Time goes fast

It's been a few days since the news that Kase became an S rank reached the village. Since then, that is the only topic that is talked about in the village. Such is the euphoria that people from the village and from nearby villages have been looking for my mother to ask her to train their children. I don't know how the news that my mother trained Kase spread, but they think my mother's training influenced Kase to receive his rank.

This afternoon I even heard two girls as I passed through the center of the village bragging that they had slept with Kase. I don't know if it's real, but it is somewhat disturbing. It seems that the people of the village think that since Kase's father lives in this village, we will receive special treatment from the capital. On the other hand, I still haven't received any news from Amelia. I wonder if everything went well.

Training with my mother has not been smooth these days, either. We often notice people hiding watching me train with my mother. It seems that when my mother refused to teach, they resorted to spying to see her teaching methods.

I left my room in the morning and saw my mother making breakfast. This morning it doesn't seem like anyone is spying.

"It seems that things are finally getting back to normal." I said as I sat down on the chair in front of the table.

"I understand everyone's enthusiasm, but the attention that I have received these days is quite annoying. It doesn't matter how much I tell them that I had nothing to do with Kase's rank. They don't understand." Mother said while also sitting down.

"How exactly does someone get their rank?" I ask.

"No one really knows exactly how someone is chosen to receive the blessing of the goddess [Imris]. Someone who has trained every day of his life may not receive his awakening just as someone without any prior training may receive a high rank."

"So why is training so necessary if someone without training can receive a high rank?"

"The world is more dangerous than you think." Mother said. "Even if you receive a good rank, if you don't know how to use your skills, it will be as if the best sword is in the hands of a small child."

It makes me nervous to think that even after all my effort to improve, there is a possibility that I will not receive any rank. It makes me think of what Mr. Enzo would have felt after failing to be an adventurer even after being fascinated with magic.

"And that's why, since no one has control over their rank or class, when an S rank appears, it is something that causes a commotion around the world." Mother said. "Even I'm glad that Kase is a rank S."

"Are you really happy that Kase is an S rank?"

"Of course! I trained Kase for a long time, so I'm glad he's doing well. But what makes me happier is that he'll be a great help to keep the peace."

"Ehh? What do you mean?"

"It is a bit difficult to explain, but an S rank dramatically affects the power of a nation. As you know, we humans had 3 S ranks, but one of them is already quite old and there are rumors that she is about to retire." Mother continued explaining after drinking some tea. "Thanks to the fact that we were the race with the highest amount of S ranks, peace was maintained, but for many years there have been conflicts with the Beast-Kind nation which have 2 S ranks and would put us at similar levels, increasing the risk of war. But thanks to Kase becoming an S rank, we will be at an advantage once again."

Everyone knows the 10 S ranks since they are very famous for how powerful they are, but I never thought about how important they were in the balance of power. I guess I should now say the 11 S ranks. It seems that Kase will be as famous as the others are.

After things calmed down, I was finally able to go back to training normally with my mother. I took my training a lot more seriously. Even more serious than when I was training with Amelia and Oliver. On some occasions, Alice joins us, and we went into the forest. Thanks to the fact that I go with my mother and Alice, we can get quite deep, which has allowed me to see monsters that I had never seen before.

Even though my mother and Alice are just trying to provide me with support, seeing two ex-adventurers work together is amazing. It just motivates me to want to be an adventurer even more.

Days later, I finally received two letters—one from Amelia and the other from Oliver. I took the letters to my room and started reading Amelia's first.

Hello Darx,

I wish you were here with me. It's only been a few days, but I miss you already. I was shocked at how big the city is. I would like to see the face you make when you see it for the first time. I'm sure it will be the same as the one I had.

Darx, I am very happy! I was immensely nervous at the ceremony, but everything turned out better than I thought. At last, I am an adventurer, and the best of all is that I received Cleric's class !! I can be a healer as I always wanted, and there is still more. I'm rank 'B,' Yes!!

When I found out about all this, I cried a lot. I felt terrible for the supervisor since he had to wait until I stopped crying to be able to continue with the others, but he was very kind to let me unburden myself. I guess it's something that he must have seen happen often.

Besides that, he asked me to go to the castle. I'm not sure why, but the supervisor has sent some adventurers to the castle, including myself. Will I meet the queen? My God, I don't know what to wear. Should I buy a new dress? I am very nervous! I would have loved to share these experiences together, but since it couldn't be done, I'll be waiting for you when it's your turn.

I'm writing to you from Oliver's relatives' house. I am delighted to see Oliver and Emma again. When I told Oliver about my class and rank, he started jumping of joy just like he did when he was a kid with his arms raised. haha!

I would like to write a little more, but I have to go to the castle. Send your letters to Oliver's relatives' house, and I'll pick them up here until I find a guild to join.

I wish you luck with your training, and please don't do anything dangerous. I'll be counting the days until we meet again.

Amelia

PS: Don't forget our promise.

I am very happy for Amelia. I'm glad that everything went well. Let's see what Oliver says.

Hey Darx,

Thanks for helping me and Emma out. We made it safely to Riledo and are staying with my uncle now. We have told my uncle our entire story, and both he and his wife were eager to help out Emma. They offered her to stay over, however they didn’t have an extra bed. That’s why for now, Emma and I are sleeping together.

Now don’t get any weird ideas. We’re just using the same bed to rest at night.

My uncle managed to introduce me to a local inn. It is named ‘the pleasant owl' and is located in a region where the Blue Legion guild holds power. They may be a minor guild, but they are right on the border of Dark Dragon territory, and both guilds have a good relationship with each other. So I think we’re pretty safe here.

The owners of the inn first weren’t quite sure, so I had to prove my cooking. But after the first meal, I served them, they were convinced. So yeah, I am now employed as a cook. I hope it is enough to make the money I need to have my own restaurant one day.

I hope your adventuring training goes just as smoothly for you.

Oliver.

It seems like everything worked out fine for Oliver. I’m glad. It appears that on the other side of the page, there is something else written. It seems to be from Emma.

Hello Darx,

I know I have already thanked you the night we left the village, but I really feel I have to thank you again. Before I escaped Fabe, I was so afraid every day, but ever since you helped me leave with Oliver, I have been feeling so safe. You can’t believe how liberating it feels.

I would describe how nice Oliver’s family has been, but I see he has already written about it on his side of the letter. For the moment, I am helping around at his aunt and uncle’s house, but after all that Oliver has done for me, I feel like I should help him out at the inn. After all, if both of us make a living, he will have the money he needs to have his own restaurant sooner. I also still need to pay back Mia for that gold coin she gave me.

Thank you again for being such a wonderful person.

Emma.

Everything seems to be going well. I will soon be able to catch up with them, but I have to do my best in training for now.

During the next few weeks, I trained so much that my weapon and armor were damaged, and I had to take them to the blacksmith named Drogan. He is an older man who used to be friends with Noah. During that time, I became friends with him. He is a distant person who doesn't talk much, but he told me that he used to be an adventurer, which surprised me. Apart from that, he has not told me anything more about him, but he often acts like being an adventurer is a horrible thing and seems depressed about being a washed adventurer.

Time went by fast, days and weeks passed until finally, six months were up. Tomorrow is the day I will go to the city.

My mother is preparing a special dinner as it will be our last meal together in a long time. Tomorrow morning I'll have to go. Normally she is confident no matter what she does, but she has cried a lot these last few days.

"I made your favorite food." Mother said.

"Thanks!" I replied when I saw that her eyes started to redden, and tears began to appear. It is really rare to see her behave in this way as it is very contradictory to her personality.

"Why don't you come to the city too?" I asked.

"I can't... I almost finished with the house's payments, so it is impossible for me at the moment, but in a few months, I will go to visit."

The food was delicious. My mother is not very good at cooking, but I will miss her food. I was nervous, not knowing what to expect, so I decided to ask my mother to tell me a little about the city.

"Mother, can you tell me a little about [Riledo]?"

"Let me see. [Riledo] is quite big, and even after living there for years, I got lost a few times. For a new adventurer like you, the most important thing is to know about the guilds since that decision will largely mark how you will live."

"You were part of Dark Dragons. right!?"

"Right! There are three guilds that are above the others, Dark Dragons being one of them. Normally you will only find high-ranking adventurers in these three guilds. But the most important reason why they are above the other guilds is that historically they tend to have at least one S rank."

"To think that you were in such an important guild is incredible."

"It really is! If you get to receive a high rank, I recommend that you join Dark Dragons. I know from experience that is a great place where you will find comrades you can trust, and the guild master Aelbrecht is someone to admire."

"I guess it's true since that's where you met Alice."

"Not just Alice but Helena too. The three of us used to do a lot of quests together. If you need help, go to her, tell her who you are, and she will help you. Just be careful of her."

"What do you mean by being careful of her?" I asked curious.

"She's ... how to say ... hmm ... she's a nice person, but let's just say she has a very, very, very friendly personality."

"I don't understand."

"Don't ask anymore, please. Ohh! I also met your father there. "

My mother mentioned my father trying to change the subject, but she panicked when she realized that she mentioned my father. We have never talked about him. I thought she would tell me when she thought it was a perfect time, and that's why I never asked. An awkward silence appeared, and she looked at me as if she expected me to say something. I guess the time has come.

"Can you tell me about my father?"

"It's something I should have told you a long time ago. I'm sorry, Darx." Mother then continued. "Your father's name is Azriel. The first time I saw Azriel was during the awakening ceremony, and we joined dark dragons at the same time. Physically he looked ordinary. Brown hair and eyes and a little taller than me. He was a good and brave person who made friends quickly. He got along with everyone and he liked to make people laugh. The most impressive thing about him is that he was a very talented mage. He invited me out many times, but I rejected him because I wanted to focus on being an adventurer, but little by little, he won me over until I accepted."

Mother shows little smiles every time she talks about my father. They really must have loved each other.

"We had less than a year in the guild when we started dating. Everything was going well, but I was scared."

"Eh, scared of what? I asked.

"When I was a little girl, I had an accident in which I seriously injured myself, and as a consequence of that accident, I was told that I was never going to be able to have children."

"W-What? I-I don't understand." I said, stunned.

"It's not what you think, Darx. Indeed, I could not have children, and I told Azriel with fear since I didn't want to lie to him, and I know that at some point, he was going to want to have a family, and he could not do it with me. I was prepared for him to leave me, but he told me that he would never let me go. It was then that I realized that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him."

"Then, how?"

"It's a bit embarrassing to say, but since I couldn't have children, we never used protection. It all happened when Azriel and I were already a year and a half in the guild. I had a quest in which I had to investigate a rare cave that someone found in the north. I was with Alice and Helena. The cave was full of things and marks on the walls that we later found out belonged to the people of the ancient city of [Zrephia]. While we were exploring, I saw a strange symbol on the ground, and as I got closer, I only remember seeing the bright mark on the ground and then seeing a white light that covered me. I also heard a screaming woman's voice that didn't belong to Alice or Helena, and then I lost consciousness."

"What happened after?"

"After waking up, I was not feeling well; and they took me back to the city. After being checked, I was told that I was pregnant. I don't know what happened, but I think that light-cured me. Azriel was delighted to find out about my pregnancy. I still remember what he said when he found out 'There is still hope' Although I had only been in the guild for a little over a year, I decided to take some time from the guild to don't to risk my pregnancy. We were still very young, but Azriel and I were thrilled. We had plans to live together and have a family, but unfortunately Azriel died inside a dungeon on the day you were born."

"So, that's how he died."

"I was devastated, but at the same time, I was happy to have you. It was a tough time for me. It turns out that I was not healed, and I was still unable to have children, which no one could explain how I had you. For me, you are a miracle. Not only was it a miracle that I gave birth to you, but you are also the son of the man I loved. And that's why I decided to leave the guild to take care of you."

"I don't know what to say."

"If your father saw you now, I'm sure he would be proud."

We had a long talk, and when we finished, I didn't know what to think. The only thing I know is that I would have liked to meet him.