"....and like that, the witch who had imprisoned the princess finally died. She then lived a blissful life with the heroic prince after the crazy adventure, their story to be told for generations to come."

woooooooo! clap! clap! clap!

The conclusion of the tale was greeted by a round of applause from a dozen or so kids seated around a lantern, on a fairly wide veranda of the brick made house. They all held an empty bowl in their laps and had faces full of content.

In front of them sat an old man cross-legged. He had white hair on his head which was swept back, showing his wrinkly forehead. His gaze, deep and profound, but a slight smile laced his lips, getting such a healthy reaction from his audience. Beside him sat a beautiful girl around the age of Legas, who had a cute child with black hair sitting upon her lap.

Uncle Granos and Lena were a grandfather-granddaughter pair who hailed from a long line family of bards, minstrels, and entertainers. Lena's parents were out traveling the lands, while the pair had remained behind, with the old man training his granddaughter in their family profession.

"A princess huh. She must as beautiful as sister Lena, right?" Lora spoke, turning her head behind. There sat a person who could be easily mistaken for a porcelain doll. She had beautiful wavy brown hair and a clear alluring face that was devoid of many marks. The charming blush formed on her face, on becoming the center of attention, could enamor any steel hearted youth out there.

"You are wrong Lora, that princess must have been much prettier," Lena said in a humble tone.

"Ehhh, I don't think so. Sister Lena is the prettiest!" Lora protested, inciting an unusual debate among the kids over the appearance of a princess. Funnily enough, the embarrassed girl was used as a standard for measuring beauty.

"Alright kids, I think that's enough for today. You all should return home before your parents get worried," Uncle Granos abruptly halted the discussion.

"Eh! No, we want to hear more. Grandpa one last story please."

"Yes! Yes! one last."

"Hmm! Hmm!, one more"

......

"hah! Oh okay, we will finish up with one more."

"Grandpa please tell us about the tale of Hero Alistar and the rise of adventurers!" someone shouted from among the bunch.

"Huh, but I have narrated it many times to you."

"We want to hear it!!", the kids demanded uniformly. The old man had no choice but to comply with his audience's request.

'Not this again!'

It seemed one person was very dissatisfied with this decision. Legas who had been sitting like a statue at the corner far behind the group, finally showed a reaction since the beginning of this get-together, although not a positive one.

The moment he had arrived with his sister, he was made to cook the rabbit stew under the hungry gazes of the children, because Uncle Granos surprisingly couldn't handle the kitchen. Hence the pair mostly ate at the local village diner all the time. Lena would cook sometimes but her grandfather didn't let her do much of the house chores. Hence the responsibility of cooking fell upon the one who brought the meat. Legas knew of this, so he had brought everything necessary from his home in advance.

"Grandpa, I will wash the bowls meanwhile." Once Uncle Granos started narrating the supposedly last story, Legas jumped up to his feet before starting to collect the empty stew bowls.

The story of Hero Alistar can be considered the most discussed topic in the entire human lands of the continent of Eucleia, even though the events were more than a century old. This is because the world had changed drastically after he had given the term 'Adventurers' new meaning and purpose.

The history of adventurers can be traced back to the era of the first empire in the world. The first human emperor Einhart was the one who had brought an end to the unending conflict among the various intelligent races on the continent more than six centuries ago. He had united all of them under one banner and had formed the very first empire on the continent of Eucleia. That was a turning point in the history of mankind, as it signaled the rise of the human race. He had established an organization of elite individuals who were responsible for pioneering the vast lands, clearing out the dangerous labyrinths, and initiating contact with other races. These groups were called adventurers and were the primary reason for the emperor's success.

Unfortunately, the organization had dwindled right after his death due to a lack of support from the various noble families in power, before disbanding entirely a century or so later. The adventurers had become more of a 'sword for money' at this point for the nobles and merchants. They were generally considered as dregs of the society and had to take illegal jobs to survive.

This arrangement changed approximately 130 years ago when a 'calamity' occurred, one so great that it threatened to eradicate the existence of life itself on Eucleia, and had forced the gods themselves to act. The Goddess of love, compassion, and benevolence Alathia, who is considered the most popular goddess among the humans, bestowed her powers upon one man to fight against this calamity.

At this point, the once-massive empire had long ago fallen and was split into many kingdoms and princely states which were thirsty for more land and power, and used the calamity as a distraction to backstab each other. Chaos descended everywhere, and the common civilians were the ones who had to take the brunt of the disaster. Just when people had given up hope and were plunged into despair, Hero Alistar and his party became the sword and the shield to protect life on the continent.

He formed a temporary association of the wandering adventurers following Einhart's footsteps. Only that he changed the purpose of the organization from 'adventuring' to 'helping those in need'. During the calamity, when blood-soaked the lands and monsters run rampant, adventurers who had been looked down upon by the masses, found a purpose once again and stood at the front lines.

After the Hero's party emerged victorious against the calamity, the adventurer's guild was established as a large scale organization. Many people throughout the lands, inspired by the tales of the hero and other various strong individuals that became renowned during the calamity, followed a similar path of blood and sword.

As decades passed, the adventurer's guild grew larger and larger until it spread far and wide becoming the most sought out professionals in the world. That was the story of the rise of adventurers, one Legas had grown tired of hearing at this point.

The boy's hands moved quickly and skillfully as he washed the bowls while reminiscing the legendary ballad. In truth, Legas was very fond of the tale and idolized the hero. He found the hero's acts kind and benevolent and the motto of 'helping those in need' had resonated with him. But he didn't find modern-day adventurers living up to the hero's wish. The more he witnessed them up close, the more it seemed as if their actions are not a selfless act of aid, but rather something to be done for fame and money. He didn't have an iota of goodwill towards such a lot.

Just when Legas was lost in his thoughts with mixed emotions...

"What are you thinking about," a sweet, angelic voice suddenly assaulted his ears.