An hour since they had loaded all of the ingredients into the wagon, and it was already sunset when they headed back to the inn.
"Dad, is something wrong?" The inn's daughter asked as soon as she enters.
"You here, this is Roswald one of our guests... he has something to ask you." the innkeeper stated.
"Oh? Hi, there my name's Ramy. Is there something the matter, sir?" The inn's daughter inquired, cheerfully.
"Did you enter my room?" Roswald questioned with a stern look.
"Room? Oh yes, I did... Perhaps is there a problem?" She asked in confusion.
"There is... didn't I inform the innkeeper to not let anyone enter my room without permission," Roswald responded coldly.
"That... I'm sorry, I was inconsiderate. It won't happen again, by the way, did the child regain consciousness?" Ramy said, slightly fearing him.
"No," Roswald said in a calm but cold manner.
"I see, please don't hesitate to ask us for help, sir Roswald." She stated, timidly.
He nodded and headed back to his room. the tension they felt calmed down,
"Didn't I tell you that you can't go in there." the inn owner stated as he sigh.
"I just saw a lot of dirt and want to clean the room. I didn't know that he would be that angry." She explained.
"Now that you know, don't interfere in his matters again." the inn owner stated as a reminder.
After several weeks, the child awoke from her slumber. She looked around, terrified of the unfamiliar surroundings.
Her body was heavy and stinging everywhere, and she couldn't move. She was lost in thought as she stared at the ceiling.
He comes in and said, "You're awake?"
The child was alerted and raised her guard. Fear was written across her face as she trembled.
"Don't worry I won't hurt you." He said reassuring her.
The two stared at each other silently for minutes, when, suddenly her stomach began rumbling.
"Are you hungry?" He asked calmly to not frighten the child.
She didn't say anything and just stared at him. He got up and walked out the door.
She felt relieved when she saw him leave the room and calmed down a little.
"Can I have some porridge and cookies, also milk?" He said straightly as he walk down the stairs.
"Didn't you eat just now?" The inn owner stated with little confusion.
"No, it's for the child," he responded.
"Oh? Then, wait here, I'll go and prepare it," The innkeeper said, heading to the kitchen to cook.
Sizzling sound, water pours, followed by the sound of vegetables being chopped. The innkeeper finally finishes cooking after a few minutes.
"Here you go, is there other more things you need?"
"I will tell you if there is." He replies as he grabs the tray.
"I see, then, tell the lad to enjoy the food." The innkeeper said, happily.
He responded with a nod.
When he opened the door, the child was laying on the bed, and she was startled. The two locked gazes and raised her guard once more.
He was troubled as he had never coaxed or cared for a child before, so he had no idea what to do in that situation.
He places the tray of food on the small wooden table where the child could reach and eat easily. Then, he retreats to the corner of the room.
They stared at him for a long, "The food is not poisoned... it's yours eat it."
With trembling hands, the child reaches for the spoon hesitantly and when she grabs it, it drops to the ground. She was terrified and kept apologizing.
Roswald picks up the spoon, scoops the soup, and feeds her,
"Your hand is trembling, let me feed you... Calm down, I'm not angry at you, so you don't have to be so afraid." He stated calmly.
His actions perplexed her and unsure whether she could trust him. She relaxes slightly and accepts the hospitality he extends to her.
Roswald sorted the plates as she finished her plate of food,
"Mister?"
"What is it?" He responded.
"Um... t-thank you." she kowtows eagerly.
"You don't have to be grateful to me..." He said and exit the room.
The child reclines and looks up at the ceiling, lost in thought, gradually closing her eyes and falling asleep once more.
A few hours later, Roswald goes to the guild to get a quest. it didn't matter to him what job he got, so he chose one at random. He then exits the village gate and travels to the nearby plains to finish the job.
Slaying goblins lurking near the plains, investigating the cause, and retrieving a herd of sheep left by the owner were all part of the quest.
He arrived at the plains and saw nothing, so he kept walking until he was stopped by the sudden appearance of one goblin by the side of a tree.
After locking eyes with it, he didn't wait for the goblin to react. In the blink of an eye, he slayed the globin.
After slaying the goblin, he notices two sheep tied up by the tree, as well as many different types of ore and a hobgoblin's blade beside it.
He looked around, keeping his guard up, to see if there was a hobgoblin in the nearby area.
He frees the sheep and hides them in the bushes where they can't be seen after confirming that there aren't any.
He kept searching by the side of the plains until he came across a massive rock of walls surrounded by thick roots.
He approaches the thick roots and touches them, but the roots attack him and leave a scratch on his body.
He didn't treat the wound because it was small and didn't bleed much.
He realizes the thick roots were strange just by their appearance, but he didn't suspect anything, his guard was down, and he was injured as a result.
He cast fire to burn the thick roots and the roots screamed in horror. The sound was horrible that it made him slightly nauseous.
He cast healing on himself and burned the roots even more, and the shrieking echoed in the air from the plains, alerting the monsters nearby.
The roots turn to ash, and the shrieking stops. The nearby monsters approach and surround him.
Even though he had cast healing on himself, he was still slightly dizzy and nauseous, and he wasn't in the best of health to fight.
The horned rabbits charge at him ferociously, he evades and slays the horned rabbit, but then the other monsters attack vigorously, and he slays them all without pausing.
The monsters were all slain, the bodies and blood of the slain monsters scattered on the ground, Roswald's consciousness fades, and collapses on the ground.
The night was long, everything was engulfed in silence, and he who collapse in exhaustion dreamed of the past.
It had been a long and dreadful night. He exited the ballroom and walked into the mansion's hall.
He noticed a door that was just slightly ajar. He overhears his mother's cries as she lies on the ground.
People's gazes were fixed on him, filled with scorn and contempt. He continues to walk into the forest at the mansion's back.
Fairy lullabies comfort him as lights emit from the air.
His mother calls his name and was disturbed, the fairies run and hide. He alone stands in the middle.
His mother walks near him and embraces him tightly apologizing over and over. He smiled and comforted his mother saying,
"Mother, I'm alright... Please be happy for me." As he smiles gently.
His mother sobs while holding him, as if his words are meaningless and cannot be heard.
His father appeared unexpectedly and separated him from his mother, and was dragged out by the knights.
His father stared at him coldly and warns him, "Don't let that woman approach you again."
His father interprets his son's silence as agreement and returns inside. As he watched his father's back fade away, he became enraged and clutched his hand so tightly that it bled.
He walks in the direction where his mother was dragged and hides from the passing knights.
He successfully enters the room where his mother was and sees her standing on the veranda singing a song.
He walks near her and uttered, "Mother."
His mother continues to sing the song, and he stands silently in the back, listening to his mother's song until the end.
He closes his eyes and gets deeper in thought, the song ended and his mother comes near him caressing his face and whispers, "Sorry, my child, I love you."
When he opened his eyes, he saw his mother jump from the veranda and die right in front of him.
He was stunned and unable to move. A passing maid saw her jump from the third floor and screamed, causing a commotion downstairs.
He regained his composure and ran to the veranda, looking down. He saw his mother's body, her blood spreading slowly on the ground.
He felt conflicted, nauseous, and like his heart had been twisted in half, he fell unconscious on the ground.
To be continued.....