The next morning at dawn, the Last Defender of the Way adventurer party stood at the village entrance, four horses tethered to a locust tree. They checked their supplies, ready to hit the road.
From the village, a muddy, yellowish-brown path snaked through the ashen, barren land, stretching over gently rolling hills, pointing far into the distance. On the horizon, jagged mountains rose in layers, faint wisps of mist curling around their peaks.
A few days ago, the bandits who'd raided the village were trussed up tight by the locals and hauled off to a nearby fortress's knight order.
The bandits had left behind ten fine horses, and EeDechi's group picked out four of the best to use as mounts, saving their legs and speeding up their journey.
The village chief led a crowd of villagers to see them off, bearing gifts of sheep's milk, cheese, soybeans, oats, sheepskins, cured mutton, and eggs—pleading with the four adventurers to accept their farewell offerings.
Barrett was ready to take it all, but after catching EeDechi's look, he settled for three rolls of fuzzy sheepskin, a few bags of sheep's milk, and some cheese. Stella grabbed a box of sheep's milk honey candy for her twin sister, and Sean took a couple of items for show.
EeDechi, though, only picked out a bag of dried jasmine and goji berries, plus a small box of tea grown by the villagers themselves.
Staring at the villagers clutching their assorted crops with earnest eyes, the adventurer captain was about to say some parting words when a scrawny boy suddenly pushed through the crowd and dropped to his knees with a thud before EeDechi.
EeDechi blinked, caught off guard. The kneeling boy wore tattered gray rags, his red hair a wild mess, like a bird's nest gone rogue.
His voice cracked with desperation as he pleaded, "Great hero, please teach me how to fight! Let me join your adventures! I can handle hardship, I swear!"
"Don't bother the hero!" The village chief limped over, grabbing the boy's kneeling frame to drag him back.
With an apologetic tone, the chief said, "I'm terribly sorry, great hero. This boy's father and brother were drafted as conscripts and never came back. His mother died of a broken heart, and now he's an orphan. Seeing your bravery got him all worked up."
EeDechi held up a hand to stop the chief from pulling the boy away and asked, "What's your name?"
The red-haired boy stayed on his knees. "William Scott."
EeDechi nodded. "That's a solid name. Why do you want to learn to fight from me?"
"I want revenge for my father! For my brother!" he cried. "The lord said they were killed by a powerful mage, just like others from the village. You said before that even a small stone needs to sharpen its edges to make those who dare tread it regret it! I don't care if it's the empire's army or that mage who killed them—I'm going to make them pay!"
"What skills do you have? Got any knack for magic?"
"I… don't," the red-haired boy admitted, his voice faltering. "But I'll train in martial arts, learn the ways of combat. I can tough it out! And I've got an Innate Talent."
"What kind of Innate Talent?" EeDechi's curiosity perked up.
"It's… I can use magic items. Any kind of magic item." His once-firm tone grew shaky.
A ripple of snickers spread through the nearby villagers.
And no wonder—using magic items wasn't exactly a jaw-dropping Innate Talent. A ton of magic items were crafted by wizards specifically so regular folks without a lick of magic could use them.
Plus, magic items cost a fortune. A kid from some backwater village wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting his hands on high-tier gear. And even if he did, wizards who made powerful items kept them for themselves—why would they hand them out?
EeDechi furrowed her brow, neither agreeing nor dismissing him.
A stray thought hit her: rumors said Ainz Ooal Gown was an undead skeleton. Maybe his bone feet wouldn't give a damn about sharp little pebbles.
"Please, let me follow you! Teach me to fight. I'll do anything!" The boy's messy red head bowed even lower.
EeDechi shook her head, her face grim. "I'm sorry, but my fighting skills weren't learned in this world, and I can't pass them on to you. Your path of revenge—it's way too dangerous for you. The road I'm taking is even riskier. I can't bring you along; it'd get you killed."
"I'm not afraid to die! Please… great hero…" The red-haired boy looked up, his young face streaked with tears, bright brown eyes glistening.
EeDechi went quiet for a moment, then pulled nearly a hundred gold coins from her spatial ring, stuffing them into a cloth pouch. She held it out to him. "If the fire of vengeance burning in your heart can push you forward, take this money. Go to a city, find a decent school, a good teacher. Let them teach you knowledge and combat."
"Please, let me follow you."
The red-haired boy didn't take the bulging pouch. He stayed kneeling, his head dropping lower, practically buried in the dirt.
Barrett almost offered to teach the kid a few practical fighting moves, but then he remembered the twin sisters, Kuuderika and Ureirika, already slowing them down. Another burden was too much, so he kept his mouth shut.
The adventurer's life was romantic, sure, but that romance couldn't hide the brutal truth: adventuring had the highest death rate of any trade.
"Alright, alright, don't hold up the hero's journey. You think you're the only one who's lost family?" The village chief sighed, taking the pouch for the boy and thanking EeDechi.
Two sturdy farmwomen stepped forward, hauling the stubborn boy up from the ground. His hands clawed at the earth, leaving deep gouges in the dirt. Even as they dragged him into the crowd, his head never lifted.
EeDeChi let out a barely perceptible sigh and signaled the other three adventurers to set off.
"We might come back in the future." Barrett said to the villagers as he turned on horseback.
Will they come back? It's highly unlikely.
Barrett said this to prevent the villagers from taking the gold coins EeDeChi gave to William.
Sean and Barrett each carried one of the twin sisters, Kuuderika and Ureirika, on their backs. The four horses, bearing six people, kicked up dust with their hooves as they rode off into the distance, setting out on the hazy path of their next adventure.