"Hey, kid, you must have a swollen liver or you're crazy."
The leader of the bandits put down the meat he was eating, drew his sword, and stood up.
Aldes stood away from the campfire with his sword drawn as well.
"Clearly, you were the first to draw your swords."
Three of the bandits drew their swords.
"Give me everything you have. From the sword you have, to your leather armor, to the money you have."
"Why should I give you what I have?"
No sooner had Aldeth spoken than the boss brought his sword down on him. Aldeth blocked his blade.
"What?"
The bandit leader saw Aldeth's defensive movements and knew he was no slouch.
"I need some money, and I don't need your stinking leather clothes, so if you have any, leave it here, and if you'd been quietly eating the leftover meat, I wouldn't have done this. You clearly drew your swords first and threatened me."
Now the bandits all drew their swords. In unison, the seven charged at Aldeth.
- Yay, yay, die.
Aldeth stumbled backward, parrying each and every one of their blows.
"Brother. That kid is quite the swordsman."
"This isn't quite good enough."
The bandit leader could see that the kid's swordsmanship was very good.
"I don't want to kill bandits like you for nothing. If you give me all the money you have and get out, I'll spare your life. But if you attack me one more time with your crappy sword skills, I will kill all seven of you."
"This guy is definitely insane."
One of the bandits ran toward Aldeth.
"Stop."
The leader shouted, and the bandit stopped running.
"Give me all the money you have and let's go."
"Brother, what do you mean by that?"
"I used to be a knight's squire when I was young. I've seen many knights with great sword skills, but this boy is stronger than any of them. You've never seen anyone so strong, and you don't recognize it when you see it. We don't have to risk all of our lives for a few dollars, that's an order. Give me all the money you have and let's go."
Except for the leader, the rest of the bandits stared at each other, wondering what was going on.
"You're talking like this. Let's listen to you."
"Oh, come on. For a kid like that."
"This asshole listens to you."
"I can't help it, okay."
The bandits tossed the pouch containing the money in front of Aldeth. The pouch felt heavy as Aldeth caught it.
"Okay, thanks. I'll put your money to good use, but I'm full, so I'll be on my way. You be on your way, too."
Aldeth gathered his things and stood up. The bandits wondered what the hell was going on, but they had no choice but to obey their leader's orders.
As they left, the bandits looked back at Aldes several times, regretting the money they had taken.
Aldeth would need a lot of old money if he was going to travel the world. If he worked as a stonemason, earning a good wage and getting a free boat, he would have plenty of money.
He could make good money as a mercenary, but he didn't want to fight for others for money.
Aldeth continued westward. Another week and he would be in Attenbach. The mountains were now mostly stone, with few trees. Attenbach was famous for its stonemasons, so stone was plentiful.
After a week, Aldes came to a nearby mountain where he could see the city of Attenbach in the distance. Even from this distance, there were few wooden houses. Almost all of them were made of stone.
Aldes descended the mountain and walked to the entrance of the city. He saw people carrying stones on carts. Aldes realized that Attenbach was famous for its stonemasonry, but they also sold stone.
The city of Attenbach was far from being as large and colorful as Wallabach. There weren't many people, and no buildings were taller than three stories.
First, Aldes had to find an employment office. He saw a woman with her children selling eggs on the street.
"Excuse me, where is the employment office here?"
"Why the employment office? Your parents made you earn money, didn't they?"
"Yes, my family is in trouble, and I need to earn money quickly. Please tell me where it is."
Aldes realized that, to an adult, it might seem pitiful that he was looking for a job agency.
"You'll have to walk straight this way for about ten minutes, and then you'll see a building with a picture of a hammer and sickle on it. That's the employment office."
"Does the sign say "career center"?"
"It's written. Can you read?"
The woman looked surprised.
"No."
She looked like she was going to say more if he stayed. Aldes turned and walked away. Aldes realized that to be sure of his identity, he would have to pretend to be illiterate. It wouldn't make sense for a commoner boy to be literate.
Aldes walked down the street as the woman had instructed. There were shops on both sides of the street. A blacksmith, a butcher, an inn, a dressmaker, and so on.
Eventually, he saw a two-story building with a picture of a hammer and sickle. The sign said, "Vocational Guidance Center. Aldes entered the building.
Inside, there were several chairs and tables, and a dozen or so people chattering away. At the back was a reception desk. Aldes went to the reception desk.
"Hello, Mr. Aldes. I'm here looking for a job. Do you have any openings for masons?"
The receptionist was a fat woman in her twenties.
"We do have masonry jobs, but I don't think a boy like you can do them. We have pig herders and shepherds, and those are jobs that a boy like you can do."
"I want to be a mason."
"Masonry involves working with heavy stones, hammers and chisels, and it's easy to get hurt if you're not strong enough."
"You're talking too much, the job center is supposed to find you a job and pay you."
"Kid, you're quite the brat."
The woman looked incredulous.
"Wibina, send him to me."
A man playing backgammon said to the woman at the reception desk.
"Do you mind Mr. Rota, he looks young."
Wibina, the vocational receptionist, said to the man.
"Anyone who's willing to work as a mason is fine. Come work for me, young man."
"My name is Aldes, I'm not a kid, and Mr. Lothar, are you a real mason?"
The man, Rota, was in his thirties and a big man.
"Wibina, what is he talking about?"
"Kid, no, I said Aldes, Uncle Rota is so famous for his stonemasonry skills, you can find him all the way across the ocean on the continent of Merfeld!"
When Aldes heard the word "Mercerfeld," he knew he had to work for Lothar.
"You are a great man, Mr. Lothar, and I would like to work for you. Please take me with you. I'm still young, but I'm strong."
"Look at this guy, earlier you called me mister, now you call me rotanim."
"When did I say, are you done with dice games?"
Aldes said without changing his expression.
"This guy's shameless. Haha, I like it. We can always play dice. Let's go."
Rota motioned for Aldeth to follow.
"Wait, Mr. Rota, you owe me an introduction."
Wibina exclaimed, jumping to her feet.
"Oh, my mistake."
Rota went to the reception desk and paid the introduction fee.
Rota and Aldes left the building.
"You'll have to walk a bit. My workshop is a bit far from here."
"Because of the stone, it's far from town."
"That's right. Masons need to have their workshops close to the stone."
They arrived at the workshop after about 30 minutes of walking. It was a combination house and workshop. It was a two-story, digger-shaped building. About 300 meters from the workshop was a stone mountain.
Lothar lived in the house with his wife, children, and two masons. Including Aldes, there were now three masons under Lothar.
Since Aldes had no masonry skills yet, he started by helping Lothar and the other masons with their work: picking out good stones from the hillside, fetching them, and sorting and carrying them.
Along the way, Aldes learned the masons' craft.
He worked as a stonemason for about half a year. One day, at the end of the workday, it was time for dinner.
"I have something important to tell you today."
Rota said.
"As you know, my masonry skills are recognized far and wide. As such, the stonemasonry you are learning under me will be better than that of other masons. I have a great job for you, and it is for me and Aldeth. We must sail far away. The rest of you stay here and do a good job."
"I, for one, don't mind going far away, but why are you only taking Aldeth with you?"
One of the masons asked.
"There's a reason. Aldes is the youngest, but he is the strongest. There's a lot of work that needs to be done there."
The masons working under Rota have known for a while how strong Aldes is. If it required a lot of strength, he didn't want to do it.
"So where are we going?"
Aldes asked. Here was Aldes's chance to fulfill his purpose for coming to Attenbach.
"A place very far from here. A city called Berenhofen, on the continent of Merfeld, far to the east, across the sea, away from here in Henneruk."
"Wow, that must be a long way."
"Very far. You must first travel from here in Attenbach to Walleibach, far to the southeast. From there you take a boat."
"There are a lot of ships coming and going from Wallabach?"
Aldes asked, knowing better. It would seem strange not to ask.
"People in Atenbach don't even know there is a Wallabach, it's a big city, lots of people, lots of supplies, and they say there was a big crisis in the city of Wallabach not long ago."
"What crisis?"
Aldes knew of course what the crisis was. He wondered what the common people thought of the situation.
"There was a forest near the city of Wallabach, but I don't remember the name of it. Anyway, I think that's where the orcs came from and attacked Wallabach."
"Oh my, that must have been devastating."
"A lot of people were killed, buildings were destroyed, and the lord of House Gerho sent an expedition to wipe out the orcs. They scoured the forest and wiped out the orcs, but then they said there was a great swordsman in the expedition, what was his name?"
"...."
Aldeth listened to Lothar's story in silence.
"Oh, right, he was called Aldeth, which is the same name as you, so he must have been amazing. And then he disappeared. That's all I know."
Working for Lothar, Aldes explained that he was the child of a commoner, and that he took up stonemasonry at a young age because his family could not afford to support him.
"I'm glad Lord Zirnewald organized the expedition well, and that Wallabach is safe. The goods produced in the northern part of the continent of Heneruk are sold through Wallabach to other parts of the world."
"That's true."
"We'll be leaving in two days. Get Aldes ready."