“What did I tell you?” Mother asked as she wrapped the bandage gifted by Alisa around my body.
“Not to move around or it will open my wounds.”
“What did you do?”
“Moved around and opened my wounds—Aaahhh! Please have mercy upon this son of yours!”
Why is Mother angry? Well, it was because I was discovered as I was skulking back to the village. Getting out of the village was easy, but sneaking back it was surprisingly harder.
Well, I never did have the talent for assassination and covert ops. So I had to relegate such jobs to other people. But I thought that I was at least capable of sneaking past my mother who was, by all rights, a normal human.
But, the moment I stepped out of the tree line, I saw Mother beelining to me from the village. Her eyes were engulfed in the flames of righteous anger as she yelled, “:ARCHON Talon!”
Mother refers to me as Arc. Same as the rest. But, hearing her not only call me by my full name. But also by my second name, it felt like I was before the Death Dragon… because I knew I was dead.
“Gyahahaha! Take it easy on him, Dear. He was only following the orders of the Young Miss.” Father who also just came back from a successful hunt came to my rescue with a hearty laugh.
To avoid getting grilled by questions and to justify the existence of the box Alisa gave me. I came clean at the fact that I left to meet her. While strategically plucking out certain aspects of the truth and altering them to suit my designs.
In the end, what’s believed by my parents was the fact that Alisa sent me a telepathic message telling me to go out of his way to the forest to receive the box that would help treat my wounds.
While my father believed my excuse. Mother remained on the fence, “I know, but still… but does that even make sense? Why would the Young Miss call for him using magic? If she wanted to help then wouldn’t it be best to just deliver it? Does she not want to associate with us—”
“No!” Both my parents looked at me bewildered by my sudden reaction, “I mean. The Young Miss wanted to come, but she was worried that it might affect our lives here if she shows signs of favoritism. Oh, and she actually wanted to secretly call Mother or Father, but there was no one inside the house other than me and Anna so the older one received the call.”
“Is that so….”
“See? I told you the Young Miss must’ve had her reason. She was even looking out after us.” Father defended Alisa.
“Well, if you say so. But that does not excuse not telling me anything!”
It was the afternoon when mother finished tending to my wounds.
After drinking the [Low-Clear Potion] and a [Vitality Booster Pill] I managed to regain my strength and my mother allowed me to stay outside. If I promised to just sit in place.
“Promise, does the mother have so little trust on his son?” I joked and I watched as mother sighed in exasperation.
“I swear, you’re livelier than before you were injured. Just keep out of trouble and do not con your own little sister.”
With that, she returned to complete her tasks.
The Village of Golden Field. That’s where me and my family lived. A village composed almost of only Serfs. Only three people, counting myself, could read here. And to dream of a different future would keep you going until you buy to become a peasant.
Until then, you are tasked to hunt or be a farmer if you are a man.
If you are a woman, your task is to become a forager.
It was a life those who could not even imagine leaving calluses on their palms would be able to survive living.
Our Family have been serfs for generations. We have tended to the lands owned by the Nuremberg Family and offered them offerings in the form of hunted meat and the yield of the farms as payment.
But it wasn’t as hard of a life as one would think. To live in the countryside, outside of the hustle and bustle of the City. Without the scheming relics of Aristocracy, it was a far better life that needed only to think about keeping with the quotas.
In the past I had always seen it as dull. It had been so long that I no longer had an idea when it started to seem like the village was boring and made me feel miserable.
Was it because Father always says things about leaving? That he wanted us to be more than Serfs. That we could be anyone we wanted to become if we rise up in society.
Was it Balkan and those from the City’s constant belittling of my origins? Perhaps the Dragons’ and the other people who said that having the blood of a Serf was nothing more than an embarrassment to My Lady’s prestige.
I don’t know. But, it must have been the folly of youth. Because all I could see now was a village full of smiles.
The children play without worrying or questioning their futures. Training to become a strong warrior or even learning what kind of vegetables were edible and weren't.
The smiles of the villagers were bright and brilliant.
“Oh, Brother Talon, you’re back! Did Aunty rinse you? Hahaha, next time try not to sneak out.”
“Archon! Is it true that you snuck out to finish off the Bakunalis? That’s awesome, man. That’s incredible!”
“Arc my boy, are you feeling good? I heard your wounds opened up again. Here, eat this, it’s good for when you lose a lot of blood.”
The people were caring. They were more honest than those I have encountered.
‘I had forgotten about it because I had been looking up all this time, but now that I look forward and actually try to see the people around me. I was actually blessed with a good life.’
I could not help but laugh as I smiled back at those who offered me their goodwill. A thought appeared in my mind as I remembered, ‘...I’ll establish the Cosmos Squad here.’
