“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
Dio woke up in an unfamiliar room as soon as the dazzling sunlight touched his closed eyes. He slowly stood up and people started to crowd his bed. “Are you feeling dizzy?” “Are your hurt somewhere?” “Are you hungry?” “Water! Do you need water?” The people around him started asking questions even before he could open his eyes. The warmth of the people, their gentle voices, and the concern in their tones. Dio finally felt as if he were back home. His eyes started to get teary as he covered his face. Matt and Ryan who were both on his sides sat beside him. Matt touched his forehead while Ryan caressed his back. “How are you feeling?” Ryan’s tone reminded him of his grandfather. “I’m fine now. Did I succeed?” He asked as he tried to hide his sobs. “Dio, I told you not to get your hands dirty, right?” Ryan felt responsible for the young man. Archie kept the peace in the city because he wanted to take Dio away from v
Dio wasn’t fine. As Blur watched Dio writhe in pain, he wasn’t sure of what to do. Fortunately, an alpha canis helped him and brought them deep into the forest. As soon as Dio was laid under the winter tree, he saw the relief on Dio’s face. But the pain that the young man went through was too much that he fell into an unconscious state. “Will he be alright?” Blur asked the alpha canis as he watched Dio’s stabilized breathing. “Of course he will. He is beside the winter tree so everything would be fine.” The alpha canis answered. “How can you say that? Is the winter tree a healing tree or something?” Blur asked in a worried tone. “The crest on his back…” the alpha canis looked at Dio. “It was something connected on the winter tree. It reacted to the tree because Dio is going to become an adult soon.” “How did you know about that?” Dio opened his eyes and slowly sat and leaned his back on the trunk. “It’s been a while, child.” The canis
It was already night when they arrived back at the adventurer’s base. After leaving Blur to rest, he went to visit his grandfather’s grave.Dio just stood there in front of the lump of soil with a rock where his grandfather’s name was written on. The place was surrounded by trimmed grass and their burnt house still seemed like it was on the verge of collapsing. The night was dark and only the glow of the crescent moon served as his light as he stared at the grave that he made for his grandfather almost two years ago. The only sound heard was the chirping of the birds hiding in the trees a few meters away.“It’s been a while, Gramps.” Dio’s voice sounded sad and bitter. It was filled with reproach and longing as his heart still sought for his old man’s warmth and gentleness.The dark night reminded him of the sleepless night they spent together as they grounded herbs in times that he was haunted by his nightmares. T
Dio prepared for his journey to the capital the next day. The night he spent crying and letting it all out made him feel lighter as if a heavy weight on his chest had been lifted. His puffy eyes made the others worry about him but as soon as he told them that it was because he visited his grandfather’s grave, no one tried to bother him about it anymore. The residents of the southern city had been considerate of him and he was happy that he chose to visit the place before he went to the capital.“Uncle? What are you doing here?” Dio asked when he saw the carriage with the Armani Merchant Guild Crest and Royce went out of it.“I came here to fetch you.”“Fetch me?” Dio chuckled. “I’m no longer a little kid. I could go to the capital on my own.”Royce smiled when he saw how Dio laughed. The young man looked brighter than he was when he left the northwest. He was happy for him because he seemed to fi
Axis City was the capital of the clandestine empire and the center of all commercial industries. It was also the place where the clandestine palace and academy were located.“Would you like to go directly to your grandfather’s estate?” Royce asked him after they entered the gates. “I will send Kael there after a few days. I will go to the Registry office first to process your adoption papers.”Dio bit his lips. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to see the properties that his grandfather left him. “C-can I go to your house first?”“Wait! How about I tour you around before we go home?” Kael suggested.Royce took a pause as he held his temple before he nodded. “If you guys aren’t that tired from our journey, you can hang out first. It’s been a while since Dio had been in the capital so it would be nice if he could get familiar with the place.”“Thanks, Father!&rdquo