I watch as a fist slams onto the table.
"Say that one more time."
I hesitate for a few moments, casting my gaze onto the man with stern green eyes and brown hair beginning to grey.
"I want to be an adventurer."
My father stares down at me with anger gleaming in his eyes. His fist slowly rises and reveals cracks along the area he slammed.
"Why would you want to be something so foolish? You know how your mother would feel knowing her son died as a lousy adventurer?"
To be honest, I don't know why I wanted to be an adventurer. My mother died when I was younger due to the destruction that the Mad Dragon Gwencilious had caused. Tens of thousands of lives were taken, and that's only the confirmed count from the Capital.
To be an adventurer back then meant you would surely die horribly one day. Even if you were the strongest, even if you were careful. One day, death will tie a rope around your neck and begin to pull you in. Even though the heroes had successfully defeated the Mad Dragon, all it did was cause the Demons to act more aggressively.
"I won't allow it. You have a duty to this town. You must take over as Commander when I retire. Maybe that'll become your trigger to activate your skill."
My father was a solemn man. He was the Commander of my hometown's guard. He was always serious and never let his guard down, even around me. No matter the chaos that happened within or near the walls of my hometown, he'd always return home and brush it all off.
Even if he lost something close to him.
"Go to your room and return to your studies or sleep. You'll keep practicing until you're ready to become a proper guard. Forget about being a foolish adventurer. "
Each day I spent in that house was hard. No matter what I accomplished, be it killing my first goblin or protecting the citizens, my father never praised me. I could beat several guards during sparring practice, and he wouldn't bat an eye. He never once let me play with kids my age. He'd always chase them off if they approached.
"Praise means arrogance. People like ourselves are foolish enough to get trapped by it."
He used to say this all the time, especially around me. I never figured out how his mind worked. Why did e force me to study things I'd eventually realize I'll never use? The one thing I did figure out, though,h was his obsession over the skill I had been born with.
Guardian.
"You were meant to become a guard. There is no other explanation for it. You will take over as Commander when I'm gone, Diantel."
Yet, not once had my skill ever been activated. When you're born with a skill, after you reach a certain age, you'll randomly get an idea of how your skill works. That never happened with me.
And so my father pushed me. Till I collapsed over and over. Once I hit twenty, I started sneaking out to the nearby town and taking a few jobs from the Guild. A few of the guards had caught me one night, but swore they wouldn't mention it to father. I went out on jobs and would be back by the time he expected me to be studying or sparring.
The day he caught me, he beat me. He forced me to spar with him from then on, only so he could teach me a lesson. He continuously hit me, even when I dropped my weapon. My sides, my chest, my back. Everywhere.
After a week, I finally cracked. I grabbed the blade of his sword and pulled him in. Then, I'd let everything go. I started punching him. In the same places he had hit me through the years. I threw him around. I broke my father's arm and a few of his bones.
Then, I reached for my lance. That's when the guards who were watching finally stood up. They held me back while they took my father to the healer.
Despite everything, my father still had the same look on his face. Disdain. I left the town that day, promising myself that I'd never go back. Even if he was on his hands and knees apologizing to me. Not until he was gone.
For five years, I was wandering between towns. While I knew I could probably make it big on the other side of the lake, I stayed on this side. I think it was because I'd rather struggle to survive than live luxuriously. The idea of doing nothing but lazing around did not appeal to me.
Through those years, I quickly developed a reputation. Not a single death had occurred when I was in the vicinity. Back then, my Enhancement Magic was far more potent. Dragon scales were nothing when I brought out my magic's full power. Though I'd always be near dead when I fought one.
I never stayed at the same party. I traveled around the entirety of this side of the lake. While other nations had every chance to take this side, they never did. Despite being split by this Great Lake, the Nation of Altiana was the one holding the Demon King's Army in our land. No one in our nation has to worry about being invaded by other nations, only by being invaded by our own.
I tried my best to maintain the relationships between towns by acting as messengers. I kept each town updated on the others while taking jobs from the Guild. After three years, they finally took over and started doing it themselves. Then, I continued taking jobs throughout the land for five years longer.
"Renkai."
She hesitates for a moment, clearly still trying to accept how little time I have left.
"...what?"
I give her a small smile, trying to reassure her.
"I can only provide you support."
I watch as she takes in a deep breath. Her hands tighten their grip on the longsword.
"Okay."
Before I can say anything else, she sprints towards the Demon. It begins to show a malicious grin.
"You're finally here, my experiment."
I follow after Renkai and then begin circling them, waiting for an opportunity as they clash. Renkai begins swinging recklessly at the Demon, but it dodges everything with ease. She lunges in and attempts to pierce into it, but her sword shatters on impact. She quickly backs away and reaches for her greatsword.
"Hey, you can stop. I'm not trying to harm you."
She ignores its words and slams her greatsword onto its body. It cuts through the scales slightly. I sprint towards them and leap into the air. Renkai pulls her greatsword out, giving me a chance to pierce into the Demon's flesh. Before my lance can dig into its flesh, the body instantly regenerates, and my lance bounces off its scales. The Demon slams its hand into Renkai, launching her away as it grabs hold of my lance.
Its grip tightens around my lance and shatters it. Before I fall onto the floor, it grabs my arm and holds me in front of itself. It places one hand around my neck and tightens slightly.
"There's no need for your struggle. The only thing you care about is whether the girl dies or not, no? She won't die if she becomes a puppet."
"She'll be dead on the inside if she becomes a puppet. Why would I allow that to happen to her?"
It pulls me closer to its face, and its smile fades. The scales around the face fully retract as he stares at me.
"If I said there was a chance of my experiment failing, would you let me?"
"No. Not even if it was a likely chance at failure."
I swing my body slightly and ram my head into its own. The Demon lets go of me, and I back off the moment I land on my feet. I turn around and try to look for Renkai. My eyes widen once they lay on her.
She was knocked into some rubble, leaving her lying against it. Blood is dripping from her head. Because of her cloak, I don't see any other visible injuries, but I know she's deeply in pain. I turn my gaze to the side and lay my eyes on Marian's corpse.
The first time I met Marian was during my first expedition into a deep dungeon. It was a relatively easy dungeon under the Guild's management that was used to train new adventurers to prevent them from acting reckless on the future. Everyone had met up at the entrance of the dungeon. Marian stood out the most because of her violet hair. She was alone and looked quite nervous.
Even though I was one of the older folks, I didn't have trouble keeping up with the veteran dungeon explorers. I would take mental notes on how dungeons behave and how to use them to my advantage. I often found myself taking glances towards Marian. I'm not sure why, but I couldn't keep my eyes off her.
As we're nearing the bottom of the dungeon, we get surrounded by an army of monsters. The veterans are holding the majority of them,f while I was ordered to protect the rest of the group. One of the monsters slips past the veterans and immediately targets Marian. I quickly lunge in and pierce my lance through its chest.
The veterans make quick work of the monsters, rs and we take a long rest on the last floor of the dungeon. I glance around, and everyone aside from the veterans looks extremely relieved. I end up catching Marian staring at me, and she quickly looks away when she realizes it. I ignore it and rest until it's time to depart.
We climb back up the dungeon and make our way back to town. That's when I see her sitting at a table, drinking tea or coffee. Telaria Elrod. I gaze in amazement for a few moments, catching a few sentences from her comrade and herself. Then, I feel someone tugging on my arm.
I turn around, and my eyes fall on Marian. She still has the same nervous look she had from the dungeon, but I sense a feeling of resolve coming from her. Her voice is soft when she finally says something.
"Thank you... for protecting me."
I don't say anything for a moment, just look down at her. I didn't get a proper look before, but she's not that much younger than I am.
"I don't need a thank you. Anyone else would have done what I did."
My voice comes out a bit stern, and it startles her slightly.
"M-maybe, but it was you who did it. And so, I was wondering. Would you be alright with forming a party with me?"
Forming a party meant splitting the rewards for quests. The rewards didn't mean much to me, but her being able to have my back in a fight did.
"In all honesty, that was my third time entering that dungeon. I've been too nervous to travel alone, so I just kept entering the dungeon."
I turn myself to face her properly, and it startles her again.
"If I form a party with you, that means I'd be entrusting my life to you, and you'd be entrusting yours to me."
"I-I know. I can fight, I just need experience, I think."
I think about it for a while before I let out a sigh.
"Alright. I'll form a party with you."
Her face lights up as she grabs my hand and begins shaking it energetically.
"Thank you! I promise you won't regret it!"
The days pass by quickly after that. We begin taking simple hunting quests to get her accustomed to initiating a fight. It started rough, normally ending with her flat on her back while I take care of everything. Eventually, she gets more courageous, and her skills begin to show properly. Four years pass, and we end up as equals. One with experience and knowledge, the other with raw skill.
That's when the Guild puts out a major request to check on a dungeon. The two of us take it immediately. When everyone has gathered, the Guild begins to sort everyone into positions.
Due to the reputation Marian and I gathered during those four years, I ended up as Commander, and she ended up as Vice Commander. After the expedition and returning to the Guild to report our findings, I received a letter from the Mayor of my hometown, explaining that my father had passed away and requesting that I return to take over his position.
Marian catches a glance of the letter and immediately demands that I return home. I think about it for a long time, and I reluctantly decide to return to my hometown. I tried to convince Marian to continue adventuring without me, but she adamantly refused.
"What's the point of continuing adventuring when my partner won't be there?"
When we arrive in my hometown, I'm met by a few familiar guards, and they lead me to the Mayor's home. He simply asks me to take over my father's position.
"Did my Father leave anything behind for me? Let alone talked about me at all?"
"I don't believe so. No one he was close to said he had left anything behind. The day you left, he never mentioned you again."
I let out a sigh and turn towards Marian. She looks far more upset than I do. I tell the Mayor I'll consider taking my Father's position. He understands and tells me I can take my time deciding. As we leave his house, Marian is still upset.
"What's wrong, Marian?"
"I know I'm just an outsider, but I don't understand how you and your father are so distant. He passes and leaves you nothing, not even a note? It's just... wrong."
"I couldn't care less about my father. Becoming an adventurer was the best thing I did. Sure, I get majorly injured during some jobs, but I'm still alive, aren't I?"
"Don't you think he was just trying to keep you safe?"
"No. He was so focused on making me his successor that he ignored my own well-being. In fact, he probably died without leaving anything because he knew I might take his position."
There are a few moments of silence. She just stares at me, still upset with many more questions unanswered. Then, her face relaxes as she drops her head.
"If you take the position, I'll stay alongside you."
"I can't possibly let you do that."
"Why not? Because I'm an outsider? Diantel, I-"
"Because you should find something more deserving of you. Your skills are far more valuable than my raw strength. Sure, I have knowledge and experience, but we both know your potential is far greater than mine. Being a simple guard wouldn't fit you."
There are a few more moments of silence. The two of us just stare at each other. Then, she tilts her head slightly.
"I've thought about it. Settling down somewhere. I was going to bring it up with you, considering we're getting old."
"We're not that old, Marian."
"But those scars of yours. Don't you feel it? The fatigue from traveling all those years?"
I glance down at myself and finally notice how different I've become. My body has become larger and bulkier. Much more muscular than my father was the last time I saw him.
"If we settle down here, years will go by in a flash. You know that, right?"
She gives me a soft smile.
"Settling down alongside my only partner is all I need. Just don't take too long to realize, I'll be waiting."
I look at her confusedly.
"Waiting for what?"
She lets out a sigh and shakes her head.
"Don't worry about it."
And just like I said, time had flashed. The town had quickly developed thanks to Marian and me protecting the walls from any monsters and raiders, allowing them to expand our farms and walls. Marian became my vice captain, spending most of her time dealing with paperwork alongside me.
After ten years, everything finally started to settle down. The town stopped its aggressive expansion, mainly because of the Demon's. Marian was finally able to take breaks and spent her time reading and a small portion of it training. I did my daily patrols, as usual, and spent some time doing paperwork. Whenever I had a lot of free time, I'd normally go on long walks between the nearby towns.
Then, on one of those walks, I saw smoke in the distance. That day, I saved Renkai. When I brought her back to town, Marian was adamantly against me taking her in. Yet, I did. Renkai's eyes, at the time, needed someone she would know would return home to her.
After a month, I watched as she tried swinging a stick around. I asked her what she was doing, and she said she was training.
"You won't get stronger like that."
"Then how... mother is gone. She taught me everything."
"How about I train you?"
She slowly lifted her head to face me.
"Really? You would?"
"Of course. As long as you believe in me, I'll train you. You need to get a bit older first before I can teach you properly, but we'll do it slowly."
Then, we began training. I decided to change the backyard into a makeshift training ground and had her do as much work as possible on it. It took a few months because she was physically weak, but she did it. After that, I gave her a heavy wooden rod and had her swing it until it was easy. Slowly but surely, I changed the rod to a larger and heavier one, then gave her a wooden greatsword.
"If you want to get stronger, you'll need to be able to swing something as heavy as this."
I had her do different kinds of training from then on. Strength, endurance, and anything similar, at a level she could handle. After a long while, she started adventuring with a steel greatsword.
Every time, Renkai would return home with a broken greatsword, but remain unscathed. Marian would always check up on me every few months, worried about how it was holding up. She always had a disappointed look by the time she left, but I always shrugged it off.
But when I look at Renkai right now, unconscious with a head wound, something shifted inside of me. When my mind goes back to Marian's dying words, I finally put the pieces together.
I love Marian and Renkai. Marian was waiting every day for me to make a move. Yet I never did. I couldn't protect her. But Renkai is still alive. She's still breathing. And there's only one thing I want to do right now.
Keep her alive.
Then, something floods my mind. A manual of some sort. I stare into Renkai and utter the following words.
"Protect my target, Guardian."
Unable to comply. Target requires no protection.
My face shifts into a shocked expression. My skill, Guardian, protects a single target from death in their current battle. I clear everything from my mind and purely focus on Renkai.
"Protect my target, Guardian."
Unable to comply. Target requires no protection.
I stare in awe. I don't understand why my skill isn't working on her. I shift my focus onto myself.
"Protect me, Guardian."
Protection cannot be applied to the user.
That's when a smile grows on my face. I turn towards the Demon who's staring at me with its own grin. I pour the rest of my mana available into my Enhancement Magic and ready myself. Guardian only applies itself to individuals who need protection. That means, Renkai will live. I grin maliciously as I stare at the Demon.
I would rather die standing than kneeling before this arrogant thing. It needs protecting from me.
"Guardian. Apply protection to my target."
Protection has been applied.