Two hours later, Yuda reached Serenia Castle’s outskirts and sighed. Forests darkened fast, leaving no time to dawdle. Luckily, the sun hadn’t set, and the gate remained open. A bit later, and he’d have camped in the woods.
Hoo—
With a deep breath, he pushed through trackless brush, emerging onto the path to the eastern gate.
“Eek!”
“!”
A scream jolted him as he stepped out, making him flinch and turn. He was startled, but not nearly as much as the man who had screamed and collapsed in shock. It was an older hunter he often saw in the mornings, a farmer who had taken up hunting later in life.
“Oh. Hi.”
Yuda forced an awkward smile at the ashen-faced man. Stammering, the hunter suddenly shrieked again and bolted for the gate, dropping what seemed like today’s haul in a sack. Puzzled, Yuda belatedly recalled he was blood-soaked. He had washed his face and body at a spring en route, but not his clothes.
‘Gotta pack spare clothes and food in my 〈Inventory〉 next time.’
Who knew when this might happen again? Anticipating the hunter’s report to the guards, Yuda slung the wolf pelts over his shoulder, pocketed the magic stones, and grabbed the old man’s sack with his free hand. As expected, the gate was shut tight. Above, a knight in armor stood with a few soldiers.
“Hey, it’s Yuda?”
“He’s covered in blood. Isn't he hurt?”
Sharp-eyed soldiers muttered to each other. The gate creaked open. The armored knight descended.
“Yuda.”
The voice was familiar. It was Charles, the western gate captain. A commoner turned knight under the lord’s favor. Yuda grinned, setting the pelts and sack down, raising both hands to show no fight.
“Yeah, Charles.”
The knight approached without much caution, though Yuda kept his hands up just in case. Charles eyed him top to bottom, then the black wolf pelts.
“You kill those?”
“Got lucky, somehow.”
“Huh. Black wolves at your age? And you are okay?”
Yuda nodded.
“All wolf blood. Oh, and this sack’s Old Man Hyle’s. He left it here.”
“Right. He just ran in yelling about a murderer in the forest. Scaredy-cat for a hunter… I’ll get it back to him tomorrow.”
“Cool, thanks. So, I can go?”
“Yeah. Wash up quick so people don't freak out. Take a hood from the guardhouse.”
The "hood" actuallyr referred to a soldier’s rain cloak. In a city full of adventurers, no one was going to be shocked by a bit of blood on clothing, but there was no reason to turn down a kind gesture. The cloak reeked of damp and dragged along the ground, far too big for him. The soldiers chuckled, saying even wolf-slayers were still just kids. Hearing them, Yuda trudged home with a wry smile.
Carrying black wolf pelts drew attention. The southern forest was home to plenty of black and silver wolves, but most adventurers steered clear of it. Fragments were believed to fall in the western forest, which was rich with ruins. Compared to that, the south was more dangerous and offered fewer rewards, so it saw far fewer visitors.
Since black wolf pelts were pricey, the only ones who hunted them were the occasional teams that went south to make money. That made sightings of black wolves rare, so it was only natural for Yuda to draw attention. When he finally reached home, he opened the door and stepped inside.
“I’m back, Tia.”
Tia was a nickname. After spending nearly two years with his teacher, they had grown close enough that she allowed him to call her that. At first, he had tried calling her “Master,” but she refused, saying she didn’t like it. It wasn’t until he took off his leather shoes and stepped onto the wooden floor that he finally heard her delayed response.
“Yeah, you’re ba—?”
Her words cut off as she vaulted from the living room sofa with beastly agility, landing before him.
“Yuda, what happened?!”
Sniffing blood, she yanked off his borrowed cloak, almost tearing it. It’s borrowed, he thought, but it was old enough that damage might not show. Unaware of his concern, Tia gaped at his bloodied state, gasping. To avoid misunderstandings, he spoke first.
“Wait, it’s not mine. Don’t freak out.”
Ignoring him, she patted him down, probing blood-soaked spots. Sighing over discomfort, he spread his arms to let her check. No wounds, naturally. She sighed in relief too.
“What happened?”
“Uh.. can I wash up first?”
“No, talk now.”
Sticky and eager to scrub off sweat, Yuda relented to her insistence.
He had accidentally wandered deep into the forest and only realized it when he tried to head back. Unfortunately, he crossed paths with a pack of black wolves. At first, he tried to run, but soon realized escape was unlikely, so he drew his weapon and fought. In the end, he emerged victorious. That was the simple version of events. The evidence was right there— the black wolf pelt placed at the front door. There was no room for doubt.
“…Okay, go wash up.”
“Yep.”
Yuda shrugged his shoulders and trudged wearily toward the bathroom. Tia examined the black wolf pelts that Yuda had brought back. There were only two pelts, but the traces of the battle were evident. One had a front leg severed, with a gap in the neck where a dagger had been driven in. The other had a large tear along its side and a mark between the brows where a sword had pierced through. Judging by the cross-sections, the weapons matched the dagger and longsword Yuda carried.
He had fought fearsome black wolves unscathed.
The blood was all theirs. He had said so, and it rang true.
‘Hmm.’
Tia gently touched her lips, deep in thought, then looked down at the raincoat still in her hands. It was the kind worn by the guards at the east gate during rainy weather. She folded it and set it down in a corner near the entrance, then walked over to the sofa in the living room and sat down. Maybe because she had been lying on it earlier, the cushion was still sunken in.
“Black wolves… He’s grown.”
Two years with Yuda already.
She reminisced to their first meeting. He had called her pretty, sparking her interest. As a feline beastkin, kids usually feared her. Liking them but rarely approached, his reaction was a fresh thrill.
That curiosity held when Kaseun asked her to train him. Yuda had a knack for learning, matched by diligence. Sometimes lazy, but he delivered when it counted.
He was mature for his age, yet cute. His hesitation throwing a dagger at prey on their first hunt, it was all cute. His shock watching her butcher it was also cute.
Seeing the skinning process left him dazed all day, lingering two or three more, until he adapted, growing bold. He threw daggers without pause, gutted prey naturally, and mastered skinning with time.
‘He was cute back then.’
Once, too tired to get up, she told Yuda to hunt alone. She woke around noon, remembered, and panicked. After tracking him through the eastern gate, she spotted him in the forest. He was only twelve, moving through the woods on his own. From a tree, she watched him bring down a boar, then skin and roast it. It made her feel both proud and uneasy.
After that, he hunted alone. She felt a pang when he stopped asking her along, but he couldn’t lean on her forever. To foster independence, she let him go, taking up cooking and chores instead.
With her handling tasks, Yuda used his free time well—reading library books from Lord Pierchan or throwing daggers. Holed up, he meditated or trained.
Yuda was a child with the heart of an adult. There were many moments when he acted more like a grown man trapped in a boy’s body. He never once complained. Occasionally, he would sniffle at night, likely missing his parents, but he never cried in front of others. He always tried to do everything on his own, only asking for help when he had no other choice.
Tia liked that. He wasn’t very affectionate, which she found a bit disappointing, but he was still cute. And more than anything, admirable. Two years watching him convinced her that he would achieve greatness.
‘He’s definitely got some talent.’
Whether he became an adventurer or a mercenary, he would succeed either way. According to Kaseun, Yuda was of noble status, though the family had fallen, so perhaps he could even become a knight.
However, the problem was that she had no idea what Yuda’s goal or dream was. They had lived together for two years, yet Yuda had never shown desire for anything. He never spoke of what he wanted to become in the future. He simply kept learning various things, as if he were thirsty for knowledge. The one thing she could tell for sure was that he was planning to leave Serenia Castle someday.
‘Probably when he’s an adult.’
That meant there were about two years left. Maybe he would leave earlier, or maybe later. Either way, she felt it was time to have a serious talk with Yuda.
It might be a little late for a conversation like this, but that didn’t mean it could be avoided. It had to be done before it was too late. More than anything, she was his teacher. She hadn’t taught him much lately, but once a teacher, always a teacher.
She decided to ask him what his goal was and what he planned to do moving forward. Just as she was deep in thought, Yuda stepped out of the bathroom in casual clothes, freshly washed and looking relaxed.
* * *
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Tip 13. Blood-stained clothes? A spoonful of ‘Stain-B-Gone Detergent’ from Rangritsa Magic Tower in the wash does the trick. Grab the spray version for journeys too!
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***Author’s Note***
Her name’s 〈Zentia〉, but from now on, I’ll call her 〈Tia〉 .
I used to say “Tia” in dialogue and “Zentia” in narration.
But to avoid Zenyata sending you to Buddha, I’ve switched.
Ugh, I agonized over that name.
Oh, not done yet.
One more part coming.
Still, comments here would thrill me.
The more, the merrier—likes, coupons, favorites too.
More is more!
Q: Reminds me of Mabinogi lol
A: Not Mabinogi—think Ace Online’s enchant system. I quit Mabinogi at level 10 a decade ago… lol.
Q2: If Yuda dies here, back to his parents’ death? Stats reset?
Q2-1: Back to the bandit day? Was there a save?
Q2-2: Revival penalties later?
A: ^^ Keeping answers vague for suspense—gotta save something to write! Haha!
Q: Why ‘Ancient’ after Common-Uncommon-Unique, not ‘Antique’? Switch to Common-Rare-Unique for consistency!
A: Fair point—I wasn’t thrilled either. Done! I’m an open-minded writer. Now it’s Common - Rare - Unique - Ancient - Legendary.
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