As soon as we entered the village, the old man threw me lightly, and three men holding spears surrounded me, leaving no space to breathe or move.
— Stop!!! — the old man's voice alerted them, making them step away from me. — What are you doing? Is this how you treat my new disciple? — he finished, scolding them.
— Father! — a voice called out from afar, and a beautiful woman with black hair ran to embrace him. — I'm so glad you returned safely! — she said, holding the old man tightly.
Running her hand gently through his hair, the old man smiled happily at seeing his daughter and being able to return alive to the village. Suddenly, a vigorous laugh escaped him.
— You managed to reach eight stars of Level 1? — he said, laughing. — This really is my daughter! How proud I am! Today we will have a feast!!!
His shout echoed through the entire village, making Dante's ears ache slightly. He continued:
— Today I returned alive from the hunt, and I had two joys: a talented disciple and the progress of my daughter.
Hahaha!
Before his laughter, Dante's mind began to fade, and he fainted under the deafening sound. His body started to writhe before falling like a stone to the ground.
While the old man laughed, a voice interrupted his happiness:
— Village chief, the young man has fainted — said one of the warriors who had been circling him.
The old man, upon hearing this, stopped and looked at the young man writhing on the ground.
— Well, I forgot that this brat is still an ordinary human… — he said, turning to his daughter. — Father, who is this young man?
— This is Dante, a daring young man I found in the forest. He was fleeing from a terror, and I noticed that he possesses good skills in hand-to-hand combat, so I decided to accept him as a disciple — the old man explained, staring at Dante.
— Viviane, would you mind healing him? And check if there's anything wrong with his mind? He said he has no memories and feels pain when trying to remember.
— Of course, father, if you allow me — she said, kneeling and placing her hand over Dante's head. At that moment, lights fell over his mind, calming his body immediately.
This is Viviane, Tyler's daughter and the only mage in the village, a Level 1 mage who reached the status of eight stars — the reason Tyler is so proud of her.
Time passed. A buzzing echo of the shout still resonated in his ears, his eyes struggled to awaken, while lights flickered in his vision, and his eyelids trembled uncontrollably.
His eyes slowly began to open. The cabin's ceiling seemed to spin, and a warm hand rested on his head, seeming to heal his soul.
— Hey… you're awake? — said the voice, sweet and gentle, so tender that Dante blinked several times to make sure he was really awake.
— Yes, thank you for your concern — Dante replied politely. At the same time, he calmly remembered what had happened, when that insane old man had started shouting, nearly bursting his eardrums.
Tsk…
A soft murmur escaped his mouth, but he swallowed it, pretending nothing had happened. Soon, a sweet laugh interrupted his thoughts. It was the same person with the gentle voice:
— Viviane.