Nolan sat atop a felled tree trunk, his feet dangling off the ground, watching his father chop down a tree twice his own thickness with a rusty axe.
Nolan recognized the spot; he must have been about nine years old at the time, and it wasn't far from home. Wood, hunting, raising livestock, and farming were the only means of sustenance for the inhabitants of Blackwood Village, and using a barter system, anything could be traded with other villagers or visitors from other villages.
Therefore, Nolan's father worked every day to provide for the family, and young Nolan, now taught to read by his mother, always followed his father to learn…
After several heavy blows to the large tree, it remained intact, but as it was summer and his father wore many layers of clothing for his own protection and safety, he was already very tired and sweating profusely. At that moment, he paused his work, cutting the tree, and approached the trunk where Nolan was sitting to drink water and rest a little.
He had barely sat down when Nolan handed him a stick, asking him to draw some monster he had seen during his days as a bodyguard, soldier, and adventurer.
The father smiled, knowing that Nolan awaited his work breaks with considerable impatience, and then asked:
"Nolan, what kind of animal do you want me to draw?"
"A monster!"
"Yes, yes, but what kind of monster?"
After young Nolan thought for a moment, he saw a bird flying above the trees and said: "A kind that flies!"
"Thanks to Scar, I never saw one of those when I was a guard and porter for a group of adventurers, but in the city, I always saw a symbol of a flying monster very often. Not only was it the symbol of an extremely dangerous flying monster, but it was also used by a certain group of women in the big cities…"
After speaking, Nolan's father used the long stick and drew a creature with the head and wings of an eagle, and the body of a lion.
"What is this?"
"This is a Mountain Griffin. The females are the size of a carriage, or even bigger; they are terribly dominant and territorial. The males, only half the size of the females, are quite docile. Mountain Griffin packs are composed entirely of females and offspring, and as soon as the male offspring are considered close to adulthood, they are expelled from the pack. There are also many reports of some females killing the males after mating."
Even at nine years old, Nolan understood what mating meant, since his family also raised some mammals and birds at home, but at that moment, his mind wandered a little; the Mountain Griffin that his father had drawn was inside a circle, looking like something he had seen before. But Nolan found it strange; he remembered seeing such a dangerous monster before…
His father, unaware of his own thoughts, continued narrating:
"Remember, Nolan, if you see that symbol adorning any woman in the big cities, stay away from them. They are violent, rude, and believe that if men no longer existed, women would still live well…"
Unbeknownst to Nolan's father, a shadow had arrived behind them and was silently observing the dialogue between the father and son:
"These women are dangerous and disrupt the natural order of things. They have the support of the former Queen and mother of the current King. They constantly demand equal benefits for female adventurers and soldiers, but they don't want the burdens and obligations that men in those roles possess. They also despise religions, marriage, and family, saying they are outdated old customs… Remember, Nolan, this type of woman should never be considered as an option to be your wife—"
Nolan's father froze, turning his head as he spoke, and he saw a woman with long, light brown curly hair and amber eyes. She had a smile that wasn't a smile, and as soon as Nolan's father saw her, he started sweating again, but not from exhaustion, but from fear.
The moment Nolan saw the person, he smiled and shouted:
"MOM!"
"Nolan, darling, Mommy brought you lunch!"
Unlike the cold look she had for her husband, when she looked at her son, there was only affection and love.
Nolan hugged his mother, then grabbed his food from a small wooden box and sat down to eat. Meanwhile, his father lowered his head and remained silent, waiting for his wife to deliver his lunchbox as well.
But with a cold smile, Nolan's mother turned her back, taking his father's lunch back with her.
"Darling, wait…"
Nolan's father murmured with tears in his eyes, realizing he wouldn't have lunch today…
While young Nolan ate the delicious meal prepared by his mother, he finally remembered where he had seen that symbol before! It was his mother's!
She had an old cloak that she kept with great care, and on the back of the cloak, although somewhat worn with age, there should have been a similar symbol embroidered…
When Nolan turned to his father and wanted to ask why his mother wore the symbol of the Mountain Griffin, Nolan felt pain, and heard someone calling him from afar…
Ter…
Serter…
"DESERTER, YOU WORM, GET UP!"
"AHH"
Being kicked in the stomach, Nolan awoke from his dream, and the first thing he saw again was the red-haired beauty who had attacked him. She continued calling him "Deserter," the same word she had shouted the first time she encountered him on the outskirts of Blackwood Village.
Observing her more closely, she was truly very beautiful; Nolan even believed she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. Besides her long crimson hair, she was around 1.70 meters tall, and it was possible to see that she had a beautiful, curvy body even beneath her rusty and dented female armor. Her face was pale white with delicate features, red eyes, and reddish lips. A small White Scar was dividing her right eyebrow, giving her an added charm.
However, any admiration Nolan had for the violent woman's beauty vanished the moment he looked closer at her right arm. Over her rusty armor was a red cloth tied around her arm, embroidered with the same symbol his father had shown him as a child, the same symbol his mother had on a cloak: the Mountain Griffin.
"Well, you're awake, Deserter. Do you have a name?"
Nolan chose to remain silent. He looked around and realized he was back inside Blackwood Village, more specifically, he was inside the town's only tavern. A place he had only frequented with his parents as a child during a harsh winter. The reason was that this place only accepted a specific currency from the Kingdom, unlike the standard barter system used by the poorer villagers.
As Nolan's eyes scanned the tavern, he saw that at several tables around it were many soldiers dressed similarly to the red-haired woman; there were at least two or three dozen, and they wore rusty armor, reinforced leather armor, or a mixture of both types. Most were young men aged 16-23, with perhaps only one or two women in the group.
"You're not going to talk, are you? I'll keep calling you Deserter then!"
Nolan turned his gaze to the redhead and saw her waving to two tall male soldiers wearing heavy, rusty, full-body metal armor.
"You two, Old Derrick and Miss Luna, you two are responsible for guarding the Deserter so he doesn't escape again until the battle begins. Since the Captain confirmed he's of the minimum age, make sure he's well-fed and ready to participate in the Scar Conferral Ceremony tomorrow as punishment for his escape."
"Yes, Vice-Captain!"
"Yes, Madam!"
Nolan's eyes widened.
"Not only had he returned to the Blackwood Village he'd fled, but he was going to participate in the Scar Conferral Ceremony for which he and his father were killed? What was happening? Was he going to participate in a battle? Don't tell me there was a forced conscription of soldiers in the region? That's why he was called a "Deserter" when he left the Village! What bad luck! There shouldn't be racial battles in this inhospitable region…"
"Seriously, you should have seen his face!"
"Cough Gasp"
"Hahaha"
"Hahaha"
While Nolan tried to understand what was happening, he heard laughter coming from a table not far away and recognized some of the voices; it was Zack Blackwood and his two henchmen.
At the same time, he quickly touched his face with his hand and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he was still wearing the scarf that hid half of his face.
The soldier, who was called Old Derrick, approached Nolan, who was still sitting on the tavern floor, and lifted him by the arm, saying friendly words, trying to comfort him:
"Get up, boy! We'll have a decent meal in this tavern; the King will pay the bill for the next three days… And after the battle, you'll receive a Bronze Card that will allow you to live in this place for several months. Not so bad, right?"
Nolan was guided by the arm to Old Derrick's table and finally realized that the other male soldier in armor was actually a tall, strong woman. He had mistaken her for a man because she had her back turned, and she must have been over 6 feet tall (1,80 meters tall), only a few centimeters shorter than Nolan himself.
Aside from her height and possibly muscular build, the female soldier had one of the most beautiful faces Nolan had ever seen. It was a delicate, youthful face, and there wasn't a single blemish or spot on her lightly tanned white skin. With light black eyes and a thin nose, when everything was combined, she seemed very cute to him. Her long, straight black hair was tied in double braids that extended over her armor, almost reaching her hips, and the beautiful, genuine smile on her face made Nolan feel calmer just by admiring her.
"Hello, my name is Luna Hightower, from Hightower Village. This gentleman beside us is Derrick Vonhart, a nomad, but you can just call us Luna and Old Derrick. Since we will soon be brothers in arms."
"Caesar, just Caesar," Nolan replied, preferring to conceal his identity for now.
Old Derrick and Luna simply nodded upon hearing the false name Nolan had invented, and soon several portions of dishes with different meats arrived at the table, along with various fruits, drinks, and breads served in abundance. Nolan had never seen such abundance before, not even when he ate at this place as a young man, but he was soon distracted again by hearing Zack make choking sounds and his friends laughing again.
"Cough Gasp"
"Hahaha"
"Hahaha"
Nolan knew instantly from the way Zack put his hand on his neck that he was imitating the murdered youths, and seeing the laughter of those three filled him with fury, completely taking away his appetite. His hand began to tremble, and he remained like that for a while, until suddenly, Luna took the glove from one of her hands and placed it under one of Nolan's trembling hands. Mistaking Nolan's anger for fear, she approached his ear and whispered:
"Don't be afraid, in 4 days, when the battle begins, stay close to me and I will protect you!"
Hearing Luna's confident words about something so serious, whispered so gently in her sweet voice, while also smelling a sweet and fragrant scent coming from her tall beauty, something rare among the people of this world, Nolan calmed down instantly and decided to stop looking in the direction of Zack and his henchmen. As he calmed down, he saw the same genuine smile appear on Luna's face as when she first introduced herself.
"Ahh, what a sweet and kind girl, although she doesn't have as beautiful a body as the wicked redhead vice-captain, her beautiful face, her gentle personality, and her kindness are perfect… It wouldn't be bad to have her as a wife…"
While Nolan drifted into his thoughts, he finally regained his appetite and began to eat the banquet offered to the soldiers, trying to keep part of his face covered. Accepting his new, forced position in the King's army, he thought and mentally prepared himself for tomorrow's dangerous Ceremony…