Autumn passed, and I'm officially eleven. After a year of harsh training due to my impulsive request, it's finally time for me to head to the city to be an independent boy. I won't lie, I'm really hesitant to leave. Why should a youngling be forced to be independent alone when they can barely even feed themselves? I hated that idea, but sadly, this is just how the world works. Either the youngling becomes an adventurer by 11, or they'll end up with other professions instead.
There are some who completely avoid guilds entirely since you'll need to pass their test before you're accepted in. According to my grandfather, the good news is that the guilds will take good care of new recruits to ensure their survival as long as they can, often accompanied by a team leader of higher rank to "supervise" them.
It was morning when grandfather sat me down opposite him and began his graduation ceremony. At first, we talked about the years we spent together, reminiscing about the good old days of training, growing, and laughing together. But today, today is the day when the young bird leaves the nest.
Grandfather smiled before placing his hands on the floor and kowtowed to me. I was completely taken aback by his actions and quickly stood up and urged him to raise his head. He refused and spoke the following words to me, which remain etched in my mind to this very day.
"My boy, I'm so sorry that you only have the option to become an adventurer since it's the only thing that I'm capable of teaching. I'm unskilled in other trades that may have helped you on a different path, and for that, I'm deeply sorry. I'm fully aware that I'm no replacement for your parents, and I have no experience in raising a child properly," he raised his sobbing face. I had never seen my grandfather so genuinely sad before.
"On the day they found you, I was at a loss as to what to do with you. You were just a baby. I'm so sorry, my boy, I'm so sorry," he bowed once again.
I thought I heard him whispering about some miracle, but I swept it aside, most probably something I misheard. I was obviously sad, and tears were naturally flowing from my eyes seeing him this way. Deep down, I knew what I wanted to tell him, the man who had willingly raised me. He is extremely old now, possibly at the age of 90.
"Ojii-san, you had no obligation to raise me yourself, yet you did willingly. You could have left me with a foster family or at an orphanage, but you chose to raise me instead. You raised me to be the man I am today. You might not be my parents, but you will forever be my caretaker and family. I promise I'll come back every spring to tell you all about my adventuring tales. I will make you proud of the boy that you had raised. And for that, I thank you, Ojii-san," I bowed to him the exact same way he did.
I deeply respected him for his willingness to raise me for these past years. No doubt I certainly believed that he held back with his training despite my request, but I do feel myself getting stronger within that one year of harsh training.
We raised our heads and gazed at each other. Both of our faces were a mess filled with tears. I stood up and rushed over to hug him. The thought of getting separated from him certainly struck me right in the kokoro. He sat me down once more as he apparently had not finished with the ceremony. He reached to grab one of the floorboards and pulled out a couple of them. He took out something long that was wrapped in cloth. He unravelled it, and it was a sheathed katana. Wait, maybe not a katana as it looked kind of short compared to the one he's using.
***
"Is this the valuable item that you were referring to, Daddy?" asked my daughter.
"Ah, it's not. While technically yes, it is one of my most treasured items, but it is certainly not the one that defined my path. Now, try not to interrupt the story too much as people might get angry, my dear," I told her.
"What people?" she asked as she began looking around, trying to find anyone listening in.
"Uh, just some people peeking in," I told her.
"Are you ok, Daddy?" she asked me while tilting her head.
"Yes, I'm fine. Let's continue," I said.
***
"This kodachi once belonged to your father. This was the weapon he wielded when he fought the Demon King. The guild was able to find it on the battlefield and personally handed it to me. And now, it's yours. Wield it with pride, my boy," he handed the blade to me with a smile.
I reached out slowly with both hands and held it with respect. Holy smokes, why is it so light? It's like I'm holding a feather instead of a blade!
"W— wow… it barely weighs anything at all. How is this even possible?" I spoke out loud due to my astonishment.
Not a moment later, the rumbling of thunder could be heard outside. That's—weird. I'm certain the sky was clear. I quickly stared out the window as it was rather odd to be hearing thunder on such a bright and sunny day, not to mention there are barely any dark clouds on the horizon. Still in confusion, I glanced at my grandfather who was strangely observing me with close attention. He smiled and nodded to himself as though there was something reassuring in the way I behaved earlier.
"Did something happen, Ojii-san? You seem to be in a rather good mood," I asked him while tilting my head.
"Why, of course! It would appear—that Inazuma had accepted you as the next owner. Use it with pride, my boy," he smiled.
Inazuma? This is the Kodachi's name? Is that the reason as to why I heard thunder earlier?
I unsheathed Inazuma a bit and took a peek. The blade itself glowed a greenish hue while the back of the blade had a darker tone. The guard had a basic circular shape while the hilt was wrapped in green with a hint of gold around the diamond-shaped wrapping. A simple yet beautiful blade that I'm still using to this very day.
After the ceremony was done, I proceeded to wear a kimono, dougi, and hakama that grandfather had prepared for this very day. It was certainly comfortable, being lightweight and easy to move around. Sadly, it doesn't offer me any form of protection, so I will need to be cautious.
I slotted Inazuma, making sure it was secured at my hip and stood at the entrance. Are these the only things that I'll be bringing along for my journey? I thought I would at least be bringing a backpack full of survival items with me.
"Hold up, boy. Here are some coins for you. You may want to purchase another blade and some protective gear when you reach the city. Try to avoid using Inazuma, if possible," he advised me.
I understood his concern completely. The less you use your blade, the higher it retains its sharpness and usefulness. Only use your main weapon when fighting a worthy opponent. Use your sidearm for the others. But of course, as with any good swordsman, you'll need to maintain your blade constantly whether you use it or otherwise.
I opened the pouch to check what he had handed to me. There were only 12 gold coins inside, to my amazement.
"Just 12 coins? How much is this exactly?" I asked without knowing the value of these. Twelve coins didn't seem like a lot of money. For all I knew, it could be valued at only 12 cents in this world. I, of course, had no idea about the true value of these coins and other currency types at this point in time.
"You'll live. So long as you don't spend it mindlessly. Especially on women, don't do it!" he consoled me.
I had no interest in women at this point in time. An 11-year-old heading to the city alone with the possibility of living with other sweaty adventurers; women are definitely NOT in my mind. What if my roommate has bad hygiene? Or a hoarder? Or brings women into our room every night and doesn't sleep till the next morning?! I shudder at the possibility of horrible roommates. But come what may, I'll have to face it eventually. Sigh.
"I'll be on my way, Ojii-san. Do take care of yourself," I bowed to him one last time.
"Do take care, my boy. Be safe," he smiled as he waved me off.
Hence began my journey to the west. Well, the city is located northwest, so it's "technically" west. I began my walk to the signpost that I saw last year when grandfather brought me along to exterminate the green dragon. I pray to God that there's not another dragon at the field today. I will close my eyes and run directly to the city for all I care!
As I was deep in thought, Q poked his head out from the ground, biting another letter in his mouth. Fairly certain it's not for me, so I crouched and informed him.
"Q, you have to pass this directly to Ojii-san. I'll be heading to the city instead. Help me keep an eye on him in the future, alright? Do let me know whenever he's unwell or needs help," I told him.
Seemingly understanding what I just told him, he burrowed back into the ground immediately. Must have been an important letter, I suppose. Ah well, onwards to the city~ Now where's that signboard, ah, there it is. Up ahead as I remembered.
As I got closer to where the signboard was, some commotion could be heard up ahead. Loud clashing of metals and people shouting was what I deduced thus far. Just when I wanted no trouble in my journey. I quickened my pace to see what the commotion was about, and that was when I met her.
***
"Who? Is it Mommy?" asked my daughter curiously.
"Let's just say one of the potential? No spoilers even for you. Try to guess who Mommy is in this story," I smirked.
***
Now, where was I? Ah yes, that was when I met her, and him. Two individuals around my age were surrounded by a group of adults. The boy had spiky red hair while the girl had silver, silky hair with an emerald hue at the tips, tied into a ponytail. An extremely long ponytail, mind you. And what is she wearing in front of her eyes? It looked like two circular objects tied to some sort of frame.
I counted the number of adults and there were about five of them. I sneaked in closer, making sure to remain hidden among the bushes nearby. I did not want to jump the gun and assumed that the adults were in the wrong. Maybe the kids were playing and caused some trouble for the adults? Even so, there's no need to unsheathe your weapons against kids, right?
"Hand us your money and we'll let you live. You're heading to the city, right? I bet you two are loaded," spoke one of the adults.
"Oh yeah, give us your money and we might let you live. No promise with the elf though. I bet she would fetch a good price for those nasty nobles," spoke another one as he licked his lips.
Alright, my bad. These guys are thugs. No question about it.
"Let us go and we won't hurt you. This is my final warning," said the boy.
He seemed like a capable warrior for his age. It was not all talk from the way he held his short sword along with his calm demeanour. The female elf, on the other hand, was quiet and she held her dagger at the ready. Sadly though, she was only using it defensively rather than the boy who was ready to strike at a moment's notice.
"Alright, this is going nowhere," spoke one of the thugs as he grabbed the elf's arm and started pulling her away.
Piak!
He was immediately smacked in the face by the boy who swung his sword using the blunt portion. The thugs immediately retaliated. One of them swung his weapon at the boy's back, but he was ready for it. He turned on his heels and blocked the incoming attack, locking his sword above the belly of the axe. But another thug took advantage of his now exposed back and attacked the boy. There's certainly no way the boy is able to block both weapons at the same time, which means the time for me to help is now.
Time seems to slow down at this point, or perhaps it's only from my perspective. I rushed out from the bushes and ran full speed towards the red-haired boy. As I approached closer, the elf girl had rushed in front of the boy, using her body to protect him from the incoming attack. Why isn't she using her dagger to block instead?! Seeing this happening before my very eyes, I ran even faster and unsheathed Inazuma, my only weapon at hand.
Clank!
A loud clashing sound of metal hitting another rang through the air. Phew, looks like I made it in time. I was genuinely surprised that I was capable of running such a distance in such a short matter of time. Not to mention stopping the blade before it touched her. And yes, I blocked the blade using the blunt side of my kodachi. My grandfather made sure to beat this knowledge into my head.
When you know full well that you're blocking an incoming attack, always use the blunt portion to prevent chipping your blade. Always remember this, as it is extremely important in a life-or-death situation, boy. The sharper blade always wins!
Yes, I remember, grandfather. Your valuable teachings will always come screaming back to me when I hold a blade.
The elf girl, who had her eyes shut, opened her eyes slowly and made a squeak when she saw my kodachi's bladed side facing in front of her. Making sure she was fine, I turned and glared at the thug who tried to kill her. How could you willingly hurt this beautiful elf? The thug was caught off guard by my sudden appearance who managed to block his blade.
"W— who the hell are you? Do you want to die…" that was all he could say before I swung Inazuma towards his left rib, followed by the topside of his neck when he got down on his knees, clutching his side, with the blunt side, of course. I'm not some cold-blooded murderer, even though they're thugs. But wow, Inazuma really is lightweight. It's even lighter than the wooden sword that I've been training with.
The other thugs were slow to react to my sudden appearance. I guess they were stunned that I had randomly appeared out of nowhere. The red-haired boy took advantage of the situation and retaliated against the other thugs now that the elf girl was safe. He swung his sword at the back of the knee of the thug who had swung the axe at him earlier. He then smacked his sword on the thug's back, which caused him to faint. Three down, two more to go. Or so I thought. The other two ran away as fast as they could upon seeing that three of their comrades were down for the count.
Upon making sure that the two thugs had left for good without calling for backup, the red-haired boy turned and bowed to me. The elf girl followed suit upon seeing the boy doing so.
"Thank you so much for saving us. You really saved our hides when we were outnumbered by those damn thugs. We're indebted to you," spoke the boy.
"T… thanks for saving us," stuttered the elf. She seemed like the shy type, which made me admire her more for her earlier bravery in trying to stop the blade with her own body.
"Don't mention it. I was just passing by when I saw both of you needed help. It's nothing, really. Think nothing of it," I replied with a light bow.
"Well, it's definitely not "nothing" when you saved us. Are you heading to the City Of Pines as well? That's where we were heading, before the thugs ambushed us. Fancy travelling together if you don't mind our company? Us youngsters should stick together," spoke the boy with a warm smile as he held out his hand for a handshake.
His smile looked genuine and it brought a smile to my face. Guess I don't mind some companions on this supposedly lonely journey.
"Hey. I—I'm not a youngster! I'm already 110 years old!" shouted the elf girl.
I'll admit, elves will always be a mystery to me, even having met so many of them throughout my journey. They have similarities to humans aside from their long, pointy ears, but their physiology is completely different from ours. Humans are like a fleeting memory for them when they can live up to 10,000 years. What is a century for them? A walk in the park? I guess for their species, they need to be about 110 years old to be considered old enough to be an adventurer.
"Alright, a little companionship doesn't hurt. Let's go," I returned the boy's handshake.
"Name's John Gladiolus. Elf girl is Lily Moonshine. What's yours?" asked the boy.
"Zen Hawthorn. Pleasure to meet you both," I replied with a smile.
I was shocked by their sudden change of expression. Did I smile awkwardly or something, a bug on my face? Or was it something I said?
"Y— you're a Hawthorn? Are you one of the nobles?" John questioned me.
Nobles? I doubt nobles live deep in the forest eating stews or soups. What's he talking about?
"No, I'm not. I live in the forbidden forest with my grandfather ever since I was born. Unless you consider that the life of a noble?" I responded.
"I… see. I guess you're not one of them. Sorry—for being suspicious," John nodded.
"Nah, it's nothing. Think nothing of it. I am a stranger after all that appeared out of nowhere. It is natural for you to be suspicious of me," I answered.
Thankfully, we managed to clear the odd misunderstanding. We left those fainted thugs by the roadside since we didn't have any ropes with us. We proceeded to travel together towards the city, chit-chatting along the way until something unexpected occurred.
Hear me out when I say that there are certain things in life that you'll never be ready for. And what's worse is when it sticks to you like a bad trauma. Despite all these years, I still shudder whenever I think back on what transpired on the very first day I left home.