“Blood!” Crystal exclaimed as he watched Dio wipe the blood on his mouth. “We need to take you to the infirmary!”
“I’m fine. Don’t be such a worrywart, Crystal,” Dio said with an annoyed tone. He took a few steps and looked down on the young man, probably around his age, who barely made it safe. “Give me a valid reason for such disturbance.”
The man smirked as he stood up. “I am Mikael Armani, the second son of the Armani Merchant Guild’s master and one of the marquis’s retainers.”
“Ah! Mr. Kael, what brings you here?” Calyx said with a respectful smile.
“Calyx! I told you not to treat me that way! You’re my friend, right?” Kael grinned as he hugged Calyx.
Dio stood there as he watched the man with olive-green hair. Did he just say that he was Mikael Armani?
Kael turned to him and smiled. “Don’t tell me that you
Since the market was turned upside down, Dio and the others went back with Kael in tow. On their way back to the inn, Calyx kept Kael entertained but the young mister was distracted as he stole glances at Dio.“Are you sure that you know Arkin?” Calyx asked when he caught him looking in Dio’s direction again.“So he started using his first name again, huh? Arkin Dio von Roman--“Calyx immediately covered his mouth. “Arkin hates it if you connect his name to the House Romanov.”Kael’s brows furrowed as he pushed away Calyx’s hand. “He really is a ball of pride. He should be getting along well with young master Art if he didn’t reject the Romanovs.”Calyx chuckled as he watched Dio listen to Crystal’s blabbering. “He finds it bothersome.”Kael smiled as he walked towards Dio. “I finally found you, young master Dio.”Dio glared at Kael.
“You said you want to go to the academy, why are you taking it back now?” Albert asked him with a serious face.“The year I spent here made me think about it. Can the academy make me stronger? Do I need to receive that kind of education?” Dio explained in a bored tone. “I doubt that the brats that will study in the academy would be good rivals.”“And here I thought you know the benefits of going to the academy.”“I thought so too. But I’ve grown a lot with just being an adventurer. I don’t need to go to school.” Dio looked away when he heard Albert sigh.“I wouldn’t force you to do things that you don’t want to do, but you better think about it.”Dio sighed when he remembered his conversation with Albert a few months ago. He r
“Gramps!” The nine-year-old Dio ran towards the store where his grandfather was waiting for him.“Did you have fun, young one?” Archie smiled as he messed Dio’s hair.“Yes. Uncle Royce brought me to a weapon shop and he bought me these wooden daggers!” he happily exclaimed as he showed him the daggers.“Are you into daggers now? Uncle Royce would teach you how to wield those,” Archie said with a smile.“I don’t think I’m the right person to teach him, my lord. The young master would enjoy his lessons if you were to teach him,” Royce butted in.“Uncle, I told you not to call me young master.” Dio pouted before he tugged his pants. “Teach me how to use these!”“I’ll
After he cried his heart out, Royce once again sat across him. Dio somehow felt released after he was comforted yet he felt embarrassed. He looked around to check if there were people watching him and he was relieved that no one paid attention to him.“Are you feeling better now?” Royce asked him.“Yes. Thank you, Uncle.” Dio smiled.Royce smiled when he saw Dio smile sincerely. He was thirteen when he saw Dio and just after a year and a few months, Dio had grown to be a strong man. Not just physically but also emotionally.“So, will you come with me now?”Dio fell silent for a moment. Royce wasn’t sure if he was being too pushy with Dio but he wanted a clear answer. He wouldn’t leave the place without making sure that Dio would come with him.“I’ll come with you, uncle.” Dio hesitantly smiled. “But before that, I want to do something first.”Royce felt like
“Good timing, Dio! Since you are going to the south, travel with us until we reach the west,” Mr. Hearth said with a wide grin when he saw him near the gate of the northwest territory. “You’re planning to use me as a guard, don’t you?” Dio smirked as he put his hand in his pockets. “I’ll cover for your food throughout the journey.” Mr. Hearth grinned. “I would feel safer if I knew that you were around.” “Stop the nonsense flattery. It would be a win-win situation so I wouldn’t refuse.” Dio jumped in the wagon and the Hearth Merchant Guild started on their journey to the west. Dio just sat there at the corner as he tried to ignore the stolen glances and the constant buzzing of the other adventurers. He closed his eyes as he petted Blur that was comfortably asleep on his lap. “Was he the monster rookie that the others were talking about?” “I thought he never left the dungeons unless he was out of supplies?” “What is he doing here
Since they were going in the same direction, the nobleman named Caspian von Riva, followed behind the Hearth Merchant Guild’s crew. Since he couldn’t handle his curiosity, he went to the Merchant Guild’s camp and went to search for Dio.“Why are you traveling with merchants?” He asked as soon as he found Dio seated at the corner. He noticed that Dio wasn’t close with the other adventurers so another question was added to his list. Why would he travel with people who didn’t seem to be comfortable around him?“It was a request from the guild master.” Dio took a spoonful of soup and shove it to his mouth.“Based on your looks, you are a noble. Why would you take a request from a mere merchant?” His voice sounded arrogant, but his statement was logical. It only means that he was born and raised as a noble who knew his authority and how to use it to his advantage.“That’s why you sho
Dio smiled subtly when he saw the gates of the south city. It was a view that he never really noticed before but seeing it in front of him at that moment felt so nostalgic. One of the imperial knights guarding the gates lent his hand and he put two big silver coins on it.“The toll is just 50 shekels,” the guard mumbled as he opened the gates for him.“The other silver coin was for you to buy some snacks after your duty.” Dio entered the gates with Blur rested on his head.His smile faded when he saw the place around him. He had been away for a year and a half but the changes he saw felt like it had been more than that. How did the south city fall that low? The buildings looked like they were abandoned and most walls of the houses were covered in moss. Even the streets weren’t maintained and the alleyways looked worse than the slums.What happened to the south city after he left?He looked for the path leading to their
It only took a few hours of planning before they came to an agreement. Mr. Carter had put all of his faith in him and he was determined to exceed his expectations. His head was clear and with the information that Mr. Carter provided about his enemies, he knew that the fight would end up in their victory. As soon as the clock struck midnight, Dio put on the hood of his black cloak and signaled Blur to follow him. “Now, let the hunt begin,” he mumbled as he stealthily walked towards the lord’s estate where Cairo Monde and his supporters were staying. “You are the only intruder who has the guts to enter from the front gates,” Blur sighed when they stopped at the gate. Dio smiled after he sensed the magic barrier at the gates. He was sure that an alarm would notify the residents as soon as the barrier was broken. He held out his hand and used nullification to deactivate the barrier. “Welcome to the lord’s manor,” Dio said as he climbed the gate an