how can you think so poorly of me..." Kadden muttered, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. However, he couldn't deny the truth of their words. Every time he returned home with a stranger, it was because he had done something bad.
"Hmm... I've decided to take Kad-" Wain began, but then he halted, realizing it may not be smart to reveal Kadden's new name. "...your son as "my apprentice, we will be leaving immediately." He finished the sentence.
"Huh? Apprentice... to a magician?" Rahel was left speechless. Her son always had weird dreams about adventuring and exploring the world, but they never expected that he would really achieve it.
His dreams seemed to be coming true, and he would finally have the opportunity to leave the village. She felt happy and sad at the same time. Although she wished Kadden to be happy, she couldn't help but worry about him.
Kadden and her husband immediately moved to comfort her, assuring her that their son had a bright future and would undoubtedly return one day.
Wain had no idea what was going on, but he didn't get the chance to study it more carefully as someone suddenly spoke to him.
"So, you're already awake?" Norward's small figure approached, accompanied by a group of knights on horseback. Among them, the one at the front particularly captured Wain's interest.
[Edwin Elton] (Human, higher 3rd-grade)
Level 162
Hp 32 615 / 32 615
Edwin Elton was undoubtedly the strongest human that Wain had ever encountered. Although he remained unsure about the purpose of the knights' visit, their gazes filled with killing intent made his instincts scream to run away.
"This is Captain of the guards from Cloudgate Town. He's here to apprehend the thief from the other day." Norward explained, when he saw Wain looking at the knights behind him.
"Seems like you can deal with the matter without me, so I'll be on my way." Wain knew it was time to leave. Although he lied to Norward about the bandits stealing the treasure, there was a chance they would discover it was his doing, so he didn't plan to stay.
"Of course," Norward replied. "Captain Elton is more than capable of dealing with the thief. But before you go, please take this token. Show it if you ever come to Cloudgate Town. I'd like to repay my debt."
"Thanks, then I will be leaving." Wain accepted the small golden token and grabbed Kadden, hurriedly dragging him out of the village.
Captain Elton watched them until he got out of sight, with a frown.
"Is something the matter, Captain Elton?" Norward asked, noticing Captain Elton's odd behavior.
Captain Elton wiped away sweat and admitted, "That man is dangerous. I couldn't see through him at all. Only mages from the Capital possess such skill in concealing their stats. Just who is he?"
He shook his head, unable to understand what a magician of Wain's standart doing in such a remote area. However, Wain already disappeared from their sights and it was time to search for the culprit, who stole the treasure.
...
Deep within the forest, Wain led Kadden for a long time. It was already night and Kadden couldn't help but become anxious. "Master, there are some monsters over there!" he cried out as he spotted a goblin in the woods.
Kadden had never ventured into the forest at night, nor had he ever encountered monsters, so he was frightened to death at the moment. The only reason he continued walking forward was fear of being left alone in this eerie place.
However, contrary to his expectations, Wain neither stopped nor engaged with the monsters. Instead, he walked straight into a village teeming with these menacing creatures. Kadden was terrified, but he knew there was no turning back, so he continued to follow his master.
Suddenly, Wain halted in the center of a goblin village, and dozens of goblins closed in, surrounding them.
"M-Master...?!" Kadden stammered, his voice barely above a whisper as he was overwhelmed by fear and confusion.
"I know." Wain assured him. "Don't worry, they won't harm you, because..." As he was speaking, several massive tentacles slowly emerged from the ground, rising to a height of five meters. "...I am their leader. Didn't I mention that I am a dark magician?"
"Huh?! Octader, you've grown again?" Wain inspected his familiar with a surprise, noticing that Octader grew significantly again. It was definitely due to the treasure.
Thud!
A sound of someone falling to the ground sounded, when Kadden lost consciousness. All the events that happened today were too much for him to handle.
Wain couldn't understand his reaction and continued focusing his attention on his no longer little octopus.
[Octader] (Earth Lifeform, middle 2nd-grade)
Level 57
Hp 943/943
"Could the treasure be of earth element, or did he evolve because I made him live on the ground?" Wain considered the options for his familiar's sudden transformation. Unfortunately, whatever was in that carriage, Wain would never be able to learn about it.
He himself also had several mana cores, from bandits, that he saved before Octader and he was eager to try and use them, but first they needed to change the location. He no longer found this forest safe after meeting Edwin Elton, so he planned to travel as far from the village as he could.
There was only one question remaining. He looked around at all of the goblins watching him.
Should he bring them with him? He wondered. Although they were weak, they still played a significant role during the ambush. Moreover, while he was in the village, the goblins continued hunting for their survival, earning him 40 Chaos Points! They definitely proved to be useful at some times.
"This forest is no longer safe, we are moving." He declared, glancing back at the village one last time before departing.
Yet, just as he left the village behind, he noticed Kadden unconscious on the ground in an unsightly position. "Octader, could you... carry him?" he asked, since Octader was large enough to swallow a whole person now.
While Kadden wasn't useful at the time, that might change in the future and he worked hard to fool him, so he didn't want to leave him behind.
"Hrgg!" The octopus made a weird sound before emerging from the ground, swallowing the unconscious human and returning underground.
"I hope he will spit him out alive." Wain wasn't sure about his decision, since Octader had yet to spit out anything he ate before. But the human wasn't important enough for him to worry about, so he departed towards the distant mountains.
Meanwhile, the goblins looked at Old Potato, unsure whether to leave. Although Wain was their leader now, they didn't want to leave their home. Old Potato was also reluctant to leave, but considering a threat that even Wain feared, he didn't dare to stay and followed behind his new leader, many goblins following his example while some stayed behind.