I return to the capital a day before my break ends. Using the extra time, I decided on the Merchant Quarter. I remember a blacksmith I frequently visited before the war but I can't remember his name except a vague memory of blur.
I doubt I can sell the Mhythalin without arousing danger or suspicions thus my current best course of action.
In a quiet district away from the bustling activity, a blacksmith store stands with timeless craftsmanship. Its weathered wood adorned with a wrought iron sign exudes the legacy of dedication to metalwork.
I'm pretty sure this is the place.
The interior of the store is simple. The piping hot atmosphere and the smell of metal. Crates of byproducts or failed project stacks at one corner were outcasted from the rows of weapons displayed on the shelves.
"We are closed." A young man covered with soot says. With a mop of rich brown hair from beneath a leather cap, his hazel gaze fills with despair.
It's slowly coming back. I think this young man is the one I'm looking for.
"I-"
"Shut it. Leave!" He says. "Hurry!"
...
I sense three presences behind the door.
Three towering and muscular muscleman blocks the entrance.
No words are needed. I return their glare with mine.
"Wait! He has nothing to do with this. Let him go!" The young blacksmith says.
They reach for their weapons at their waist but my sleight of hand outmatches theirs. A split second later, one line of blood splatters before three heads roll.
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Fate: 63020 -> 63320
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"Are they bothering you?" I ask with a smile to the young blacksmith.
He ponders for a while and shakes his head. "You cannot help. Those are henchmen-"
I show him my refined aura, a beautiful blue perfectly engulfs the blade.
!
"What...I only saw this in Knights...someone so young..." The young blacksmith mumbles.
...
"Well...have you heard of a gang 'Revelation'? Recently, they've been garnering influence in several cities. My grandfather and I escaped to the capital to avoid their grasp but to think they permeated even here..."
...Yes, Revelation is currently a small name but a future terrorist.
Rumours speculated their relation to the Outworlders' invasion. It isn't my problem though.
"Your grandfather? Did they take him?" I ask.
The young man nods.
"Hm...Alright, I will get him back. Go easy on the price when I come back." I say and pull out a cloth, tying it around my face. I head out of the store to find four more men loitering near. They've been here from the start and constantly observed the store. The daggers hidden at their belt and distress seal the suspicion.
Without warning, I jump in and slit a throat.
!
Three daggers aim for my head. my duck evaded all attacks and my blade lacerates two bellies, their guts and intestines burst out like an open dam.
"ARGH?!!" The two men fall to the ground in agony.
"A-An elite swordsman at that age?!" the last man exclaims and backs away.
YOU ARE READING
A Background Character's Fate
Fantasy"In war, commoners are the victims in victory or defeat." Struck by poverty amidst a long and devastating war, an ordinary mercenary dies among the countless corpses on a snowy battlefield. Yet by a stroke of luck, he regressed to his younger self...
