[Somar POV]

As I once again sat on the grave, I slowly caressed the tombstone Claude created for my parents. It’s been years since the Mana Calamity. The world has started to revolve and come to terms with the incident.

Those that are left behind will be sad, but life must go on.

We can’t stay in despair all the time since there are those that need to be saved. Not only are those who become victims of the Mana Calamity, but those who become victims for other reasons.

One of the people who need to be saved are the demi-humans.

Right now, I’m in the place where Claude found my parents' corpses and buried them.

Dedoldia Village

The village of beastmen, where the people were one of the main commodities slave traders must have had,

As they’re preyed upon by the slavers, they always live in fright. Since they are targets, they will either be subjugated or killed by the bandits, or even the mercenaries, over some pennies.

Different from humans, the beastmen are an exclusive commodity where the people won’t blatantly bring them like those Claude saved in the Fittoa region. They’re caged in a luxurious carriage and brought to Ars to be auctioned.

I am pretty astonished when I know that Mike and Claude were planning all the time when they created Arbalest, and the fact that Claude already saved people when he was around 8 years old. I still remember the day when I entered the city of Criminal and became the leader of Underground A.

The blood of humans, that’s something I can’t forget. The first person I killed, and the trepidation I got from killing that human trash.

As time passed, however, the act of killing became bland. That’s something I experienced at the age of 11, unlike Claude, who had done it since he was 8. Knowing that he’s a genius won’t change the fact that killing makes a stain on your mind.

I'd suspected he was a psychopath since our time in the village, but seeing him again that day confirmed it.

He’d yet to become psycho when he’s in the village. There’s something that's creating trouble in his mind. But, he’s still sane.

But, when I saw him again that day, I can feel the insanity reeking out of his being. The aura surrounding him is no different from the one I feel for the slave that’s being toyed by the slavers in the city of Criminals.

But, unlike the already insane slave, Claude still maintains his outside sanity as if a thread will snap easily.

Since we are still in contact, I know from Mike that he's been sent to a dungeon where his survival is minuscule. While he succeeds in overcoming the trial, the mind is still injured.

But, someday, out of nowhere, He suddenly became better.

Was it when he met with Isolte? Or was it The Water God’s training that stopped him from getting insane?

I don’t know about that, but one of the reasons why he snapped must be because of his parents' death.

I know how it feels, but I guess they shouldn’t be dead in the first place. Claude put the survival of the villagers on Buena as his number one priority. The fact is, almost all of them survived, aside from my parents and his.

weird right?

How can they not survive when Claude has already provided them with protection and tracking items?

It's strange that they died just a few weeks after Claude arrived in the Great Forest, knowing that we villagers can survive in the wild using our instincts.

Later, I learned that my parents were actually trying to save dwarves from being smuggled, thus after failing to save the dwarves. They are killed by the slavers.

"So, you’re here… We must begin our journey back, Lord Somar," said the dwarf who had recently become my right hand. He’s a young dwarf that survived being smuggled by the slavers that day.

Yes, one of the dwarves that succeeded in getting away. While my parents might fail in saving them all, they succeed in letting some of the dwarfs survive.

By the time we visited the dwarven village, he approached me since he knew that I looked like my dad.

Then, he started his story when my parents bravely appeared and tried to stop the slavers and distract them, while some might succeed in running away. More were captured. We’ve succeeded in finding the slave group, and I’m actually succeeding in getting my revenge.

After doing that, I continue to ransack the slavers' hideout and free the captured slaves. From there, I found more dwarfs and took them back to the dwarven village.

Thus, this young dwarf came with me and entered Underground A as a hub to connect us with the dwarf.

"Right, sorry for that. Let’s start our journey back to Milshion... " I said this as I rose from the ground.

"Alright sir, the beastmen started to get crazy again… I don’t know why they'd offer their woman to master Claude, I mean, they are ugly… is this their way of showing respect or mockery?" the young dwarf said in puzzlement. I agree with him. I don’t think that these beastmen’s women are ugly, but they are not that good in the looks department.

I know that they respect Claude a lot, but seeing how zealous they are to meet with him again makes me feel dread.

When I mentioned this matter to Claude, he just shrugged, and told me to leave them be. It’s getting annoying though. Thankfully, the village chief helps me whenever they start to go insane.

"Just leave them be..." I don’t want a weird religion to start to appear in the great forest" I said, while looking at the weird sight of beastmen crafters yelling they want to meet with God Claude.

"I never met with Master Claude, but the people in Underground A seem to be afraid of him. Is he good or bad? "

I stared at the young dwarf, and started to scale Claude’s trait.

"He’s not bad, but... he’s weird? I can say that he’s my friend, and I know he’s not bad, but he is very strict. He’s sincere in his work, and one can feel the sincerity whenever he trains us. But, he’s too devious; most people will hate that side of him. Well, overall he’s likable, just don’t ask him to train you" I said, warning the young dwarf about Claude.

"But, isn’t he a great blacksmith and a genius enchanter to boot? Won’t training from him be splendid? "

I leave the young dwarf alone, as if to distract myself from the insane training schedule the madman devised.

Thus, another transaction with the demi-human of the great forest is completed. Now, we will start to dominate the whole Millis continent economy.

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