Rekon wakes up in the morning and goes to the kitchen to cook. In the bedroom, his son and wife are sleeping with very innocent faces.
Then he cooked, called his wife, and fed her with his own hands.
Maria still can't forget about killing that midwife. She felt like she was being selfish. Then she started crying.
Rekon tried to comfort Maria. He said this was for their child. Then he hugged Maria, and he too started crying.
They know they are selfish.
They have been married for 4 years, but God has not blessed them with any children.
Rekon remembers the day Maria said she was pregnant. He was crazy with joy. They always wanted a child to whom they could give their love, affection, and space in their hearts. They prayed a lot to the Creator.
One day their prayers were answered, and this child was born.
But they don't know if this child is a blessing or a curse from God.
Without knowing it, they gave their hearts and bodies to this child.
When Maria calmed down, neighbors started coming to their house to see their newborn baby.
A woman came up to them and took the baby in her arms. Then when the woman saw that heavenly symbol, she said,
"Look, a little swordsman has been born. He looks exactly like his father."
Other women also started seeing the baby together.
Another woman said, "What's the baby's name?"
Rekon said they haven't named him yet.
Another woman said, "The baby looks so beautiful." Others said, "He will be a great swordsman."
Their conversation continued until noon. When everyone left, Rekon went to the kitchen and cooked something.
In the afternoon, Rekon started dressing up nicely to go somewhere. Maria said, "Where are you going?"
"To buy an energy crystal."
An energy crystal is a shiny, square-shaped substance. It can generate energy every moment, even if that energy is very small. It is used to light up at night, and its users include wealthy people.
Because it is very expensive.
Maria was a little surprised, and her eyes widened a little, and she said, "Are you crazy? That item is very expensive. Where can you get 100 gold coins?"
In this world,
20 bronze coins = 1 silver coin
20 silver coins = 1 gold coin
Rekon replied, "You don't have to worry. I'll come by tonight; you can rest."
Then Rekon kissed Maria and went outside.
Rekon lives in the village of Greenvale in the Eldoriakingdom. This village is as green as its name suggests. This village has large forests, mountains, and rivers. "Farming" (common) is the divine symbol of most of the people in this village. There are a few who have the "Swordsman" heavenly symbol.
Rekon started walking down the street. Then he took a horse-drawn carriage and went through the dense forest to the neighboring village.
The village is called Amberfield.
Amberfield is very popular for weapons, swords, and shields. There are more swordsmen here than in Greenvale. This is why the quality of weapons here is much better. So people come here from far away to buy weapons.
Rekon got into the horse-drawn carriage and decided to take a light rest; there was still a long way to go to Amberfield.
The horse-drawn carriage began to travel through the dense forest along a winding riverside road. The sound of the horse's hooves began to ring in Rekon's ears like an unfamiliar melody. That melody helped him fall asleep very quickly.
When he woke up, he found himself in darkness. He sat up and looked outside.
The sun is setting on the western horizon, casting a red glow in the sky. The sky looked so beautiful with its red glow that Rekon stared at it without blinking.
He thought, sometimes the farewell is more colorful than the beginning.
He didn't know where the thought came from. He held it for a moment, then let it go.
After some time, he saw Amberfield from the carriage. This village is much larger than Greenvale and is much busier.
Rekon got out of the carriage and gave the driver 20 bronze coins from the coin pouch attached to his waist.
Then he entered the village. There are rows of tall buildings on both sides of the road. Many warriors are passing on both sides of the road. He even saw a duel between warriors in one place. After watching the fight for a while, he realized who would win. Then, he started walking towards the market.
The market is full of shops on both sides of the road. Swords, shields, knives, and many other items were displayed in the shops, gleaming in the light of lanterns.
Rekon wanted to check out the shops, but he had to get back early after buying the power crystal. He started moving forward, putting his hand in the coin pouch at his waist.
Rekon stepped into the narrow path, his hand resting on the fake coin pouch at his waist.
The lanterns here were dimmer. The air smelled different — perfume mixed with something stale. He kept his eyes forward and walked at a steady pace.
Then he saw her.
A girl was coming toward him. Beautiful, with confident eyes and a slow smile. She looked at him the way people look at something they've already decided to take.
She came close — too close — and whispered near his ear.
"Hey... you look lonely. Come have some fun with me."
Her fingers lightly touched his arm.
Something immediately felt wrong.
A warmth spread through Rekon's chest. Not natural warmth. Forced warmth. Like someone had reached inside him and turned a wheel that wasn't theirs to turn.
His feet began following her.
What am I doing.
The thought came from somewhere deep. Small. But real.
He saw her leading him down a corridor. Heard a door open. Felt himself stepping inside.
Maria.
The warmth pushed back harder.
My beloved son.
He saw their faces. Maria exhausted but smiling in the dim light of their broken house. His son's tiny fingers wrapped around his.
The wheel slowed.
Rekon stopped walking.
The girl turned around, surprised. She stepped closer and placed her hand on his chest, her eyes doing something deliberate — pulling, inviting.
"Why did you stop...?"
Rekon grabbed her wrist. Gently. But firmly.
"Stop."
His voice came out quieter than he expected. But steady.
The girl blinked. For just a moment, something flickered across her face — not anger, but genuine surprise. Her power was Charm (Rare). It had never simply... stopped working before.
Rekon released her wrist and stepped back.
His head was still spinning. The warmth was fading slowly, like smoke after a fire. He pressed his palm against the wall to steady himself.
"What... what are you?" the girl whispered.
"A father," Rekon said quietly.
He looked at her properly for the first time. She was young. Younger than he first thought. Her confidence was practiced, not natural — the kind built over years of having no other choice.
He suddenly felt no anger toward her.
"That power you used on me," he said. "Charm. Rare Symbol."
The girl said nothing. But her eyes confirmed it.
"How many people have you brought here?"
Silence.
"How many did you rob?"
Her jaw tightened slightly. "I do what I'm told."
Told. Not chosen.
Rekon exhaled slowly. Then he looked around the room — at the single window with bars on it, at the door with no lock on the inside, at the thin mattress on the floor.
"Where is your boss?" he asked.
The girl started leading him towards their boss's room. More guards started coming towards them, but Rekon started killing them all. Some of the guards ran away in fear after seeing his recklessness.
Rekon entered the boss's room. The boss said, "Who are you? Where is the guard? Take him out." Rekon went very close to him and said they were dead.
The boss was very scared because he didn't have any swordsman symbol. The boss is a wealthy man, and by his wealth, he may have created this brothel. Rekon pointed his sword at him and said very loudly, "Where are my coins?"
The boss looked very scared and said, "Did we rob you?"
The girl behind Rekon shook her head and answered no.
Rekon repeated his words, "Where are my coins?"
Then the boss realized that Rekon was talking about his coins. There were a few more guards who were guarding the other doors; they all came here. Rekon slaughtered them all without showing any mercy.
The boss thought his mid-level swordsman had died like this; he had caught the wrong person. His body began to tremble as he saw drops of blood falling from Rekon's sword onto the ground.
He started taking out all his coins.
On the other hand, Rekon turned to the girl; the girl was now calm and not as scared as she was a moment ago.
"Call all the girls here," he said.
The boss took out all his coins and put them in front of him. Rekon saw that there were many gold coins, silver coins, and some bronze coins here. It was clear how many people he had robbed.
All the girls gathered. The number of girls is around Thirty. The boss started begging him to take all the coins and begging him to give him his life.
Rekon raised his sword, and immediately many of the girls closed their eyes. They know what will happen now.
Rekon shouted, "Open your eyes, everyone."
The girls opened their eyes. The boss, about to ask for his life, said, "Don't kill me. I won't do these things again. I will also free these girls."
Rekon ignored his words. And with one blow of his sword, he severed his head. Blood started to spread around.
Rekon then looked at the girls. Some girls had tears in their eyes and a light smile; some were very happy with this scene.
Rekon then took two bags of 100 gold coins from that pile of coins. Then he said, "Your master is gone. You are all free. Take as much coin as you want from here and go back to your families."
There were smiles on all the girls' faces. They started taking coins from there, thanking Rekon.
Rekon stepped out onto the street and took a deep breath. Then he said to himself, "What did I do?"
Just as Amberfield is known for its weapons, another characteristic of this village is that it is known for its high rate of theft and robbery. Rekon knew that he would never be able to earn 100 gold coins in a day. So he came here to steal from the thieves. That's why he put on new clothes and put a bag of stone chips on his waist and entered the narrow path.
But his plan went awry.
Rekon stepped out onto the street and took a deep breath.
The night air hit him clean and cold. Above the rooftops, stars were scattered across a dark sky. Somewhere down the road, a lantern swung gently in the wind.
He stood there for a moment, just breathing.
Then he started walking toward the magic item shop.
He had only taken a few steps when he heard footsteps behind him. Light ones. Careful ones. The kind that were trying not to be heard.
Rekon didn't turn around.
"I noticed you the moment you left the building", he thought.
He kept walking.
The footsteps followed.
He turned a corner. The footsteps turned with him. He slowed down slightly. The footsteps slowed too.
Rekon stopped in front of the magic item shop and finally turned around.
Syla stood a few meters away, half hidden in shadow. She was wearing different clothes now — simpler ones, borrowed from one of the other girls. Her earlier confidence was completely gone. She looked smaller somehow. Younger.
She didn't say anything.
Rekon looked at her for a moment, then turned and entered the shop.
The shop was quiet. Glass shelves lined the walls, holding stones and crystals of various colors, each one glowing faintly. The shopkeeper — an old man with tired eyes — looked up as Rekon entered.
"Power crystal," Rekon said simply.
The old man nodded and reached beneath the counter.
Rekon placed one hundred gold coins on the counter. The shopkeeper's eyes widened slightly before he carefully wrapped the crystal in cloth and handed it over.
Rekon tucked it carefully inside his coat, close to his chest.
When he stepped back outside, that girl was still there.
Still waiting.
Rekon said,"What's your name?"
"Syla"
Rekon looked at her. "You should go."
"I have nowhere to go," she said quietly.
"The coins I left —"
"It's not about coins."
Rekon said nothing.
Syla looked down at the ground. When she spoke again, her voice was smaller than before. Honest in a way that clearly cost her something.
"I used my power on a lot of people. I brought them in. I told myself it was just survival." She paused. "But you stopped. Nobody ever stopped before."
Rekon watched her carefully.
"That's not a reason to follow a stranger home," he said.
"I know." She looked up. "But you called yourself a father. In that room. That's all you said." Her voice became unsteady. "My father said the same thing once. Before he sold me."
The street was quiet between them.
Rekon exhaled slowly. He looked up at the sky for a moment, then back at her.
"I have a wife," he said clearly. "A newborn son. A house smaller than that shop. I can offer you a roof and food and nothing more than that."
Syla nodded. "That's more than I've ever had."
"You'd be a servant. Not a slave. There's a difference in my house even if the world doesn't see one."
"What's the difference?"
"You can leave whenever you want."
Syla was quiet for a long moment.
Then she said, "Okay."
Rekon turned and started walking toward the carriage road. After a moment, Syla followed — not rushing to catch up, just walking at an even distance behind him.
Rekon glanced back once.
"You don't have to walk behind me."
Syla blinked. Then slowly moved to walk beside him.
Neither of them spoke for a while. The road out of Amberfield was lit by lanterns hanging from wooden posts, casting long warm shapes across the stone.
After some time, Syla asked quietly, "What's your son's name?"
"We haven't decided yet," Rekon said.
Syla almost smiled. "You freed thirty girls and killed a boss tonight and you haven't named your own son."
Rekon looked at her sideways.
"We've been arguing about it since he was born."
This time Syla did smile. Small and brief. Like something she wasn't quite used to doing.
They found a carriage at the road's edge. The driver was half asleep on his seat. Rekon paid him and climbed in. Syla hesitated at the step for just a moment — old habit, perhaps, of waiting for permission — then climbed in and sat across from him.
The carriage began moving. The lantern inside swayed gently.
Rekon leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The exhaustion of the entire day settled into his bones all at once.
Syla sat quietly, watching the dark forest pass through the small window.
After a long silence she said, very softly — mostly to herself,
"I forgot what this felt like."
"What?" Rekon murmured, half asleep.
"Going somewhere instead of waiting to be taken somewhere."
Rekon opened one eye and looked at her.
Then he closed it again.
"Get some sleep," he said quietly. "It's a long road."
Syla turned back to the window.
Outside, the forest was dark and endless. But the lantern inside the carriage burned steadily.
For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel like putting it out.
Rekon and Syla arrive in Greenvale. It's late at night. They walk towards the house.
Upon reaching home, Rekon saw that Maria had fallen asleep. She must have fallen asleep without eating because he was late coming. He called her.
When Maria woke up and saw a beautiful girl next to Rekon, she asked who this girl was.
Rekon told her everything.
Syla smiled faintly at Rekon's love for his wife.
Maria wanted to ask the girl many more questions, but she saved them for the morning because it was almost midnight.
Rekon gave Syla a place to stay on the couch next to their bed for tonight because Rekon's room is small. He will arrange something else for Syla tomorrow.
Syla agreed to it.
Maria told her to take off her clothes because Syla's clothes were showing her hot breasts and round ass.
When Syla went to change clothes, Rekon took out the power crystal. Then Maria used magic to place the crystal on their son's body.
Finally, they both felt a lot more free from worry.
Syla has changed and is now looking better than ever.
They all lay down. Then Rekon said to Maria, "Honey, we haven't named our son yet."
"Does the name Arion sound good?"
"It's good but not for my beloved son. Lorien, I think, would be perfect."
"What are you saying? None of us have the letter L in our names."
"That's right. Then you suggest a name."
"Let me think for a moment."
Syla listened attentively to everything they said. After a long time, she noticed a genuine smile on her face.
This house is smaller than the one she lived in before, but Syla liked it a lot because she felt like a member of the family after many years.
Syla is enjoying the battle between Rekon and Maria to choose their son's name.
Then Syla sleeps peacefully, which she has wanted for a long time.
But the name war continued.