"I should apologize, you ended up having to be much more involved in that quest than I’d said you would be," Apologized Rosary, as we got back to town.

"Don’t worry about it, it was totally my decision to do get involved in the first place, I did have the option of running away at any given point, after all," I pointed out with a shrug.

"I have to admit, when I first heard about you, I was pretty skeptical. I mean, a ten year old good enough to become Gold ranked right away? It seemed a bit farfetched," Remarked Rayven sheepishly.

"Well, for starters, I’m twelve, almost thirteen. Not ten. And I guess it’s only natural that you’d think that way, it can be hard to believe something if you haven’t seen it with your own eyes first," I replied indifferently.

"Hm, I gotta say...you’re awfully mature for your age, you don’t seem like a kid in the way you speak and carry yourself," He mused thoughtfully.

If only he knew how close that is to being accurate. Mentally, I’m over thirty years old, I died when I was twenty in my old world, after all.

"I’ll take that as a compliment," I responded wryly.

"Mhm, I intended it as a compliment."

After arriving back in town, we first stopped by the town’s hospital and dropped off the two surviving Adventurers, neither of whom were in critical condition and should be just fine after some treatment.

Well, the woman whose arm got wrecked probably won’t have much use of that arm anymore. I could’ve healed it for her, but I doubt she’d have been grateful. It’s much more likely that everyone would focus on the fact that I possess the Light Attribute, not on the fact that I healed a severe injury.

Oh, and as for the Adventurer who had been killed by the Basilisk, the hospital had a morgue in its basement, and once we dropped off the body, we were informed that the family of the deceased would be contacted.

We then left the hospital, made our way to and arrived at the Guild before heading in, Rosary going to speak to the receptionist on duty at the moment and reporting how the quest had gone.

"So, what do you plan to do next? My sister told me that you won’t be in town for long, and that the Knights are hunting you," Remarked Rayven, as we sat at a table.

Guess he probably knows why as well, at least so far as the explanation I gave the Guild goes.

"I think I’ll probably leave sometime tomorrow. I’ve confirmed that my disguise is good enough to fool the Knights, so I’m not too concerned about them. That said, I can’t stay here, there’s some things I need to do," I sighed in response.

"And what’s that, if you don’t mind me asking? I know Adventurers aren’t supposed to pry into each other’s lives and stuff, but I have to admit, you really intrigue me...someone as young as you managing to escape the clutches of a Noble, and on top of that, escape the capital successfully.

Honestly, I was skeptical about whether that was actually true or not, but my doubts fades after seeing you in action during today’s quest. Casting Spells without chanting isn’t unheard of, but it is rare. However, those who can do so usually tend to be highly experienced and older Adventurers.

As far as I know, it’s unheard of with someone as young as you are. You’re also quite adept with your Soul Weapon, you’ve got some rare Skills as well, and when it comes to tactics and strategy, you’re quite creative.

All those factors put together make for a highly remarkable package, you could be someone really special in the future. So, yeah...you’ve piqued my curiosity and interest," He remarked in fascination.

Uh...I don’t like this. I mean, when he puts it that way, it makes sense, I’d be curious too if I were him. But still, I’d prefer not to reveal too much.

"Well, I, uh...thanks?" I responded uncertainly, feeling kinda awkward.

"Sure, you’re welcome. So...what exactly is your objective?" He inquired curiously.

If I say that I’d rather not speak about it, he probably will back off. Hm, but maybe he could help...I heard from Rosary that he likes to travel to other towns and villages a lot, so...he might have encountered Argent at some point. It’s worth a shot...

"I’d prefer not to say too much, but...one of my main goals at the moment is finding my brother. We were separated about three years ago, when my village was attacked by Knights and I was taken to the capital. My brother had been away from the village at the time," I explained, deciding to keep the rest of the details to myself.

"Wait, do you mean Juana Village, near Marri Town? I remember that incident, the entire village was wiped out. I heard about it when I traveled to Marri Town, about a month after it happened. Tell me, what does your brother look like?" He asked me.

"Well, he’s five years older than me, and his most notable features were his two-toned hair, the right side an orangish red and the left a light purple. He also had golden eyes and green eyebrows. Does any of that ring a bell?" I described hopefully.

"Wait, something just clicked...ohh, I thought your last name sounded a bit familiar, is your brother’s name Arvent Stryker!? No, wait, or was it Artent? No, that doesn’t sound right either, maybe it was-..."

"Argent. Argent Stryker’s my brother’s name," I remarked, as I felt hope welling up inside me.

"Yes, that was it!"

"Do you know where he is!? When did you encounter him!? And where!?" I exclaimed as I inadvertently stood up abruptly, unable to contain myself.

I then caught myself as I noticed a lot of people staring at me, before clearing my throat to calm down and sat back in my seat, feeling my face heat up a bit. Crap, I got too excited after hearing that I might have a real lead to finding him again.

"Relax, I’ll tell you. It’s the least I can do after you saved my life," He grinned as he patted my back.

"What, so you wouldn’t have told me if I hadn’t saved your life?" I responded with a raised eyebrow jokingly.

"Well, I might have asked for something in return, at the very least," He replied wryly, before adding, "Alright, let me think...if I’m not mistaken, I met him about two years ago, in the Blont Town Guild. He was a Gold ranked Adventurer at the time, if I remember right.

I recall that he was taking on quests obsessively in an effort to get stronger. When I asked him why, he said something along the lines of him looking for someone, though he didn’t give me any details beyond that. And, sorry, but I don’t know where he is now, I haven’t seen him since then."

"Oh...that’s too bad. But still, thanks for telling me...I feel a lot better now, an old lead is better than no leads at all," I replied gratefully.

"Don’t mention it kid, happy I could help," He grinned with a thumbs up.

Man, it feels like a slight weight has been lifted off of my chest. Yeah, I feel a lot better. Hm, since he was so pushy, I guess I’ll ask him some things that I’m curious about too...

"Hey, if you don’t mind telling me, why do you travel so much?" I asked him, before adding, "From what I’ve heard, you’re rarely in this town for more than a couple of weeks at a time, and when you’re away you tend to take at least a couple of months to return."

"Oh, I don’t mind at all. There’s multiple reasons...when I was a kid and found out that Commoners aren’t allowed to leave the nation, it made no sense to me. If the Nobles hate us so much, why keep us trapped here, you know?

And then I thought, wait...if I see the Nobles’ prejudice towards us Commoners as unfair, then what about the other prejudices that exist in this world? Why do we hunt Demi-Humans? Why exactly are we constantly at varying degrees of war against the Light Continent?

Why are children who have both Attributes deemed Heretics for something that they have no control over? Why does a person’s Attribute determine whether they should be accepted or not?

I wanted answers...so I decided to travel to many places and meet many people, experience how different people see certain things differently, and why. And along the way, I gained another reason...to get more powerful.

Because no matter how much I traveled and how many people I met, those questions were never answered. I still don’t understand why these prejudices exist. Or why even talking about them is considered taboo, like I’m doing right now.

And the last reason I travel is a bit pathetic...I hate that we’re trapped in this nation, unable to leave. That said, our confines are vast, traveling and experiencing new things and places helps me forget that we’re trapped. I wish this world wasn’t the way it is...but as much as I want to see a change for the better, bringing about such a change is far easier said than done," He surmised with a forlorn look on his face, keeping his voice down the whole time.

Woah...holy shit, that really drew me in and resonated with me.

"You know...if more people had the same mindset that you do, and I mean a LOT more people, a change like that could become a very real possibility. But as things are now, yeah, I don’t see that happening," I sighed wistfully.

"Wait, you agree with me?" He responded in surprise, "Most people just avoid me or look at me weird when I talk about this stuff."

"Gotta say, you’ve got balls speaking about this so openly, given how deeply ingrained the prejudices of this world are in most people," I laughed in response.

"Gotta say, I’m glad I met you. It’s nice to meet a like-minded individual," He grinned cheerfully, before adding, "If you want to pick my brain on this topic any further, feel free!"

"Nah, you were pretty thorough and detailed about how you feel about it all, and honestly, it genuinely resonated with me. I do have one other question though," I replied, before leaning over and whispering quietly, "About your sister, uh...is she single?"

"Huh?" He responded incredulously, staring at me in bewilderment before breaking out into a fit of laughter, throwing his head back as he laughed heartily, "I like you, kid! You’re pretty amusing!"

...I was being serious though...

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