[I want to become an adventurer.] The thought once again appeared in my mind, a constant reminder that refused to be silenced. However, there wasn't much I could do given the circumstances that anchored me. And who could blame me? There wasn't any ban on your dreams.
"Hey, kid, don't push yourself too hard; just go home and take some rest." Mr. Kannor said with a gentle voice and turned in the direction of the villagers, who were still standing in line carrying the remains of the dead monsters in their hands.
"Yes." I replied with a nod as I bid my farewell and hurried in the direction of my humble home.
Looking at the Seipheor village, it wasn't a big or prosperous place. It was a place filled with heavy air and the scent of struggle. A place inhabited by farmers and jobless people. Working every day is part of the process of living a little longer. I wouldn't say we were living; we were just surviving every cruel day, dreaming the next would be even better.
For in this forsaken land, every once in a while, monsters will appear and attack the villagers, instilling deep fear deep down in their bones.
Yet, that's also the reason why adventurers visit our village once a day. Making the villager's lives a little better in the process.
As I trekked wearily and stridefully towards my house direction, I could see the crumbling houses around every corner, the hard truth of the village's lost glory. The village has around fifty or sixty houses. With a population ranging from one-fifty to two hundred.
In the quint village of Seipheor, where hopes often wither like autumn leaves, there are only a few people in the village who are able to make their names out of Seipheor village and are able to escape the village's gravitational rustic charm and settle down in the capital city.
Finally, I came in front of my house and stopped, looking at my rundown cottage. The most dilapidated house in the entire Seipheor village. The walls were made up of bundles of grass stitched by sticks, keeping the balance together in the process.
I let out a long sigh after looking at the place and pushed open the creaky door while walking inside my house.
"Mom, I'm home." I announced as I could hear the plates clinking sound coming out of the kitchen.
"Ard, are you home, honey? Wash your hands and come here to eat." My mom's voice came from the kitchen, almost commanding. I didn't neglect it thought. I washed my hands and face with clean water before getting ready to dig up the food that my mom had prepared.
I entered the dining room and settled down on the ground, waiting for the meal to arrive in front of me.
"What's the menu today?" I asked, half-jokingly. I already knew what I had to eat for today that my mom had prepared for me.
"Your favorite honeycomb meat with a sizzling onion soup." My mom responded with a faint smile.
"Ah, my favorite!" I exclaimed, my eyes lighting up with delight.
"I know, that's why I made it especially for you," she added, her smile growing wider.
[How time flies!] I thought, staring at my mother's face as she placed the steaming dishes in front of me.
My mom's name was Rose; she was a very beautiful person in her younger days, with long gray hair and faint black eyes. But now, looking at her face, I could see the worrying wrinkles surrounding her temple and eyes, which had a fading pale white complexion.
In her hard days, there wasn't much I could do to support her in those years. And no one could blame me.
I was a younger and more naive kid who didn't understand the worried expressions of his parents. But as time passed and I became more mature, I began to understand the cruelty of this God's blessed world.
The world run by the hierarchy of the nobles, neglect the authority of commoners, making their harsh lives even harsher. Even the chief of the village Seipheor, had the most say in the villager's lifestyle.
"Mom, have you given the medicines to Dad, yet?" I inquired, glancing to the left-hand side of the bed where my dad's frail body was lying on the bed.
The house wasn't big in particular. It was only made up of one big room. Apparently, only my dad's bed stood against the wall, while my mom and I both slept on the hard ground.
"No. He wasn't awake yet." My mom shook her head bitterly. A painful expression appeared on her face, with worried lines appearing on her forehead.
[It can't be helped.] I sighed, as a sense of resignation washed over my head.
My dad, Leon, only wakes up once a day. His daily routine was almost fixed. He would wake up every afternoon for about an hour before succumbing to his slumber once again. In this fleeting window, my mom would finish all her chores and tend to his every need.
[How much time has passed since I last talked to dad, before?] I mumbled.
I can't even recall the last time I talked to him and shared my problem and my daily routine.
Now, do I think I once sparred with him when he was in good condition? And he did beat me black and blue.
I can still feel the pain.
[I want to go to my past.] I gazed wistfully into the past, holding the bowl filled with honeycomb meat.
[Ahh. I still can't feel the taste yet.] I exhaled.
'When was the last time I enjoyed the meal?'
Memories of my childhood flooded back into my head. I know my mom's cooking was the best. And I did enjoy it when I was a kid, but now everything I eat tastes very bleak.
I can't even tell the difference between onion soup and honeycomb beef anymore.
"It was delicious." Nonetheless, I feigned a smile, eating the mouthful of food in one gulf.
"Would you like a second?"
"No, no, I'm already full. Mom should also eat and take some rest." I stated it worriedly.
She was pushing herself very hard. I have also caught her several times fainting while doing some housework. And it did cause my heart to sink in frustration and regret.
I grew, focusing on two things: making her life a little blissful and acquiring money solely with my abilities. And that was the best I could even manage.
After all, I had the education and basic combat skills of your average kid, taught by my dad.
And given the dire circumstances, I tried my best to carve them into shape. Which was why I was still able to hold this longer.
"Mom, these are my daily wages." I took out the two copper coins from my pocket and placed them in my mom's hands. My voice was full with a sense of responsibility.
"Use them for our medicines and our daily necessities."
I said as I stood up from my place and turned to leave.
"Ard, you aren't doing any dangerous work, are you?" I stopped in my place as her concerned words pierced through the air.