"Banished." Before Inox could continue talking to himself, Rein Shaker moved his head slightly against the ground, murmuring as his hands trembled, gripping the grass.
"Me, a great dragon knight, banished from Belzerg," he repeated, his heavy breathing audible as he let out a few groans. Through all this, Inox watched him with slightly narrowed eyes.
"Shaker..." Inox intervened. His voice was like a red button pressed in the former Dragon Knight's mind. He quickly jumped to his feet, almost with too much force, only to then glare at the former crown prince standing not far from him.
There he stood casually, calm and with his hands in his pockets—the source of his misfortune. Rein's eyes turned a deep red, he gritted his teeth and leaned forward slightly; anyone would say he was about to attack.
But, "Tell me, Shaker, were you really happy in the Belzerg kingdom?" Inox changed the subject so naturally that the former Dragon Knight didn't know how to respond.
"Looking at us from the outside, at the royal family, Jiris, Iris, my mother—they all smile for the public, for the civilians, for the nobles, and the rest. However," Inox offered a faint smile.
"Why can't I simply decide the course of my own life? I, the crown prince, someone born to rule over the Belzerg kingdom, couldn't simply decide my destiny." He paused slightly, took a few steps forward, and raised a hand to place it on the astonished Rein Shaker's right shoulder.
"Is this nonsense since I don't suffer from hunger like the civilians? Are my thoughts the trash of a lucky person who doesn't die on the battlefield?" His smile grew wider.
"If you tried to argue that, then wouldn't your suffering also be nonsense? Challenging me while I was still the crown prince in front of His Majesty the King... You're an idiot!!!" The young man stood firmly in front of the Knight.
Rein stopped there for a moment, staring into the eyes of the one he once called "Highness," now degraded to a rank equal to his own. He didn't know what to say.
What nonsense!!! A prince complaining about having such a lucky life, he thought for a moment before shaking his head.
Rein looked at the walls, made of stones pieced together like a puzzle. He looked at the blue sky dotted with white clouds and the forest surrounding the royal city. Finally, he looked back at the prince in front of him.
A moment ago, he wanted to kill him to make him pay for his banishment. Then he remembered his own actions. Standing up to try and face the crown prince in front of the king, he thought—a feat or foolishness that not even the highest-ranking nobles would dare attempt; they only used their mouths to curse.
"Certainly a foolish thing to do," Rein replied after a few moments of contemplation. He let out a soft sigh before cracking his neck, pushing Inox's hand away. "However, I would do it again." He flashed a faint smile.
"Why?" Inox asked.
"Because I am me. The one who challenged you was me. The one who wanted to face you in front of the king was me. If I regretted that, then I would be regretting being the person that I am." He finally calmed down. Although his hands were still clenched into fists, Rein was no longer a lion about to pounce.
They stood in silence for a moment, observing their surroundings. "There's a city called Axel, ruled by... I don't remember that fat guy's name. I'm heading there. Are you coming with me?" Inox smiled upon hearing the knight's words.
Hahaha, I certainly am a smooth talker, Inox thought to himself. Although what he had said previously was true, he still hoped to influence the Knight. Traveling alone through the Belzerg kingdom with my poorly trained body would be foolishness, he thought.
Inox nodded, and Rein's smile widened. "No one must know that I was once a dragon knight, nor a spear genius. From now on, I will be called... Dust..."
Inox trusted Rein—now Dust—not for any particular reason, but because of his reputation among the nobility. If you were looking for a Dragon Knight who followed a knight's honor to the letter, that was Rein Shaker.
A few days later in Axel-city.
A million Eris for a hectare of farmland and a hut about to collapse?!! Does the price include your daughter or what the hell?!! Inox, of course, didn't say that out loud, but he thought it as he stared at the man in front of him with wide eyes.
"Hehehe, of course, Mr. Inox, you can always get a discount." The bald, middle-aged man in front of him smiled, flashing his white teeth. They were both sitting in the adventurer's tavern in Axel-city.
"As long as you're willing to cooperate, I... I am willing to lower the price." Inox felt the bald man's rough, calloused hand press and rub against the back of his own.
He raised his head and looked into the bald man's bright, slit-like eyes. He felt a shiver run down his spine before abruptly standing up from the table. "Old man... Are you by any chance—?" He didn't finish speaking upon seeing the sudden serious look on the person's face.
"Old man?!! I'm only 35 years old!" The man grimaced in disgust, slammed the table, and stood up as well. "One million Eris, not a single Eris less." He spun around and stormed off with his chest puffed out.
"..." Inox sighed, shaking his head before leaving the tavern and returning to the inn where he was staying.
After selling all my gold coins, I barely scraped together half a million Eris. Minus my living expenses, I'm afraid I only have 450 thousand now, he calculated in his head. He greeted the innkeeper and headed back to his room.
Name: Inox Stylish Sword Belzerg
Profession: Divine Farmer Profession
Level: Apprentice Available
Seeds: None Farmland: None
Back in his room, the young man looked at the two potted plants, already blooming and with their fruits about to ripen completely.
"Grade 1 Tomatoes and Carrots," he muttered. According to the system, there were four classifications of plants, each with its own peculiarity:
Unclassified: Plants strictly with grades. These vegetables are characterized by carrying physical energy; the higher the grade, the greater the physical energy.
Random: Plants with a random blessing granted by the system. It's unknown what they improve until the vegetables or fruits are ripe; the higher the grade, the higher the quality of the random blessing.
Alive: Plants that, as their name suggests, are alive and fulfill different roles.
Primordial: These plants are the rare ones, representing the origin of plant life. One of the most powerful primordial plants is the World Tree.
Knock, knock.
A sound at the door roused Inox from his contemplation. He straightened his clothes a bit and stood up to answer it.
"Ah, Inox, I've finally found you. It's not nice to just stop talking to your friends out of nowhere, you know?" Dust smiled when he saw the person he considered an old friend.
The hatred in his eyes from being banished had faded a few days ago, largely thanks to traveling together. Dust didn't know how deep Inox's thoughts actually ran, and after several chats, Dust genuinely believed in their friendship.
Inox smiled, stepped aside to let Dust in, and poured some of the drink he was having for his guest.
"Hmm," Dust made a sound of approval and nodded, saying, "Good drink, good drink," as he set the glass on a nearby table. He watched his friend for a moment before looking out the window near the bed.
"Did you hear the latest news?" Dust stepped closer to the window. "More strange occurrences have been popping up lately. Oh, and a strange girl wearing the typical garb of the water goddess, Aqua, has been making a ruckus that caught people's attention."
Inox raised an eyebrow, stopping his hand from stroking the leaves of the Grade 1 tomato. His interest was piqued. "A girl dressed like the goddess of Water?"
Dust nodded a couple of times. "Uh-huh, she also calls herself Aqua. Can you believe it? It's nonsense, hehehe... but, but... they say she's very pretty." Dust smiled, flashing his white teeth as his eyes crinkled.
"In the kingdom, there was also someone like that—a guy who walked around with a spear and called himself a 'Hero'. Maybe you know him, hmm." Inox smirked as he watched Dust blush.
"By the way, you said Aqua? That she's pretty? You sound like a completely different person, Shaker. I haven't seen you practicing with your spear lately either..." Dust slowly shook his head, leaning against the window frame and staring outside as he listened to his friend's words.
"..." Inox simply offered a faint smile. "Well, Aqua, who knows. How about we form an adventurer party with her? I need some money..."