As I said in comments under last chap (but… honestly? Who reads comments under chapters bur few chosen?) Story is already 1 year old! So ere’ is grand check up of what happened till now!

The story has over (side stories, bestiary and so on) 129 chapters of story itself, that gives 0.353 chap per day or, one chap every 2.89 day! It contains 1412 pages (3k words per chap, more or less) so 3.86 page daily!

The story is 555# on the total story ranking, 61# at top weekly (in moment of checking), with best score ever recorded of 9# in top weekly. It is also 44th longest story on the site! The 1st chap has been read by over 24k ppl, and last 10 have over 1000 views each. Yes, I am proud of it.

1525 comment under whole story… well, half of those are mine so… let’s say that there are about 762 comments from you! Yeah, let’s stick with this version… so that gives about 6 comments per chap (and as there were pretty few chaps commented by only 3ppl, I am really willing to believe so).

What more can I say? Keep loving me, keep reading and enjoying, because that motives me to keep writing and getting better!

Oh, also thanks for breaking 700k views :D

Ok, thy chappy!~

Edited by: KenChi死No shootout for me. (Single tear)

So in the end I drank what Marika cooked, it was awful both in taste and quality, but I simply couldn’t tell her that. Still, if one of my alchemist girls in the slums would make something like that, I would kick them out right away… Even pure intention will not fix wrongly selected herbs. Yes, both Moongrass and Widow’s bell help to ease fatigue and accelerate overall healing process… but not together… their essences literally erase each other. Alchemy is an art of synergy, adding two herbs to each other you can make effect much better. You knows 2 + 2 = 5 and so on. What she did is a 3 at best. Maybe even 2.5.

Aaaand I am bitching again. I smiled, drank it, and thanked her. And tried to rest for a few hours in my room. Then Gisele came back, dragged me to the training room where I had my ass handed to me. Like always she started nice, almost worrying about me, then she increased the pace and strength. Over and over and over again. A few more bruises were added to my collection.

Now I was sitting in the inn section having a late supper together with a few other guys. I was eating clumsily dropping food out of my fork every once in a while. I am pretty sure Marika tried to suggest that she wouldn’t mind feeding me, but she was quietly scolded by Gustav, to let me do it by myself. Some words about letting me keep my dignity were said. Thanks Gustav. Appreciate it.

Yet still, my condition was spreading awkward air around the guild. Everyone was a bit less cheerful than they used to be. I needed to start some conversation. About any possible topic.

“So…” I did as I though “… why is there so many problems with the Holy Kingdom? As I recall Neira is not the only human kingdom on the continent, yet every single one hates those sanctimonious bastards…” “I am afraid, that they are a necessary evil…” Gustav answered “…ya see, Holy is located farthest to the east on our continent. They are the first line of defense if Demons would attack… and they used to attack every 50 years or so… it is a bit unusual for peace to last this long. Neira, also named the Kingdom of Magic, was located directly behind them, to provide magical backup. Researches of fighting magic and so on. We really made a difference. We used to coexist, even if not in peace, then in tolerance to each other. When the Demons attacked, they were also in charge of summoning the Hero. Without him, those wars could never be won…” “So what change?” “Darion.” Gustav took a deeper breath full of regrets “… Mages were not exactly… ethical… while creating new methods of fighting with demons. There are rumors… that they tried to create their own Heroes… like… almost manufacturing them. And it went both great and wrong….”

I know this part of the story. Hanna told me about it. Artificial mages. Forceful opening of mana veins. The process that was such a stress, it made people hair turn white. Hanna was one of those in charge of the project.

“Wrong because many died in agony… Great because they succeed. But making a Hero and controlling a Hero are two separate matters. Especially when test subjects were kidnapped and tormented. He escaped and started spreading disaster. Well, the end of the story is known pretty well, he was killed. But – Holy’s became quite mad, they said: [We were told to fight with monstrosity, not to create them]. After Darion some more dark and rouge mages became a bit more active… Tell me, Zari. How did you learn magic.”

Question must have a catch, but I will let him approve oneself

“By studying books and practicing what is in those…” “And where did knowledge from books came from? Experimenting. First you have to fail hundreds times to finally make one good formula to be wrote down. Now tell me, how do you practice necromancy? Or blood magic? And so on, and so on. Even now there are witches in the woods that are kidnapping humans, especially kids, for the purpose of research. The Church started hunting Rogue Dark mages, Then Rogue AND Dark mages. To finally keep hunting every possible mage. They logic became a bit twisted… but it’s not like they did have had a good reason to start it.” (ED: is Holy Kingdom reincarnated Germany?) “But aren’t they using magic too? I doubt that Hero summoning is magic-free.” “Is is magic of Luxia’s domain. Completely different. The magic serves a purpose. Both Nature and Chaos are for self gain. Literally those are commands: [Destroy those who oppose me], while holy magic is [Destroy the impure] or [Save those who I treasure].” “So… holy magic is for helping others, while rest is for egoistic uses?” “More or less.” “Wow, they almost sound like nice guys.” “They lost themselves in their idea. From pure protectors they became zealots, from zealots fanatics and from fanatics executioners. They are no better than Darion.” “So… we won’t attack them because we need them in case of a Demon invasion…” “That’s right” “Yet they will kill us because we made Darion.” “Aha…” “… we will just let them slaughter us like animals?” “Oh, no. Researchers ismade all the time – to duplicate the summoning process.. well the formula is known, the problems is, that there are few particular persons that are needed for the rite be successful…” “Which are…” “The Order of Blessed Sisters… well, they could be more or less replaced by priests and priestess with strong Light affinity… but there also needs to be someone touched by angels. The prophetess. And here the whole process is getting fucked right in the ass.” “I guess that there are not many such persons…” “One per generation. When one dies or is no longer able to execute her duties… because of illness or age, a new one is picked. Only one at a time.” “That’s a bummer.” “Nicely said. But… about the part with war. No, Neira won’t allow them to just slaughter us. Barriers and Forts are erected all the time. Well, it’s the job of Kingdom tacticians, but probably there will be trench warfare. We are closer to our supply points, and most of our border in the forest. So we will try to force them into a long, resource burning war, to force them into getting more and more supplies. Fighting not to kill but to wound, so they will have to bring more medicaments, raiding convoys with deliveries… literally force them to go back where they came from.” “So… nothing to worry?” “I never said that. I doubt their tacticians were sitting on their asses. They must have found something annoying. All we know, is that their forts near the borders are overcrowded now. It’s bad. For us. It means that soon they will march out.”

I recalled a map. If I am not wrong there are literally a few path that connects both kingdoms. They are not fit to lead armies thorough them, as in the end they were made to be a 2nd layer of defense against Demons. The forest is out of the question. No organized army can just lead their forces through such a dense and hostile land, full of monsters. All carts with supplies would get stuck in the swamps; horses would break their legs, and coordinating the movement of thousands of soldiers… No. It would be a logistical suicide. So all we can do right now is just wait with anticipation.

Our conversation lasted for a few more hours. I think that it was a few minutes before midnight before I fell asleep.

The door to my room was slammed open as someone rushed in. Well… I am sure I shut the door and locked it with a key…

“Get up sleepyhead! Do you know what time is it?!”

I heard cheerful voice of Gisele.

“… probably hour or two before morning, as I can hear the starlings chirp….” “No, no, no, no! It’s time for an adventure! I came to help you pack. Now get up…” I heard small rumbling all over the room as she was walking over it and picking my stuff. “Yes… backpack, that’s for sure… oh, you made yourself those fatballs yesterday… thoughtful of you, well, we will pack it right away. Now, staff, but you will hold it in your hand, so let’s move it to the corner of the room so it won’t not bother us now…”

She was like a little hurricane.

Before I got the rest of sleep out of my head, the fully packed bag was forced into my hands.

“Now, quietly, follow me.” “Why quietly?” “…” the silence (a long one) before her answer told me right away that she’s about to lie “… oh Zari! We are not living here by ourselves! A few guys got themselves drunk yesterday and now they need to rest! It would be very impolite of us to wake them out…”

… So, I know the lie now. Now… she probably doesn’t want to let someone know that we are leaving… who and why?

“Step… another one… yesss… shhh you fool! I mean… careful ok? Very well… there will be a carriage near the gates that we will use to…”

“My, my… where are you two going? Hm?”

We were about to leave the guild when we heard Jericho calling from the depth of the Guild…

“For training! In the fresh air!” Gisele answered right away. Well, it was not a lie. Not completely. “With bags on your backs?” I knew that guild master raised his brow. “We have food for a picnic in those!” A horrible lie, and told to fast… my sweet summer child… “There must be lots of food in those…” “… you know how much I can eat…. Haha…” And now she added an awkward laugh at the end… Gis, never lie to anyone… it would be better if you would simply stay quiet. “And for training session you are taking your full armor and real weapons too?” Jericho up in that point knew that all of those were lies. Now he was just bulling her, letting her tangle in her own lies. “…W..well, I wanted it to be a little more realistic…” “Very well… And now tell me… Haven’t you filled a form of dungeon ride yesterday?”(ED: Might mean raid but I’m not sure) “Y…yes, I did… something wrong with that? I don’t have to do it right away…” “No. You simply marked that you are taking an additional person with you… yet you left the pool with names blank…” “It… it is common thing, isn’t it? I simply want to take a companion, I simply didn’t yet decide who it would be and…” “Gisele…” “Y…Yes?!” “You picked a quest for a few days with an additional person… and now you are leaving the guild in full equipment, food supplies for a few days and Zari with you…” “Haha… what a weird coincidence, that could indeed look a bit awkward…”

With the eye of my mind I saw her scratching back of her head.

“Gisele… I am pretty sure I reduced the overall ranks of quests that Zari can pick from the board…”

… You did?! Oh, you little…

“So? I will be with him! Nothing will happen! I will bring him back in one piece… or two pieces, but easily patchable pieces!”

… now I am getting a little nervous.

“Gisele. When an adventurer is heavily injured, we are force them to take a few easier quest to let them prove that they are still capable of doing their job. If we wouldn’t do so, they could die or even worse. Because of their condition the adventurer may lead his whole team into danger. Zari has to finish 3 quests of each rank, starting from G. Each time he would do so, he would be allowed higher and higher rank until he would be back to his form so…” “Very well teacher…” Gisele was… angry. Like really, really angry. She didn’t say that, she hissed “feal free to cancel that quest.” “I already did.” “With this… are we allowed to leave?”

Now, Jericho and I were both dumbfounded.

“Gis, child… where now do you want to leave?” “Exactly where we were going from the very beginning. The Temple of Shadows.” “…But your quest… is not longer valid…” “Do we need a quest to go in there? Last time I checked adventurer could visit every dungeon that was not restricted by certain limitations. And I have checked the list of those places. Temple of Shadow is not there. So, we will simply visit his place and kill some monsters. For free. Isn’t it nice to do some volunteer jobs from time to time?” “Gisele…” “By quest Guild understand the form job picked from the board by an adventurer. Described precisely what needs to be done and how the adventurer will be paid for this job, with a fee of 10% for the guild. If we are not taking moneys, it is no longer a quest. Now, if you want us to stop us from entering this dungeon you have to suspend our adventurer licenses, which needs to be delivered right away, and even then we have three days to fill an appeal. In other words…” “You stupid, egoistic, brainless little lizards…” now Jericho got carried away “… why are you bringing danger upon your companions? And you!...” Those words were directed to me “… you are no less guilty! Both of you are using each other to reach what you want! Aren’t you simply ashamed of your actions!? And what are you doing it for?” “We do it, because stagnation means regression. If you are not moving forwards, you are stepping back. We know it will be hard, we know it will be dangerous. But skill in not everything that is needed to survive a dungeons. It is mostly about trust. You see two incapable individuals, but we view it differently. She trusts a blind man, and I trusted an officious berserker. She will be my eyes, and I will be her reason and sense. Together we are complete. We can either reach a completely new level of abilities… or fail trying. No matter how it would end, we are willing to take a risk. And we won’t be stopped. Even if it would means your anger.”

I said bowing my head a little. Now, I am just waiting for the judgment. Bring down the hammer of your justice! Make death swift and painless!

“Very well”

He said that with completely relaxed voice

“Wait, wha…” “It’s good to be young, hm? Oh, off you go, you mentioned that you have a few monsters to slaughter.” There was not even an ounce of anger in his voice. He almost sounded like a gentle grandpa… “But, you said…” “You are focusing on words waaay to much. I just wanted to check your determination. Zari…” “Yes?” “Take good care of her.” ‘What do you mean?” Gisele was bit surprised “She tends to act without thinking…” Jericho continued paying her no attention “… she sometimes misses her breakfast, so you have to watch her eating regularly, if not she becomes grumpy…” “T… teacher?!” I almost heard her blush! “Atop of that, she has the bad habit of skipping baths, if there would be a lake just toss her into it… she may hiss, pay no attention. Just the animal part of her..” “S…s…s..stop that! It’s embarrassing! And what do you mean by forcing him to look after me?! HE HAS NO EYES! SHOULDN’T I BE THE ONE LOOKING AFTER HIM!?” “Very well…” I picked his joke “… and… just in case… where does she usually hold her spare cloths?” “Y…You too!?” “Hm, at the bottom of her sack.” “She can dress up by herself or does she need a hel…” “ENOUGH!”

I was thrown over her arm and literally dragged away. Well, sorry for bulling you, it was simply too tempting.