7th year after the age of the gods/ 823rd year. Pattimura Village, Republic of Samoa, Ankhofasia Continent.
A few days before the season changes, there are still remnants of snow along the village roads. The air which was previously very cold slowly became warmer than before and allowed us all to carry out normal activities again.
Now that I am fifteen years old, over the years I have never once stopped training my body. The muscles in my body developed quite rapidly, my body also became taller than before, and until now I still can't convince my mother to let me become an adventurer. Our relationship too, for the past few years has not been very good, we also rarely talk and only remain silent whenever my mother and I are in the same room.
"Has your mother still not given permission?" Donovan asked.
Actually, Donovan no longer lives in this village, he spends his retirement living peacefully in a city close to the capital. But every now and then he always visits this village to meet the Lord Mayor and to just help me practice. Donovan has strong and sharp sword techniques, and is flexible enough to use.
"Yeah, lately we hardly even talk at all."
"Then what about your father?"
"He will give me permission to become an adventurer, if mother also gives permission."
I looked up at the languid blue sky, the clouds were starting to cover the sun and reduce the heat that hit us.
"Even without you telling me, I already know the reason why your mother doesn't want you to become an adventurer. Adventurer is a job that always involves death, indeed the higher the rank you have, the more wealth you have, but at the same time it also comes with a dangerous. Remember that if you have great power, it also comes with an equally great responsibility." Donovan got up from his seat, his last battle with the Mayor meant he had to walk using a wooden stick. "See you tomorrow kid!"
The next day I could still feel the pain all over my body. The effect of the magic I tried yesterday was extraordinary, but at the same time it also put a great burden on my body. It seems, before I learn the magic I read about in books, I should learn the basics of controlling mana first.
"Kid, why do you want to be an adventurer?" Donovan asked when we met again in the same place as yesterday.
"Because of my promise to Einar."
"Only that?"
If look back, that's the reason. In the beginning I had no goals or ambitions, and thanks to my meeting with Einar, along with the other adventurers, I finally had something I wanted to achieve.
"Before becoming an adventurer, how about you go hone your skills first at the academy?" Donovan asked, aware of my doubts. "You're still not sure about your goals, right? You want to achieve goals based on a mutual agreement with someone, not from within your heart. Therefore, try entering an academy, apart from honing your skills, also by meeting various kinds of people, maybe you too will find something you want to do, something you want to achieve."
Something I want to achieve?
"I don't mean to say that the goals you want to achieve based on your agreement with Einar are bad, but what did Einar tell you about the promise you made?"
What did Einar say when I told him my promise? After Donovan said that, I thought back to what Einar said to me that day. He was pleased with my words and gave me a piece of advice. "I'm happy that you became an adventurer because of me, but don't be too fixated on an old man like me. Because maybe one day there will be something great you want to achieve. What you really want, without being fixated on me. In this wide world, you'll definitely find it."
How could I forget Einar's advice? and Margaretha also always told me not to be too hasty in making decisions. Because as the magical scientists say: somewhere, something great is waiting to be discovered.
Maybe I should really rethink what I want to achieve, and the offer Donovan gave me to enter the magic academy wasn't that bad.
"How? Are you interested in entering the academy?" Donovan asked again.
"Yes, I will accept your offer." But the cost of entering the academy is not cheap, my parents probably don't have enough money to send me to the academy. I heard from people in the village that to enter the academy requires around two hundred thousand ingri. "It's just that I have to talk to my parents first, considering that the cost of entering the academy is not cheap."
Smiling, Donovan got up from his seat. "You don't need to worry about that, come follow me!"
I didn't know where Donovan was taking me, I just followed behind him. In my mind, I tried to guess that he would take me to the adventurer's guild to help register me as an adventurer, or go to the blacksmith's place to help me choose a sword, or also just go to the magic bookstore to look for good magic books to use as self-defense, or maybe he would take me to the nearest academy and enroll me into it. But it seems like all my guesses were wrong, he actually took me back to my house.
In front of the house, I saw a horse-drawn carriage and the door of the house which had been left open. What turned out to be inside the house was the Lord Mayor and his Personal Assistant sitting in the living room with my parents.
My parents looked at me and Donovan who had just entered the house. Donovan motioned me with his eyes to go sit near my parents while he sat next to the Assistant Lord Mayor.
"Donovan told me that your two children have talent in magic, therefore it is my duty as mayor of this village to provide financial assistance to your child." Mr. Mayor looked at the face of his Personal Assistant, immediately his Assistant immediately showed my parents a document that had to be signed by both my parents as a form of permission. "You can sign this document if you allow your child to enter the academy, and let me as the mayor take care of the rest."
"Why do you provide free assistance to my child?" asked Dad, who looked surprised after reading the document. "I know my child is quite talented, as a parent I also feel happy and grateful because the Lord Mayor is willing to provide free assistance to my child. However, sorry if I am presumptuous, does the Lord Mayor want something from me? or from my child as a form of return for your kindness?"
The Lord Mayor laughed softly at my father's good intentions. "I don't want anything, neither from you nor from your child. As an adult, it is my duty to provide space for young people to develop. After all, it would be a problem if our country lost one talented child like your child. Because maybe in the future the country will need his services."
After listening to the Lord Mayor's words, Father immediately took the pen from the Lord Mayor's Assistant's hand and signed the document. However, Mother just kept quiet, apparently she still didn't want me to do anything dangerous. Moreover, if I actually entered the academy, she was afraid that I would become an adventurer which she really strongly rejected.
"Don't worry Madam, after entering the academy he might be able to become a magic scientist, trader, and the like. He doesn't just have to focus on one dangerous goal. Entering the academy not only to study magic, he can also increase his relationships, friends, knowledge, and meeting various people will also make him familiar with this world."
I thought it would just end the same, no matter what others said. My mother would stand by her stance. Entering the academy might be fun, but if Mom doesn't allow it, then I have to accept it gracefully. It's no use me learning great things about magic, but at the same time I made my mother cry at home.
Don't call me a man if I make a woman cry.
But something unexpected happened, mother grabbed the pen from father's hand and immediately signed the document. We all felt shocked by the incident and looked at each other while showing joyful smiles.
"After you enter the academy, don't forget to always send us a letter at least once a month, no, once a week!" that's what my mother said for the first time after we had been silent for years.
I immediately hugged my mother very tightly, thanking her for giving me permission to go into the academy.
Einar, Margaretha, look at my progress up there.