Sacred Brother

I couldn't help but sigh with relief when I saw the hard-looking gate of the town opening before my tired eyes.

I entered without much interference from the guards who seemed to recognize me.

The looks on their faces were enough to tell me that they didn't expect me to come back.

They let me enter nonetheless.

I didn't have any mirror but I knew that I looked pretty terrible.

I was afraid that the smell of blood from the wound on my neck would attract other deviants so I rushed forward with my wind magic.

I only stopped once to clean the wound, but I didn't lose any time doing it for my clothes.

Dirt and blood mixed on my face which became too pale to look healthy because of my lack of sleep and my overuse of mana in my frantic run.

I touched the cut on the side of my neck with my hand.

The wound wasn't deep and already stopped bleeding on its own. Therefore, I didn't use any of my precious but meager resource of potion to heal it.

I should put a bandage on it, but for now, I had other priorities.

I walked further into the town under the curious gazes of passers-by.

I could hear various whispers around me but I didn't care. I only stopped in my tracks in front of the imposing guard near the communication tower of the town.

"This isn't a place for slaves, get lost!"

He obviously didn't recognize me and shouted immediately when I came close enough. His roaring voice caught me off guard, but I didn't flicker and answered with my strongest voice.

"I'm not a slave. I'm a customer."

I took out one of the cores I brought back under his dubious gaze.

After a few seconds, the guard finally reluctantly stepped aside to let me enter the small store crowd with objects.

The same dirty looking man was behind the counter with his finger crossed. A cheerful smile hung over his thin and pale lips when he recognized me.

I ignored his malicious stare and stepped forward.

"I want to sell some deviant's core."

"Sure boy, let me see your goods."

I ignored his squeaky voice and put the various cores on the counter.

When he saw the number of deviant's core, his face couldn't help but lit up in front of this pleasant surprise.

"Well, boy for these cores, I can offer you…"

"I'm not a boy!"

I interrupted him with the strongest voice I could muster with the body of a child while pulling out the last core I kept hidden until now.

The l.u.s.ter on the core of the Krath killed by Jazor was clearly a notch above the other cores I had. Even if I didn't have much knowledge about magic cores, I still clearly understood that it was way more precious than the ones I displayed earlier.

The malicious and rotten smile hung on the heartless face of the merchant seemed to freeze after seeing the dark core.

I had the body of a child. I couldn't change that, but that didn't mean I had to appear defenseless.

If I didn't put on a strong front then I would just be asking to be ripped off.

A heavy silence settled between us while the merchant carefully watched me from top to bottom.

"Where did you find this core?"

His voice didn't hide his doubts.

"Inside the head of the Krath I killed."

I couldn't back off or show the slightest opening.

After what seemed like an eternity, the thin man finally let out a soft sigh before resuming his speech.

"This core is of a rather good quality. I can give you three golds for it. As for the others…"

He stopped speaking to examine the cores I brought back on my own.

His examination was meticulous as if he was afraid of making a mistake.

"So, how much for these cores?"

I couldn't help but ask without hiding the impatience in my voice.

The gloomy eyes of the merchant finally left the cores to meet mine.

"You're impatient dear customer, well time is money after all."

I nearly strangled myself when I heard his sentence.

Seemed like some things were the same no matter the world.

"I can give you one silver for those cores and one gold for this one. No more than that"

I felt like screaming in indignation but I controlled myself and replied with a firm voice.

"Don't try to rip me off. You want me to believe that all these cores together aren't even worth one gold?

"Deviant's cores are worth a lot of money. The core of the Krath is only worth three golds here because we are inside the wilderness where this kind of good isn't really rare. Because of that, the price is lower but you won't sell it any higher no matter where you go in this town."

Jazor already told me about the price of this core, so I didn't have any claim about it. I had trouble accepting the price for the other cores.

Before I could ask again, the merchant resumed his speech while showing me the cores nearly devoid of l.u.s.ter.

"These cores are from deviants. There is no doubt about it but if I'm not mistaken, none of them used any magic while they were fighting you."

I quickly remembered that it was the truth before slowly nodding in a dejected manner.

"Deviant's cores are worth a lot only because they can store mana. These cores are from deviants which weren't m.a.t.u.r.e yet. When the core is taking shape, the animal enters a berserk state that it leaves only when the core is finished. However, most of the time the deviant still need some time after that to be able to gather mana in his core and to use magic. Only the core coming from one of these deviants using magic is really m.a.t.u.r.e and may be sold at a high price. Some deviants are unable to leave their bersake state even after the formation of their core but they are quite rare."

He showed me the core I gained from the grey deviant that nearly cut my head off.

"Only this other one is coming from a m.a.t.u.r.e deviant. Therefore, I can give you one gold for it. However, the other altogether are nearly worthless. I can give you one silver for all of them but not a copper more. That's my last price."

I silently cursed in my head but there was nothing I could say.

If he had tried to buy me the core of the Krath at a lower price, I would have known that he was trying to rip me off. However, he didn't. His explanations also made sense.

Before accepting his offer, I tried to ask him if he could send my letter instead of giving me money but he refused. He clearly understood that I had to send that letter no matter what. By refusing, he ensured that I would come back with more materials to sell.

After a couple of seconds of internal struggle, I could only nod in defeat.

I left and walked toward the corner of a small building to look at my earnings.

Four golds and one silver. I was only nine silver short.

Without the core Jazor gifted me, it would have been almost impossible for me to gather the money on time but I was still missing nearly one gold to send my letter.

I didn't need to think much to realize that I only had one solution.

I had to to resume my deviant's hunt.

However, this time a single one was enough.

A single deviant using magic.

I had a bad feeling when I thought about it.

I wasn't afraid of going out, but hunting a deviant using magic was another story altogether.

After my previous hunt, I finally realized how bad it could turn out. I had to find a deviant able to use magic, but I could encounter a young and weak deviant unable to get out of its bersake state as I did on my first night or I could meet a terribly powerful one.

There was no real way to differentiate between them.

In the end, it was almost a matter of luck.

Entrusting my fate to luck another time wasn't appealing but I didn't have any other choice.

Either way, I knew that a tough and bloody fight was awaiting me. More importantly, I didn't know how long I would need to find a suitable deviant.

A deviant using magic that I could easily kill seemed awfully hard to find.

The growling noise of my stomach put an end to my thoughts.

I needed to regain some strength first.

The bustling streets and the curious stares of the passers-by weren't to my liking. Therefore, I walked for ten minutes to enter the farmland district.

The sun wasn't set yet so many people were still working in the fields. I sat under a large tree on the verdant grass and took out the remaining cooked meat that I gathered the day before.

I tried to put away all the negative thoughts swirling in my mind to enjoy this peaceful moment and regain some strength before my next departure.

The dazzling rays of the sun put the farmers under its heat. However, the robust men working together didn't seem to mind and continued untiringly their manual labor.

I watched them for a long time. Their regular and harmonious movements were like a lullaby for my tired mind. Without realizing it, I fell asleep.

It's only when the warmth of the sun began to decline that I woke up. I was a little cold but more importantly, I was well rested.

I took a final glance toward the farmers who were slowly leaving the field to rejoin their houses and families.

I also had to join mine. No matter what.

I stood up with a renewed vigor and prepared to leave.

I walked away from the farm district, crossing many farmers along the way.

The robust men would probably not have noticed me if I wasn't still covered in dirt and blood. As I was about to leave the city to begin another expedition, it was useless to take care of my appearance.

"Eh kid, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

A kind looking middle-aged man stopped in his tracks when he saw me.

His tanned face couldn't hide his shock when he saw the blood covering my clothes and the large wound on my neck.

I smiled bitterly seeing his reaction, but just as I was ready to answer him that I was alright, another man stopped and asked me the same question.

After a couple of minutes, a small commotion started with me at the center.

Some thought that I was attacked inside the walls and wanted to call the guards. Other kindly offered me a meal.

The situation quickly got out of hand, but the fact that so many people were worried about a complete stranger made me feel a certain warmth in my heart. Seeing the various anxious faces around me made me reassess the value of humans in this world.

Until now, except for my parents, there were few humans who didn't try to gain some benefit from me. Without realizing it, I had started to think that it was the normal value of this world.

However, the current situation told me that I was wrong.

I gently refused their various offers before leaving the small crowd when a familiar face appeared in front of me.

"Sillath!"

The melodious voice of Alianelle was soon followed by the rougher voice of Paul.

"You know him, Paul?" One of the farmers asked.

"Kind of. I met him a couple of days ago." He awkwardly answered.

"Then what happened to him?" Another one asked while excluding me from the conversation.

"I don't know." Answered Paul helplessly.

"Dad"

Under the pleading gaze of his daughter, who was closely examining me to find any hidden wound, Paul no longer hesitated and declared with a strong voice to the other farmers.

"I will take care of him. Thank you for your concern everyone."

I didn't have any time to object when the strong voice of Paul resonated.

The people slowly left one after the other, leaving me alone with Paul and Alianelle who was done looking for wounds but who still seemed quite shocked by my appearance.

"What happened to you, Sillath? Someone attacked you?"

I hesitated for a couple of seconds before answering honestly.

"Nobody attacked me. It's just that I come back from an expedition outside the town. I didn't have time to wash properly but you…"

"Outside!?!"

I was cut off before I could finish my sentence by the strident voice of Alianelle.

Maybe I should have taken a bath.

This bitter thought crossed my mind while Alianelle was looking at me as if I was a madman.

"Why did you do something like that?" She asked in a sharp voice not hiding the anger and incomprehension in it.

I furrowed my brows hearing her sentence full of reproach. I had a very good impression of this kind young girl and her father, but they were still in the end just strangers.

Sharing a single meal and a night under the same roof wasn't enough to bring us closer together to the point where she could blame me.

I swallowed the words I was about to tell before answering in a slightly annoyed voice.

"I needed money."

As soon as these words left my mouth, Alianelle yelled in my ears stronger than ever.

"For a stupid reason like that! There are a ton of safe jobs that you can do inside the walls. You…"

"Enough!"

I cut her fierce speech with a strong voice unfitting of my small stature and innocent face.

She stopped her sentence and looked at me with her beautiful eyes that strangely had some tears in them ready to flow out.

"I'm grateful to you and your father but we barely know each other. You have no right to question my decisions."

The words that I swallowed earlier were finally spilled. I wasn't in the mood to argue with her. I knew what I was doing was dangerous and maybe reckless but I didn't have any other choice.

I already made my decision and I didn't have time to waste with useless worries from strangers.

Seeing the teary face of the young girl in front of me made me sigh a little.

The expression on my face became gentler.

"You're really too kind. Why would you shed tears for someone you barely know?"

She didn't answer, but the expression on her face still became paler while her usually clear eyes darkened a little.

Seeing her eyes shrewd by pain and loss, I finally understood.

She lost someone.

Probably not long ago.

Faced with the harsh reality, she still remained a gentle and kind girl worrying about strangers. She probably didn't want to see someone else suffer the same loss.

It was just a feeling, but seeing her downcast eyes and her father's sad face gently stroking her slim back next to her made me realize that my assumptions weren't far off.

"Sorry about that Sillath. You're right this is not our business. It's just that she is… We are…"

"I know."

I interrupted Paul's words.

"You don't have to apologize. It's my fault. I shouldn't have said those words."

I took a step forward toward Alianelle.

"I'm sorry Alianelle. Thank you for worrying about me."

Her dejected expression suddenly brightened.

"Then you're not going to do that anymore?"

Her expectant expression was difficult to disappoint, but I didn't want to lie to her. Not after the kindness she showed me.

"No, I have to go outside."

I was ready to hear her strong rebuke once more but, contrary to my expectations, Paul was the first to speak.

"You're too young to be a part of the guard so you are hunting deviants, aren't you."

I silently nodded in approval.

"I know this isn't our business but I saw too many people die. Good people overestimating their abilities. I don't know you. I don't know if you're really able to hunt deviants or not but I know that no matter the reason there is nothing more precious than your own life. Putting your life on the line just for money isn't worth it."

The usually quiet man finally expressed his thoughts.

His face wasn't teary like his daughter, but I could still sense the concern in his rough voice.

"You're wrong. There is something more precious than my own life. Each of us has something for which we are willing to risk our life. Yours is standing right next to you."

Alianelle and Paul looked at each other for a few seconds before finally understanding my meaning.

"Can you explain to us why you need this money?" Paul asked with a serious face.

"I need to send a letter. It's an urgent matter."

I patiently answered his inquiries without giving any detail.

I was ready to bid them goodbye when Paul's voice once more resonated.

"How much do you need?"

I stared at him blankly for a few seconds before answering awkwardly.

"Nine silvers."

Paul looked at me with serious eyes before turning his head toward his daughter. As if coming to a mutual understanding, they both nodded.

"I can lend you this sum."

His previous questions already made me understand his intentions but hearing his straightforward proposal still left me a little speechless. I was well aware that a farmer's work didn't yield much. It was a tiring job that didn't bring him much money. With his daughter to support on his own in this Advanced town, nine silvers wasn't a small sum for him.

"I can't accept"

Paul shook his head a few times before answering strongly.

"Of course you can. I don't give them to you after all."

"Then you mean?"

"I will lend them to you. You will have to work hard in my farm for a while to pay me back."

Alianelle who remained quiet until now finally chuckled a little before adding.

"You can trust him, he will make you work hard."

In front of this duo, I silently thought for a few seconds.

I didn't like the idea of having too many debts, but I quickly chase that negative thought out of my mind.

I didn't have the leisure or the confidence to refuse their goodwill.

Therefore, after a few seconds of thinking under the attentive watch of Paul and Alianelle, I finally accepted.

"Thank you. I will definitely pay you back."

"I'm sure you will." Paul answered with a much brighter expression.

We went back to his house where Paul retrieved the money before accompanying me to the communication tower.

We gave the five golds to the unscrupulous merchant under the harsh gaze of Paul. He silently handed me a piece of paper to write and waited a couple of minutes for me to finish my letter.

As I wrote my feelings, fears and hopes on this piece of dirty paper I suddenly thought of something.

"Can I send an object with the letter?"

The unscrupulous man's eyes brightened after my question but, before opening his mouth to announce his new price, his gaze landed on Paul standing next to me.

Understanding that it wasn't possible for him to raise the price anymore he sighed before declaring with a dispirited voice.

"You can if it's a small object. You're renting the bird so as long as it can fly then I don't have any objection."

I smiled after hearing his words before pulling out what I wanted to send along with my letter.

It didn't take long to attach the letter and a small dark box to the paws of a robust yet strange-looking green bird.

I watched together with Paul and Alianelle the bird flying away beyond my sight at fast speed. I had some troubles realizing that this frantic run against time was finally over.

However, I couldn't relax yet.

Not until I received an answer.

I could only pray that this letter would arrive soon enough to prevent the worst from happening to my family.

I remained at the same spot long after the shape of the bird disappeared beyond the horizon, silently praying that my efforts wouldn't be in vain.

"Be safe…"

These words silently left my mouth like a prayer coming from the deepest part of my heart and soul.