Tome 1 - Justice Always Prevails!
In a small room, a young boy lay asleep on a stiff bed.
Behind the door, it was possible to hear various voices. At times there were shouts, at other times laughter. The sounds of conversation were incessant.
After a few hours, the eyes of the boy were trembling.
They opened slowly.
A pungent, musty smell assailed him.
[Am I on a bed?]
Raising his head, he pushed aside the thin grey fur blanket that covered him.
The room was rather rudimentary. The walls were made of fissured thatch and the floor of uneven flagstones. A sliver of light streamed in from below the door, while opposite the bed was a small, dirty, cracked mirror.
[I see. I am back here.]
Placing his bare feet on the floor, he walked calmly towards the mirror to inspect himself.
He had short black hair and wore only cloth underwear.
[Thirteen, fourteen? Perhaps a little older.]
The young boy had a very muscular body for his age. His rugged face and the numerous visible scars betrayed the many perils he had endured.
Without realizing it, he was already just a few centimeters from the mirror. His gaze was completely fixed on its dark brown pupils. For several minutes, he remained there, staring in place.
Suddenly his lips slowly lifted as he flashed a wide smile.
"How good it is to be alive."
Without wasting any more time, he removed the makeshift curtain that concealed the window and grabbed his bag from the foot of the bed.
After putting on his only set of clothes, he spills his purse onto the bed.
Twelve pieces of copper and silver fell, and after a brief moment of calculation, he counted fifty-six deniers.
[This is bad. I'm far too poor right now. I only have four days' worth of money left.]
Putting his purse back in place, he put on his boots and headed towards the door.
Before opening, he drew a deep breath and his expressionless face relaxed.
Grinnnn
As the door creaked, he was for a moment slightly blinded by the light from the ceiling shining on him.
"You bastard, you told me you'd buy me a" hic "—drink today!"
"You want me to smash your face in, you piece of trash?!"
"I heard the patrol got wiped out last week. They say it was a demon attack."
"Really?!"
The building was filled with a disturbing smell of alcohol.
There was only one floor with about ten rooms, all accessible via a balcony that ran the length of the building, giving a direct view of the tavern on the ground floor.
Looking down, one could see about forty men and women of all ages chatting enthusiastically.
"Eh! Kid! Have you finished your nap? Lazy."
Feigning annoyance, I walked towards the front of the balcony. "Repeat that to me, Bei? I'd rather sleep here than in my own vomit like trash at the end of the night."
He jumped up from his seat.
"You! Punk. If I catch you, you're dea..." As he screamed, an arm grabbed him and pushed him back into his seat. "What are you doing, Cassandra!? Don't hold me back. I'm going to fry this wretched kid!"
"Stop being an idiot. We all know that you're the one who loves him the most here."
Hearing this, a dozen laughs rang out, all mocking Bei, who was starting to blush with anger. Grabbing the jug, he downed the alcohol in one gulp before collapsing.
Paying no further attention, I continued on my way to the stairs.
Once at the bottom, a young woman at the counter spoke enthusiastically. "Auriel, did you sleep well?"
Looking up at her, I smiled back joyfully.
"How are you today, Jade?"
"It's okay, the guild isn't too busy despite this late afternoon. What do you plan to do now?"
I sighed in resignation. "With the guild draining all my money, I don't really have a choice..."
After a moment of silence, we burst out laughing like two idiots.
I moved to the right side of the counter to read the current job board.
"Do you have any interesting offers for me?" I asked, while intently looking at the offers.
She took some time to think before saying, "Hmm, perhaps the monthly escort to Tornreach?"
"Tornreach?" I looked at her dubiously. "But it's already marked as accepted, and it starts tomorrow. Why are you suggesting it to me?"
She laughed again.
"I'm so proud of you, you've improved so much in reading. To think that when you joined the guild you were just a little boy, now you're already a man who..."
I said irritably, "Shorten."
"I'm serious, it's really impressive. You must be one of the six people in the guild who can read the quests without my help." She paused for a moment before speaking again, "You should check out Malconte's band, they were looking for another member a few days ago. I'm sure they wouldn't turn down an extra experienced arm. They were the ones who handled the request and should arrive later this afternoon."
[The group Thunder Wolf?]
I took three pieces from my purse and placed them on the counter.
"Thanks for your help Jade, I'll take an extra night here."
She responded hastily, pushing both copper pieces away, "One dime is already enough, take back your two deniers."
I respond to her concerns with a kind smile. "Tip. Have a good evening."
"Idiot..."
She watched me as I left through the main door.
[It's calmer.]
The rebellious city of Ravenspire was quite unique due to the threat of demons. Here, it was common to see people carrying weapons. A well-known saying went that for every life, a demon must perish.
In this context where death was the norm, it wasn't unusual to encounter guards regularly in the streets and undergo thorough inspections.
Thanks to the efforts of the three rebel cities, calm had gradually returned with the creation of the Hollow Frontier. Young people could once again go out, play, and laugh without fearing death at every moment.
As I was observing the surrounding Gothic-style houses while walking, a vendor in the central square called to me from afar, "Auriel! I have your bag of unsold leftovers from this morning's market."
There were only a few stalls left, but the majority of farmers had already returned home.
"I was waiting for you before closing for today."
Without wasting any time, I took two copper pieces and gave them to him.
"There you go kid, with this you should be able to eat well tonight and tomorrow morning."
"Thanks for your help, old Thalen."
"Haha, have a good day!"
After this brief interaction, I continued on my way to the fortification wall while eating an apple that was among the unsold ones.
[In this world, there's only one currency shared by the Empire and the Resistance: the denier. A double denier is worth two, a quin five, a dime ten, and a crown one hundred.]
I glanced at my purse.
[Only forty-two deniers left... not even enough to repair my blade.]
I sighed in consternation before resuming my usual smile.