In the training grounds at the back of the Herish Kingdom's castle, hundreds of soldiers clad in blue armor were checking their equipment while silently chatting with each other. Then a voice echoed in the open area.
"Knights! Attention!" shouted a knight wearing a black armor, which caused the group of men to form ten columns with fifty soldiers each.
"Do you hear me?" The knight yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Sir! Yes sir!" The battalion answered in unison.
"We're tasked with searching for a man with an unknown personality. His name, abilities, and where he came from cannot be comprehended as of now. The only thing that will lead us to him are his unique characteristics. He has silver-colored hair that's not commonly seen in this part of the land. He has a red dice as an earring, and his eyes look blind and lifeless." The commander of the knights spoke while his eyes were scanning his men.
"We'll scatter around the city, and some of us will go outside to search for the man, and you are not allowed to initiate a fight. Send your coordinates and wait for us to get to your location. Am I clear?" He stated the concept of their mission.
"Sir! Yes sir! The knights said.
Afterward, a bald, large man wearing a full suit of red armor entered the grounds.
'What is he doing here?' The battalion thought upon seeing the man walk towards their leader.
"I'm going to lead this operation; the king ordered me to do so." He said with a convincing tone, then he showed a scroll with the king's seal.
The hundred knights kneeled upon seeing the single piece of paper.
"We abide by the king's representative," they shouted.
"The ten strongest, gather in front," the large man said, and ten individuals stood up from their posts.
They formed a row with their leader as the first one to line up, like what the man ordered.
"These ten will fill the hunting squad; the rest, go back to your posts," he ordered.
The rest of the battalion was surprised by his declaration, but they all stood up, bowed, and marched out of the grounds.
They left without a word, while the ten knights remained and didn't say a single thing until the battalion commander spoke.
"Why did you dismiss the rest?" He asked.
"I don't even need the help of your squad; I just want to give face to the king, so I intentionally let you tag along with me," he answered, then walked towards the gate.
"My team has found the location of my brother's killer; all you need to do is follow me and be the spectators on how I will murder that silver-haired bastard." He added, and his laughter gave chills to the knights.
'Tigrid Coleman! To be the target of the wrath of the youngest diamond-class mercenary of the Herish Kingdom.... I pity that man's soul,' the leader of the knights aired his condolences in his thoughts, while he and the rest of the knights silently followed the man clad in red armor.
. . . . .
The capital of the Herish Kingdom, the home of weaponry and armaments, the city itself was surrounded by thick, giant walls, and its shape was like a shield from an aerial point of view, earning its name—Shieldscape City.
Almost all of the citizens here were crazy when it came to equipment, and those who were passionate enough to wield weapons chose to reside here. They attended lectures since they were young and sought masters who could give them insights regarding their chosen path.
And now, the roads were very much alive due to hundreds of mercenaries visiting the place. Some of them came from different kingdoms, they left their homes for a while just to attend the upcoming festival.
Then, a woman wearing a red bouffant dress walked through the middle of the sea of men. She had a red fall hat with a white ribbon encircling its band at the top of her head; her heels were also red in color. The crowd's eyes couldn't leave the maiden's figure when she passed by them. Her white hair was emanating a nice fragrance that covered the alcoholic smell of the grownups.
At first, they thought that the woman was alone, but two individuals that looked like a butler and a maid were walking several meters behind her. Her small black eyes were roaming in every direction, then she stopped her steps. The butler came to her and asked.
"Mistress, is there anything that you're looking for?" He said this after approaching the lady.
The woman shook her head and said, "It's nothing, Lux; I'm simply amazed by the number of people here."
"It's all because of the festival that will happen the day after tomorrow," Lux explained.
"Festival? Is it that time of the year now?" She asked after she turned around and looked at Lux.
"Yes, would you like to participate in the events?" Lux replied with a question.
The woman stared at her butler before she answered.
"Are there strong opponents?" She said while making a weird smile.
"If to be compared with your standard, there will be none." He said so and waited for his mistress' reaction.
"Then forget it," she said, filled with disappointment.
She turned around and resumed her steps. Several eyes were still watching her, but she didn't mind the recognition given to her by the crowd. However, it couldn't be said to the man behind him.
'How dare you all look at her with those lustful eyes!' He thought.
Then he was supposed to make them kiss the pavement, but a hand touched his arm from behind.
"She won't like it when you attract too much attention," the maid said before looking at Lux.
He looked back at the woman and spoke. "Got it."
Then he resumed walking, following his mistress from a distance and ready to protect her at any moment.
. . . . .
Inside a small tavern in the town before the capital, the place was filled with laughter and talk of mercenaries. Some were telling stories of their epic adventures, while others were listening to the music of the bards.
Zeno was drinking a mug of ale. He was sitting in the corner of the bar counter. He was staring at his drink and eavesdropping on the people at the same time. After all, there was no better place to gather information than from the mouths of the drunks.
"That fool, Ingrid, finally kicked the bucket," a man with a black braided beard said after chugging a whole bottle of beer.
"You better keep your mouth shut," the man sitting in the opposite direction said while pointing through his mouth to the bar counter, which made the bearded man look behind him.
Then, beads of sweat started to form on his forehead as soon as he saw the man dressed in a maroon-colored coat. He turned around and did not dare to glance behind him.
After a few minutes of drinking, four men and one woman entered, and the atmosphere inside the tavern changed from a rowdy one to a quiet one.
Eyes shifted to the group of people as soon as they entered the door and walked to the bar counter. From the looks of their clothing, the woman was a healer, while the rest were composed of an archer, a tank, and two fighters.
They stopped upon reaching the bar counter, and the topless big man with a flail hanging from his left side sat on one of the chairs and ordered a mug of root beer.
"Please do it with less sweetness," he said, smiling at the bartender.
The place was still silent, and all the people inside were waiting for the events to unfold.
'That's Tigrid's party,' the mercenaries thought, then they stared at Zeno. 'There will be a huge clash soon.'
The topless man looked at Zeno, who was sitting right beside him.
"The sun's wonderful outside, isn't it?" He greeted the man with a smile.
"It's more like scorching hot," Zeno replied while staring at his now empty mug.
The topless man laughed at his remark and beckoned to the bartender.
"Give me another one for this man! Put it on my tab," he said, then laughed again.
"I already like your personality; too bad you offended that monster," he uttered while shaking his head before chugging the mug of root beer.
Zeno didn't pay attention to his words, and then the bartender gently placed another mug of ale in front of him.
"I thank you for this, I'll gladly return this gratitude someday." He said, lifting it up to drink.
'What are they doing?' The mercenaries watching from their seats thought upon seeing the actions of the two individuals.
Then one of the fighters from Tigrid's party moved closer to his companion.
"He's coming," he whispered in the topless man's ear.
"I guess it's time for us to act," He stood up and punched in Zeno's direction with all his might, but Zeno stopped his attack with his forefinger.
A shockwave was released from the collision of the huge fist and Zeno's finger. The people in the tavern were mesmerized by the silver-haired man's action.
"Give me a second; I'll finish this first," Zeno said before he resumed drinking.
The scene surprised the man, but he smiled as soon as he recovered from his shock.
"I see now why Ingrid has died. My name is Alex; please remember me even in the afterlife." He said before his body turned into something grayish-white, then he aimed for another punch.
'Let's see if you can still block this with a finger,' he thought before attacking once again.
This released another shockwave, but it was far stronger than the first one. People near them, together with their tables and chairs, were hurled away while the bar counter got destroyed to pieces, but Zeno was still sitting and drinking his ale.
Alex looked at his fist, which was blocked by two of Zeno's fingers.
'How? It can't be. Even the captain didn't dare receive a punch head-on once I activated my Legacy,' he thought.
Even his group couldn't believe what they were seeing. The second-strongest member of their attack squad was blocked not once, but twice, with just fingers alone.
'Monster,' the healer thought.
Zeno had finished his drinks, and he exerted a small amount of force to push away the fist with his fingers. Alex was sent tumbling away by that small gesture of his.
"That's a nice drink; once again, thank you. Don't worry, I'll try to do my best to give you a painless death," he said, then stood up and faced the large man.
The red dice dangling from his left ear was emanating light, which came from two white skulls on its surface. He raised his arms and did some stretching, which revealed his wrist with red capital letters written on it.
'JACK'
. . . . .