Daizen Shizaki and Alexndriya Aya both walked briskly across the smooth plains of a shortcut that Aya knew. Not many people ventured there, so they would be able to reach the Main Passageway quickly.
The Main Passageway was one of the main transport routes in Sekoto Village leading into many different territories, the longest would lead straight to the border of the neighbouring beauty of Dragonia, a journey lasting about fifteen to twenty days, depending on the type and speed of the carriage used.
A Timberwolf carriage was the fastest means of transport on the ground, with the speed of the two white wolves that had a height just a bit taller than an average human itself was not to be underestimated. Obviously, it was a peaceful animal, but according to Alexandriya Aya, there were a small ratio of Timberwolves Carriages compared to the usual Ground Dragons used for carriage transport Sekoto Region.
"Finding one would be hard, Shizaki."
"Ugh."
"Either way, it doesn't really matter. What matters right now is if we can get a ride at this time with it being just past midday. I don't think we have to worry about that, though."
"....Damn it."
"Hm? What's wrong?"
She looked at him, but noticed that he was staring straight ahead. Following his gaze, she noticed three boys around his age who were walking towards him.
"The troublesome trio. Shizaki, I'll protect-"
"No…it's okay. I have to do this."
"Huh?"
What is he…?
Planning to do, she thought, as she sensed danger approaching.
She stayed next to him, closer than ever as they kept walking into an eventual interaction.
As the distance between the duo and trio were now less than a few feet away, the wound-up Nadeko bellowed:
"Well, well, look who's here for seconds!"
And, as predicted, his two underlings howled in laughter.
"Tch."
Aya glared at him, but as Nadeko now stood before the, blocking their path, he leaned towards her face.
"Hey, small stuff."
"Get out of my face and out of our way, before I kick you in the groin where your small stuff is."
"Oooooh, swing and a miss with the lame ass jokes as usual. And let's not forget the last time you tried protecting this piece of trash from us. Hahahaha!!!"
"You damn-"
"Alexandriya."
Shizaki had stopped her, but he did not face her. He simply kept staring forward.
"Go on ahead. I'll catch up to you in a while."
"Wha….what are you-"
"You heard him, Loli-san. Get moving."
Nadeko grinned mischievously while Aya gave him a disgusted look before brushing past him forcefully as she left.
She went on ahead but stopped at a distance, sticking around to wait for him while staying alert as to what could happen.
Nadeko now stood in front of Daizen Shizaki.
"What interesting clothing. Where are you boldly heading to, twerp?"
"U-Um…"
No, you have to be strong Shizaki. Remember why you are doing this.
He clenched his fists and raised his head.
"To the Royal Guild. I'm going to become an adventurer."
"...Huh?"
As if hearing a bad joke, Nadeko looked at him with the most disappointed face ever.
Meanwhile…
"GYAH HAHAHAHA!!! I'M FUCKING CRYING!!!"
"A USELESS TURD LIKE YOU!!??"
His other two compatriots burst into psychotic laughter, while Nadeko simply blinked in confusion.
Deeply hurt, Shizaki averted his attention, but then closed his eyes, reopened them, and took a step forward as he stood his ground.
"....You're right. I am useless, weak, nothing compared to others. But, I want to become something more. So….if you don't get out of my way…"
"-hk."
Nadeko's eyes twitched and his companions stopped laughing as Shizaki's eyes began to change color, from the usual amethyst to a glowing white.
"I'll have to force you to move."
"Hah, he's activating his weak-ass Affinity of Wind.."
"Alright then, if you insist…!!!"
The two boys moved forward, but Nadeo stretched out his hand, signalling a halt, keeping his view of Shizaki focused before he cackled.
"How amusing…the worm wants to become a bird like the others. Very well."
He grabbed his collar and pulled his face toward him, glaring at him haughtily with a shape glint in his eyes. Shizaki shuddered, and froze.
He, along with Nadeko's assistants, awaited his next words.
"…..Go prove it."
"....Eh?"
Shizaki's eyes widened, and the color of his iris returned to its original color.
"A waste of space in this village is finally leaving? Works for me."
With just those words, Nadeko shoved him aside and continued walking on his original path, while his companions, a bit confused, also followed him.
However, with Shizaki, his racing heart began to slow down, regaining his calm before looking back.
He…let me go…
"Oi, damn Shizaki!"
"Y-Yes?"
Nadeko did not turn back, but he shouted angrily.
"Don't you dare come back here as the same weakling that can't use magic, at least to its full potential! I'll make sure that I never stop beating you up until the day that I decide to kill you if you return like the frail shit stain that you are now!!"
"…..Nadeko…kun…"
He stood silently, watching him leave without uttering without another word.
Then, his eyes twitched, he pursed his lips together, held his head down, held his breath, and tried not to blink.
Don't you dare come back here as the same weakling that can't use magic, he said.
His eyes felt itchy.
Ah, why? Why am I…
"Hic….I…will…"
No, tell him that you'll do it.
"I…"
Tell him that you'll get stronger, Daizen Shizaki. He was once your friend a long time ago, too. So….tell him.
Telling himself these words, he lifted his head up with tears in his eyes, and replied loudly.
"I WILL! THANK YOU!"
And Nadeko, who heard these words, furrowed his brows while clicking his tongue in increasing frustration.
The hell are you thanking me for, you fucking bastard?
-- No matter what, he would never forgive him for what happened when they went to the Underworld City five years ago.
***
Soon, Aya and Shizaki were the only two people on the shortcut to the Main Passageway .
That's when they saw the masked figure in the distance.
He was walking to meet them and was about to pass them when...
"....Huh."
Those words were whispered right as he walked past him.
The masked person had then stopped suddenly. The Shizaki-Aya duo also stopped, their backs facing the unknown person.
They both felt an uneasy sensation at the same time, and their thoughts were similar.
Suddenly, Shizaki dropped his bag and bent down as he immediately turned and sprang a left feint, before preparing a right hook with his fists.
Aya darted around the figure to attack at the front, the exact opposite from where Shi was about to strike. Activating her Affinity of Earth which she named [Vines], she summoned a strong roots of vines and grass that broke out of the earth below and lunged towards the person's face while intertwining against itself and becoming stronger.
But--
--The figure easily caught Shizaki's right fist with his left hand, and using his right hand managed to unleash a blazing fire that surged through the flora attack that Aya had used. Had not been for a split-second dodge, she would have been burned.
That person had also released Shizaki's hand, but did not retaliate. Instead...
"Not bad. But rest assured, I'm not entirely harmful. Is this the usual greeting of the people within the Sekoto region, attacking people for no reason?"
A male voice, Shizaki noted.
"...Who knows?"
As Aya replied, a rare expression formed in her face where she seemed a bit tense.
However, the masked person's casual stance showed that he did not not feel insulted nor threatened, and he quietly scratched the side of his head.
Being Shizaki's height, he had dark blue hair just like him, and wore a white and red mask that covered his face completely.
"I'm sorry that my appearance might have thrown you off or something…"
"No…it wasn't that…"
This time, it was Shizaki who replied.
"It wasn't?"
Looking directly at him, his eyes narrowed.
As soon as both Shizaki and Aya passed him…
We must have been overthinking it, but still, for both of us to notice it…
"No, it's nothing. Please forgive us."
He dismissed the idea, and Aya pulled his arm, signalling the time to leave.
"...…Ah, by the way, I was looking for the way to the Herza Royal Guild and-"
"The Royal Guild?"
As the man stated the Royal Guild, both Aya and Shizaki exchanged cautious glances, and the former spoke.
"Well...funny thing, that's where we were about to head out to. But to be honest, you're heading in...the opposite direction."
"Isn't that where the Herza Region is? The central capital of the Aldranza Dynasty?"
"Well...there is a Royal Guild in the Herza Region...but there is one in the Northern Province that is closer. Where you would be going would have been at the central point of Aldranza. The Royal Guild that we are heading to is northeast, just past the far side of Sekoto Forest and close to the northeastern border of Dragonia."
"...That's close.."
"It's just about a week's ride by carriage."
"Hmm."
On hearing this new piece of information, the masked man then turned to Shizaki, and the latter quickly shifted his attention away from him.
"In that case, it seems like I will have to go along with you guys. By the way, my name is Neo, and you are...?"
Addressing himself as Neo, he waved.
"I'm Alexandria Aya. The quiet one by my side is Daizen Shizaki.
"-hk, I'm not quiet..! Um, it's nice to meet you, Neo-kun…"
I hope that we can be good acquaintances, Neo."
"H-Hey, use honorifics…"
"Haha, it's fine, it's fine. You can just call me Neo. Sencho Neo."
With a chuckle, he raised his head to the sky above and sighed.
"Of course. It's nice to meet you both, Shizaki and Aya."
Shizaki was quick to realize the lack of honorifics that Sencho Neo used as well, just like Alexandriya Aya. Not that he minded it, but he knew that in Aldranza, people often used lack of honorifics when addressing a close friend, and Neo had just met him and didn't seem to use it, which could signal disrespect in most cases, but he felt that it was not Neo's intention. In Aya's case, she didn't even bother to use them much with anyone.
The trio began to walk together to their destination.
Of course, Shizaki and Aya still couldn't shake off their uneasy feeling about their new acquaintance. It might take a while to get comfortable around him.
Aya decided to let the conversation continue flowing.
"So…where are you from initially?"
"I roam around here and there…but I usually rest in the Underworld."
".....The Underworld, huh? That unruly place where no natural light shines over there?"
"...You have some misgivings about the region, it seems."
"Well…we've both personally been there and we didn't like it."
"Ah?"
Neo, seemingly taken aback, turned his masked face towards the duo that strutted beside him.
"By 'both', you mean…"
"Yeah. Both of us have been there…a bit of a while ago. Right, Shizaki?"
Don't remind me.
"Y-Yeah…a few years ago, to be exact."
Seeing that they both had no intention to relate the experience they had in the Underworld, Neo decided not to pursue the matter.
"I see…"
He soon fell silent, as did both Shizaki and Aya. Then…
"...The mask."
Shizaki suddenly directed those words to Sencho Neo, who exchanged glances with him.
"Hmm?"
"How did you get the mask, and why do you wear it?
Shizaki, for the first time, had managed to initiate a conversation, though it took a lot of courage on his part.
"Ah, this thing, huh? Just a random mask I picked up from somewhere. As for the usage…"
He turned to face intently at Shizaki and put a finger to the part of the mask where his lips were. Shizaki could feel his heart skip.
"It allows me to aid someone I met."
-----------------------------------------
(Chapter 6: Opposer and Ally .)