Hazuki settled into his role, adjusting his posture like a seasoned storyteller.
The kid sat cross-legged on the ground, eyes sparkling with excitement.
Hazuki spread his arms wide.
"This princess…" he began, his voice full of mystery,
"She was waiting for someone."
The kid tilted their head. "Who?"
Hazuki grinned, lowering his voice a little.
"Ever since she was young, she dreamed of a prince."
He pointed toward the sky, as if showing a vision.
"A kind, noble prince who would ride on a mighty white horse… who would take her away from her loneliness."
The kid nodded, completely focused.
"Every day, she would stand on the castle balcony, gazing at the horizon."
Hazuki leaned forward.
"She imagined him—golden hair, shining armor, a beautiful smile."
The kid whispered in awe, "Like a hero…?"
Hazuki nodded. "Exactly."
Then—
His expression darkened.
"But then… one day…"
The kid blinked. "W-What?"
Hazuki paused for effect, lowering his voice to a near whisper.
"A prince did come."
The kid leaned in closer.
Hazuki grinned wickedly.
"But he was not the prince she had dreamed of."
The kid froze. "Huh?"
Hazuki smirked, deepening his voice.
"He did not come riding a white horse."
"He did not wear shining armor."
"And when he smiled… his fangs showed."
The kid's eyes widened.
"Because the prince she had been waiting for…"
Hazuki paused dramatically.
"…was a demon."
The kid gasped.
Hazuki cleared his throat, fully immersed in his role as a storyteller.
With exaggerated hand gestures, he stood up from the bench, mimicking the actions of a hero.
"And so… the REAL prince, the one she had dreamed of, finally heard the news!"
He pointed dramatically into the distance, as if the prince was riding toward them.
"The beautiful princess had been taken by a demon!"
The kid gasped, hands clutching their knees.
Hazuki nodded solemnly.
"The prince, with his golden hair flowing in the wind, vowed to save her! He gathered his army, took his sword, and rode out on his majestic white horse!"
Hazuki swung his arm like he was drawing a sword, his face full of determination.
"Through burning fields! Over jagged mountains! Into the demon's lair!"
The kid was shaking with excitement.
Hazuki leaned in, lowering his voice to a dramatic whisper.
"And there… standing in the darkness… was the demon."
His eyes narrowed, deepening his voice.
"A being of shadows and fire, wings spread wide, fangs shining in the torchlight."
He paused for effect.
The kid's mouth hung open.
Hazuki grinned.
"And then… the battle began!"
He swung his arms in the air, mimicking sword clashes, dodging imaginary attacks.
He spun around, acting out dramatic sword swings, and even pretended to get knocked back.
He was so into it…
That when he finally finished the story, taking a deep breath of triumph—
He froze.
Not just one kid was sitting in front of him.
But an entire group.
More than fifteen kids.
All of them staring at him, eyes wide, completely mesmerized.
"WHERE DID YOU ALL COME FROM!?"
The kids cheered and clapped.
"One more, Uncle!!"
"Tell another story!!"
"Yeah!! Another one!!"
Hazuki felt sweat drip down his forehead.
"Oh crap."
"Shit… I got too into it…!"
"Uncle! Pleeeeease… just one more…!"
Hazuki panicked.
"Shit, they're ganging up on me!"
But on the outside—
He crossed his arms, stroking his imaginary beard, maintaining his 'wise storyteller' act.
"Kids, a wise man only tells one story per day."
The children pouted.
"But Uncle…!"
Hazuki cleared his throat.
"Ehem! The wise man must not exhaust his vast knowledge too quickly… for, um… wisdom must be given…"
He paused, scrambling for words.
"…little by little! Yes! That's how it works!"
The kids looked unconvinced.
"Uncle, pleaaaaseeee…!"
A few grabbed his sleeves, their big puppy eyes melting his resolve.
Hazuki's soul shook.
"Damn it, they're too powerful!"
He stood up quickly, putting his hands on his hips.
"No, no, no! Today is enough!"
The kids groaned in disappointment.
Hazuki took a step back.
Then another.
Then—
"Alright, wise man must go! Farewell, young ones!"
He turned around and WALKED AWAY AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.
His heart raced as he heard their voices behind him.
"Come back, Uncle!"
"Just one more story!"
But he didn't look back.
He needed to escape before they overwhelmed him with their charm.
Hazuki walked faster, hoping to escape—
But the kids followed him.
Everywhere he went.
"Ugh! These kids…!"
He turned a corner.
They turned a corner.
He stopped.
They stopped.
He sped up.
They sped up.
"Uncle… please… just one more…!"
Hazuki twitched.
"Ugh, they're persistent."
With a deep sigh, he finally stopped walking and turned around.
With his most wise and mysterious expression, he narrowed his eyes at them.
Then—
He spoke in his 'wise storyteller' voice.
"I only tell stories… once a day."
The group of kids froze.
Some of them pouted.
Some of them looked like they were about to cry.
"Crap."
Hazuki felt his resolve shake.
Then—
One of the kids stepped forward and asked,
"Will you be here tomorrow… to tell another story?"
Hazuki froze.
The kids stared at him with hopeful eyes.
Hazuki sighed in defeat.
"Fine… I'll come back tomorrow to tell another story."
The kids cheered.
"Same place?" one of them asked.
Hazuki groaned.
"Ugh… fine…"
"Really, Uncle?"
"Yes."
"For real?"
"Yesssss…"
Then—
"Promise?"
Hazuki's eye twitched.
He almost said it.
Almost.
But then—
A horrifying memory flashed through his mind.
The last time he made a pinky promise…
He got engaged.To Ellyn.
"Not falling for that again."
He crossed his arms.
"Just wait for me there tomorrow."
The kids nodded furiously.
"OKAY!!"
They cheered and ran off, already buzzing with excitement for the next story.
Hazuki rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of his decision settle on him.
"…What the hell did I just get myself into?"
"Well… whatever."
Hazuki shook his head and stretched.
"Better head to the guild now."
With that, he walked toward the Adventurer's Guild and stepped inside.
This time, he didn't go straight to the receptionist.
Instead, he headed for the quest board, scanning the various postings.
As he read through the papers, a thought struck him.
"Hmm… weird."
"Why can I read the quest board, the papers, and even the writing here… but I couldn't understand a single word in that damn book!?"
He shook off the thought and kept reading.
The board was filled with the usual dangerous and high-risk quests.
Goblin hunting – Rank D party required
Eliminate a grey wolf pack – Rank D party required
Hunt the silver lizard haunting the ore mine – Rank C or higher recommended
Purify a noble's house – Rank C exorcist needed
"Purify?" Hazuki blinked.
"Whoa… this place has ghosts too!?"
He squinted, reading carefully.
"Oh… just bad spirits."
He shrugged.
"Nah! All these need party members, rank D or higher… and mine's still at newbie rank."
He moved to another section of the board.
Party Recruitment
"Interesting."
Hazuki skimmed through the various party recruitment notices.
Most of them were looking for:
Tanks
Wizards
Archers
Other high-class roles
"Me? None… Damn."
Then—
He spotted one.
A recruitment notice that instantly set off his suspicion alarms.
Recruiting Party Members!
"We are a happy-go-lucky adventurer party consisting of three permanent members! Looking for two new members to join us for an exciting next quest! If you love adventure, good times, and teamwork, this is the party for you!"
Hazuki narrowed his eyes.
"Suspicious…"
Something felt off.
Then, his eyes drifted to the "feedback" section written at the bottom of the notice.
Various "testimonials" were written by supposed past members.
"Amazing team! Had a great experience!"
"Super fun party! Highly recommend!"
"Best adventurer party ever! Don't hesitate to join!"
Hazuki's eye twitched.
He leaned in closer, examining the handwriting.
Then—
His suspicions were confirmed.
The poster's handwriting and the so-called "feedback" handwriting…
Were exactly the same.
"The hell is this…?"
He stared at the board, feeling like he just discovered a scam.
( End of Chapter )