As the carriage made its way down the uneven road, the wooden and resin wheel clattered noisily. Instructor Martin dozed peacefully on the front seat, emitting gentle snores. Larne felt a deep contentment with the stunning new carriage gifted to him - its craftsmanship was flawless, the ride smooth and comfortable, and the horses impeccably trained and well-behaved. Randy's impressive driving skills pleasantly surprised Larne, validating his decision to hire him as an attendant, as per Evans' recommendation.
Larne noticed a small handle near the window and realized that he could open it. As he opened the window, he enjoyed the refreshing feeling of the night breeze and watched as the nighttime streets passed by. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "Stop the carriage!"
Randy commanded the horses to stop, but they moved forward for another seven to eight meters before coming to a complete stop, much to their dissatisfaction as they snorted loudly.
"Master, what's wrong?" Randy asked with concern.
Since being accepted as Larne's attendant, Randy had changed the way he referred to him. In Elysium, calling someone 'master' wasn't a sign of being owned like in the relationship of a master and a slave, but rather a sign of trust for the person who would make decisions for oneself to follow.
"Turn back a little bit. Stop at the light pole beside the small paza over there," instructed Larne.
"Okay." Randy pulled on the reins to turn the Sugo Horses in the opposite direction and steered the carriage towards the streetlights by the plaza.
Larne got off the carriage and walked towards the bench beside a flower patch in the plaza.
As Larne approached, he noticed an adult and two children huddled together on a bench. The adult, who appeared half-awake, opened his eyes in surprise upon seeing Larne. "It's you..." he exclaimed.
"Hello. Are these two your children?" inquired Larne, suddenly realizing something. This middle-aged man had been the last challenger to give Larne a run for his money today, leaving a lasting impression. "Yes, this is my son Harrison, who just turned 13, and my daughter Sophia, who is 8," introduced Kraft.
"Will you be staying with us tonight?" Larne inquired of Kraft. He was taken aback to see a skilled swordsman like Kraft living on the streets like a beggar. The two had previously crossed swords, which was the only reason Larne remembered him. Kraft replied with a smile, explaining that he had just arrived from the Adox Empire and had very little with him. He also admitted to being overconfident and risking all his savings in their previous challenge. Unfortunately, he lost and was left penniless. He had to sell his possessions in order to survive and was eventually evicted from his home due to unpaid rent. With no place to go and no identification, he had no choice but to spend the night in a public space. Kraft was disappointed in himself for letting down both his children and Larne, whom he had hoped to impress with his skills.
Larne understood that had he been a normal Iron level, he would not be Kraft's match. However, no one knew that he did not train mainly in CoreEnergy but rather in the Dual Primal Internal Energy Technique from his previous life.
"Couldn't you just accept a mercenary mission?" Larne asked. It was not rare for skilled mercenaries like Kraft to be in high demand for various jobs from guarding a residence to helping out in a mercenary group. Many large mercenary groups would even accept an expert like Kraft without asking him to pay the membership fee.
"I tried doing just that, but it still didn't work out," said Kraft as he shook his head. "I'm already regretting my decision to travel to Nornak City. I didn't expect the 'freedom and equality' I sought so much in Nornak City was nothing but a mirage as the local citizens are extremely abhorrent and discriminatory towards us outsiders. I've witnessed several nonlocal mercenaries having trouble finding requests in this city's mercenary guilds and are sometimes forced to accept difficult missions for an unfair price. That was especially the case for a citizen of the Adox Empire like me, who is even more despised by the city folk among the other outsiders. Even though the war had ended over few years ago and the empire is already no more, the people of this city still treat us as enemies. I also have to consider the future of my children so I can't accept missions that are too risky... If I had won earlier today, I would've used the reward money to leave this place and go to another kingdom or nation. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to receive the freedom and fairness that I had sought so much in futility in this city."
Kraft explained his experiences in a tone that was both depressing and slightly laced with hatred and regret. If he had not been overconfident in his abilities and not caved into the landlord's encouragement or been blinded by the luxurious prize money, he wouldn't have bet all his savings on the registration fee. Those 10 gold coins would have been enough for him to bring his children to leave this cold and materialistic city and settle down in another small village where he would be able to afford several acres of farmland and a small hut, which would be more than enough for his children to lead a stable life.
'Sigh, I can only blame myself for being blinded by greed and losing my ability to think clearly', thought Kraft as he lowered his head in frustration. No Iron-level instructor in the right mind would challenge all the Silver-level instructors without a certain degree of confidence. Even Kraft himself didn't dare to claim that he was the strongest among those of the same rank as him. He only understood that fact after he lost the battle, but it was already too late.
"Which part of the Adox Empire did you come from?" asked Larne.
"I am from the northern lands," replied Kraft.
"Wow, that's a coincidence. My birthplace is also in the Adox Empire. I'm sure they announced my name during the duels in the morning. I'm called Ruslan Larne. Have you heard of the Ruslan family?" Larne was delighted to have encountered someone from his homeland.
"Ruslan? The Roaring Lion of the Northern Highlands? I've heard of them, the Ruslans are famous nobles who were known for their military contributions. Many commoners joined the army in hopes of distinguishing themselves and gaining a noble title like the Ruslan family founder and being granted dominion. But, how many among all those soldiers had managed to achieve that dream? Then again, why is someone like you at the Nornak City and accepting challenges from Silver-grade combatants?" asked Kraft, intrigued.
Larne smiled and said, "Well, that is kind of a long story. To summarize, I have left my home to pursue my studies here in Nornak City ten years ago. Ever since the internal disputes in the empire six or seven years ago, I have lost all contact with my family. You're a northerner too, right? Do you know something about my family?"
Kraft seemed relieved but shook his head a little after a pause. "Sorry, I have also been away from home for more than 20 years. The northlands are vast. I come from South Town, which is quite far from your family's dominion. It would take approximately 3-4 days on horseback to even get there. When I was 21, I left my home to enlist in the army and worked my way up from a common soldier to a military officer and continued living my life in service. Given that I had no other relatives, I got married and settled down in the capital city. Never would I have expected internal strife to consume our empire. During the six years, the three princes and one princess fought for the throne, the capital was decimated. After the chaos calmed down, I went back to the capital only to discover that almost everything I had was lost. With my wife dead, my two children had to rely on scraps and leftovers and somehow managed to survive. Had it not been for the care of certain neighbours, I might have lost even them. After that, I packed whatever I had and made my way to this city in hopes of being able to start a new life here..."
Oh, so he had a military background and was already accustomed to seeing the death and despair on the battlefield. No wonder he was so calm and firm throughout the whole battle. Given his strength as a peak Silver-level expert, he could've easily robbed the common folk and made a decent living for himself, but instead, he would rather live a harsh life with his children in the streets. It isn't easy to find a person that's as upright as him.
At that moment, Randy came over to Larne's side and gave Kraft and his children a look before whispering, "Master, what's going on?"
Larne looked at Kraft and made his invitation, "Given that we already had crossed swords as fellow swordsmen, and the fact that we share the same homeland, Brother Kraft, do I have the pleasure to invite you to come with us as guests? After all, I still have much to ask about the situation back at the empire and we can't be talking here all night long."
"This..." Kraft seemed hesitant. He understood that Larne made the offer with good intentions, however, his pride wouldn't easily allow him to accept that gesture of kindness given the pathetic state he was in.
A cold breeze blew and the two children sleeping in his embrace sneezed loudly.
Larne stepped forward and shielded them from the breeze. "Brother, I know that you have your pride as a soldier and isn't willing to accept people's kindness for nothing, but you have to consider the welfare of your children. Even though it's only spring, the nighttime air is rather chilly and your kids will easily get a cold that would cause you even more trouble given your predicament. Also, as a fellow northerner, I can't rest easy if I'm not able to help you in any way. You should know that northerners like us have a warm custom of providing our guests with top-notch hospitality. What more is there to think about? Let's go."
"Alright then, please pardon my intrusion," said Kraft resolutely as he accepted Larne's invitation.
As Kraft was about to wake his son with his daughter in his arms, Larne placed his finger at his lips and shushed before saying, "Don't wake him. Let me carry him."
"I think you can leave that to me, master," Randy said as he walked towards the child and lifted him up.
Hmm, a 17-year-old like him can carry a 13-year-old boy as if he weighed nothing more than a feather. Evans really wasn't exaggerating when he mentioned Randy's strength and vigour.
Kraft bent down again to pick up his longsword and his small pouch. As it was his personal belongings, Larne felt hesitant to help him take them.
"Let's get on the carriage first. My drunk colleague's in there though as I still have to send him home. I hope you wouldn't mind squeezing for a bit," said Larne while pointing at the carriage.
"Mister Ruslan, you don't have to be so polite. I am already thankful for your kind generosity," thanked Kraft.
Larne turned and walked towards the carriage. "Just call me Landon. I'm not too comfortable with being referred to so formally. It's better if you just call me by name. Can I call you Kraft..."
"Watch out! To your left!" Kraft shouted urgently.
Larne prepared to dodge as four 30-centimetre blades of light flew into his line of sight.
No, I can't evade these attacks. Otherwise, they would hit Kraft who's carrying his daughter and Randy who's holding the son. From the corner of his eyes, Larne could see Kraft already turning to his back and preparing to shield his daughter from the light blades. It was apparent that he expected Larne to dodge and has braced himself to take the damage. Randy on the other hand was completely stunned from suddenly being placed in a dangerous situation.
Fluff, the attackers are Gold-Grade combatants. Where's my sword? Larne reached out for his longsword only to notice that he had left it on the seat in the carriage. It was fortunate that he still wore his short sword on his hip.
Shiiiing! The short sword made a sound as it was drawn out of the scabbard. Clang, clang, clang, clang! Within but a flash, the short sword danced mid-air and struck down the four blades of light. Judging by the strength and velocity of the blades, Larne estimated that the blades were unleashed by a Grade-one Gold Swordsman. While an enemy of such calibre wasn't an inherent threat to him, he only had his sidearm with him and wasn't able to react well to the sudden attack.
"Bring the kids to the carriage. Randy, drive back to the inn and let me handle this, quick!" exclaimed Larne.
"Huh, you managed to parry my blades of light. I see that you're pretty resilient for a mere Iron grade." Two silhouettes emerged from the dark alley by the plaza and slowly walked towards Larne's party.
"Relax, we're not here for your life. We did however receive a request from someone to take one of your arms. No worries, I'll make it quick so it'll be over in a second, hehe," said one of the approaching figures with his cynical, confident voice.
"You better be ready to put your life on the line if you want to try," Larne replied coldly.
"Hehehe, we don't even fear Silver-grade fighters. Killing you would be easier than slaying a chicken! At least a chicken would be able to hide somewhere tight. Where would you be able to hide?"
"Apprentice brother, let's not waste too much words on him. Who's attacking first? The sooner we settle this the faster we can return to the girls who are still waiting in our rooms," said the other in a rather frustrated tone.
Upon leaving his daughter in the carriage, Kraft grabbed Larne's sword and passed it to him quickly.
"They're here for me, you're not involved in this," said Larne as he accepted the sword. Seeing Randy leaving with the carriage, Larne felt more relieved.
"The light blade just now also came towards my beloved Sophia," said Kraft angrily as he drew the sword in his hand with a crisp sound. Had Larne not struck down the attacks, Sophia would've been seriously wounded. Even though the assailants came for Larne, they didn't care much for Kraft and his daughter and had no issue with placing them in harm's way. There was no way that Kraft would let them off with this.
"You better watch out, they're Gold grades," reminded Larne.
"Hmph, it's not like I haven't fought Gold grades before. I've even killed a couple of them on the battlefield," said Kraft.
"Hehe, you have a big mouth, don't you? I'll see how well you fare fighting against a Gold grade like me. Junior apprentice-brother, there's one for each of us. I'll let you handle the Iron grade. Leave killing this Silver grade to me."
"Noted."
Having finished their discussion, the two assailants rushed towards Larne and Kraft with chilling killing intent.