Rune Soldier Louie Vol 1 Chapter 2

Behind closed doors   1. Training   An able bodied man stumbled to the ground. It was Louie, a magician of the “Kingdom of the Sword” from Ohfun. “You simply can’t do anything.” A series of rebukes were mercilessly directed at Louie. The red-haired female warrior was evaluating Louie. Genie and Louie were about the same height, both of them had burly physiques. Both of them worked up quite the sweat, their tanned skin was shining under the bright sun. “Try harder next time!” Louie spat onto the ground, he then quickly stood up. “You think you can resist my attacks?” Genie said with a sarcastic smile, but it was actually a provocation. “Are you saying you want to teach me how to use a sword?” Louie said.
It’s been ten days since Louie joined the three female adventurers. During this time, Louie has fulfilled his usual obligations to the Magician's Guild, Genie is looking forward to taking him on an adventurer. Yesterday, they received some good news. They found information about an undiscovered ancient ruin. Louie and the others were currently staying at a cottage on the outskirts of the city. This cottage seems to be their hiding place and rendezvous point, all the items they take on adventures are stored here. Louie was waiting, Melissa and Genie were also here, but apparently the little thief Merrill hasn’t arrived yet. During this period of waiting, no one said a word. Genie was swinging her large sword, while Melissa was kneeling and meditating. They girls didn’t really get along with Louie due to his personality and unfriendly att.i.tude, but nevertheless they endured him. Moreover, Louie was watching Genie swing her huge sword, he really wanted to test himself against her strength and skills. (As an adventurer, you have to have the ability to save people’s lives.) Louie thought about this, this is why he wanted to learn how to use a sword. Indeed, Louie was pleased when she agreed to train him. But for the moment, she simply said “You’re going to regret this”. From the moment he heard her say this, Louie knew he made a big mistake. Genie didn’t sincerely want to train him in swordsmanship, she simply wanted the opportunity to teach him a lesson. “Remember to keep your eyes on your opponent!” Genie shouted, and then she mercilessly brought her large sword down upon Louie. Although Genie let Louie borrow a sword, it really wasn’t a good sword, Louie was unable to resist her attack. But this didn’t stop Louie, he went three rounds with Genie. Louie came out battered and bruised, the tip of his head was cracked, and blood trickled down his forehead. “An injury like this is simply nothing.” Genie laughed, she tightly griped her sword again. This time she didn’t strike Louie with her sword, instead she kicked him to the ground. (It can’t be helped.) Louie stood up, he then spat on his palm. He concentrated, and held the sword firmly in his right hand. Meanwhile, he clenched his left hand into a fist. He then swung his sword towards Genie, but she easily blocked it. “Your sword is like a stick!” Genie laughed at him, as she retaliated. However, Louie suddenly stuck out his left fist. Genie saw this coming and naturally retracted herself, but this wasn’t enough, she was punched in the eye by Louie. (Why couldn’t I escape that guy’s fist?) She fell to the ground, shaking the earth itself, dust went up into the air. “Since you attacked me with your feet, there’s nothing wrong with me using my fists.” Louie wore a proud smile on his face, he was teasing her. Melissa cover her face with her hands, she sighed deeply. (He’s just like a boxer.) Melissa couldn’t help but feel shame. (He can’t even use a sword properly, he spits on his hands, he’s simply a rogue. His behaviour is so despicable, why did G.o.d select him as my hero?) Melissa secretly asked the G.o.d of War this question. This is because she got a revelation from her G.o.d, Mylee, she was told that her hero was a magician. Melissa and her hero are from completely different worlds, however, she can’t go against a revelation from her G.o.d. Genie and Merrill were against this from the start, but she couldn’t accept the advice of her friends. She was committed, and both of her friends supported her decision due to their strong friendship. That’s why they let Louie join their group. However, she doubted if Louie was truly her destined hero. Melissa raised her head, she looked into the spring sky. “G.o.d of War, give me the strength to endure……” Melissa prayed quietly. “This is against my will.”   2 – Thieves   It was the mid-afternoon, the little thief Merrill was just done gathering intelligence. “That darn broker, I can’t believe he tried to sell me second hand information!” Merrill cursed under her breath angrily, it seems the information broker had sold the same information to other people. Generally, when adventurers need to find information they head to an “adventuring shop”. This is how the adventuring industry works, the information brokers find information and they sell it to adventurers, usually to the highest bidder. However, most of the time the information is only sold to one person. Merrill then headed back to their hideout on the outskirts of the city, she wanted to discuss buying the information with the others. They discussed it for a while, but decided that they’ll work it out tomorrow. The girls stayed at the cottage while Louie went back to the magician’s guild. “That woman……” Louie went back to his room, he took off his clothes and inspected the scars on his body. There was cuts, abrasions, and numerous bruises. He was annoyed by this, but the average person would probably die of fright. Fortunately, Louie isn’t an average person. Even if he couldn’t stand these injuries, he would still be able to dominate the alley in Joy Street. Louie skilfully treated the numerous wounds on his body. Originally, the warrior priest of Mylee offered to heal him with her healing magic, but Louie said he could handle it himself. He had no reason not to refuse treatment from the warrior priestess Melissa. However, Melissa isn’t fully confident in her abilities, especially when it comes to attending to her hero. This is most likely due to her doubting herself, she tried three times in a row practicing her healing magic, but every time it ended in failure. Luckily for Louie, he choose the rather primitive way of healing himself. He was pretty good at tending to his wounds, mostly because he was always fighting. One time he was stabbed in the stomach, he tended to his wounds and went to cla.s.s the next day as usual. “You’ve come back?” When he was almost finished tending to his wounds, the door suddenly opened, it was Ila. The door was opened by his friend from the same cla.s.s, Ila. “Why are you wearing no clothes?” Ila saw him naked, but she wasn’t really bothered by this. She approached him, only to find his body covered in scars. Because she reads books excessively, her eyesight has declined, so her vision is always blurry. “Does it hurt?” Ila stretched out her hand, and touched his wounds. “Of course it hurts, since you touched it!” “Oh, is that right?” Ila smiled happily. “Anyway, you should put on some clothes. You can’t remain naked in front of a lady.” “A lady shouldn’t recklessly enter a room with a naked man.” “You’re missing the point, Louie.” Just as Ila responded, she pulled something out of her hand bag. “What’s that?” It was a two pieces of transparent crystal being held with metal strips, it looked more like a pair of gla.s.ses than a magical treasure. “Oh, it’s a magical treasure.” Ila said diligently. She specializes in “endow magic”. This type of magic makes objects produce magical effects. For a woman such as Ila, this magical treasure will probably be used as a research subject. “It obviously has two lenses, why don’t you call it four eyes?” “Because the gla.s.ses contain four kinds of magic.” Louie looked at it more closely, Ila looked very pleased. “It has the ability to improve the wearer’s vision. You know, my eyesight is very bad, so this thing will help me out a lot.” Then, she sang an ancient mantra. The lens on the gla.s.ses turned black. “When the colour of the lens changes, it has a different effect on your vision. For example, I could see people naked with these……” “Don’t get any funny ideas.” Louie protested, he didn’t like the idea of someone watching him while he was naked. “You know, you could sell them and make some money.” If she wanted to sell it, she wouldn’t have a problem, since her father owns __, one of the largest businesses in the Kingdom of Ohfun. Though she would never do that, since she doesn’t have any money problems. Also, Louie’s father is the court magician of the Kingdom, and a teacher at the Magicians Guild at the same time, money isn’t a problem for him either. To learn magic at the Magicians Guild you have to pay a sizeable fee, most of the students come from wealthy families. Ila smiled, then she sang another incantation. This time, the colour of the lens changed from black to red. “This colour gives you night vision, the night practically becomes clear as day……” “What’s the fourth magic?” This time, Ila remained silent. Then, she took off the gla.s.ses. “I can’t use the last kind of magic. It’s the evil eye……” “The evil eye?” Louie stood up. “That’s dangerous, you must bring it to the Forbidden treasure storehouse right now!” Louie exclaimed. Most people fear magicians and the power they could hold. Furthermore, if magicians were left to exist in the world, people fear they would resurrect the ancient magical kingdom and rule once again. Thus, magical artefact deemed too powerful is stored in the library among the forbidden treasures, to prevent them being used for illicit purposes, the room is always sealed. Ila held up the pair of gla.s.ses, it may be deemed to dangerous because of the evil eye, if she let her teachers know this, she would probably be expelled from the magicians guild. “You’re too loud.” A flirtatious smile appeared on Ila’s face, as she moved her fingers along Louie’s lips to keep his mouth shut. “Suffice to say, the fourth magic contained within the gla.s.ses must not be used.” Ila once again put on the gla.s.ses, and became signing another mantra. Louie’s body became stiff as he watched Ila, he had never heard of this mantra before, he also didn’t know if she was actually activing the fourth type of magic. However, the gla.s.ses returned to their original transparent look. “I won’t use the evil eye. However, you better not make me angry or I’ll……” Behind the lens of the gla.s.ses, for an instant, Louie thought the saw a pair of evil eyes. “Scare you to death……” Louie put a hand on his chest, his whole body was covered in sweat. “Oh, I heard you became an adventurer.” Ila suddenly changed the topic, and leaned forward towards Louie. Because her eyesight has always been so bad, she always leans closer to people when she talks to them, this is a habit of hers. But now she has the magical gla.s.ses, after getting a good look at Louie, she leaned backwards. “Oh, these are pretty good.” After she carefully measured the distance between herself and Louie, Ila revealed a satisfied smile. Her expression was like a joyful girl. Even though Louie was much larger than her, she was actually 20 years old, 2 years older than Louie. “You know, you can always find good companions.” Ila said to herself, while holding her right hand out. “Huh?” “All you have to do is ask. Even though I’m not the type of person who’d search ruins, but when it comes to relics, I’m really interested in what magical treasure could be inside.” “I don’t think I’m in any position to be arguing about anything with my travelling companions. It’s also really dangerous to search ruins, it’ll be too much for you.” “Yeah, death is a possibility, but you do get paid for whatever treasure you find, especially when it comes to magical treasures. You know, the magician’s guild separates magical treasures into two different categories, powerful treasures that are sealed in the library of forbidden treasures……” Ila began to dream, she wanted to manage the library of forbidden treasures in the future. To her, that place was like heaven. “Alright! I’ll do my best.” Even though Louie wasn’t fully confident, he wanted to try his best. “I’ll also be on the lookout for anything interesting.” “Yeah, it would be great if you find something.” Ila smiled at him, then left the room. “I can’t wait……” After Ila left the room, a wry smile appeared on Louie’s face. Ever since both of them had entered the magician’s guild, Louie and Ila treated each other like brother and sister, that’s why she can come in and out of Louie’s room at will. However, compared to the three women, Ila was like a little girl. Genie, Melissa, Merrill, and little Merrill, Louie didn’t know why, but he didn’t know why they didn’t want him to journey with them. “Who cares what they think, I’ll show them.” Louie murmured, he then sat down at the table. In front of him was a book given to him by his father Carwes, he started flicking through the pages. “I’m looking forward to using some magic……” Louie said to himself, as he closed the book of magic. “Anyway, this should be enough.” With his fists and hands, he left the room with a smile.     3 Sword Princess   “You don’t look too happy.” Melissa was praying devoutly in the chapel of the G.o.d of War, Mylee. Suddenly, a voice came from behind her, she stood up. “High Priestess Jenny……” Melissa saluted as she approached. Standing in front of her was one of the highest ranking priestess in all of Ohfun. “I can see you aren’t smiling anymore. I know this temple can get lonely sometimes, but rest a.s.sured, I am here if you ever want to talk about your troubles.” High Priestess Jenny is a very old woman. Melissa nodded her head, she then knelt in front of her and confessed. High Priestess Jenny was the one who told Melissa her revelation from G.o.d, and that she must serve her chosen hero. “My chosen hero is not a hero. In fact, he’s a magician, a magician who would strike a woman with his bare hand.” Melissa said to the High Priestess. Not long ago, before she was given a revelation from G.o.d, she was told to wait for her chosen hero. She was cheerful back then, but now she couldn’t stand the fact that her hero was a magician, and a woman beater. Jenny couldn’t help but wonder about her hero. Melissa went to tell her how she failed a healing chant three times. And thus, she repented in front of the G.o.d of War. “When I look at his face, I just can’t stand him……” Jenny thought that she hated him, she felt sorry for her fellow priestess. “Even so, he is still a hero, G.o.d has entrusted him to you. You must learn to understand him, and in turn he will understand you. She didn’t know whether Melissa hated men entirely, or just her hero. “I don’t think I can do this……” “I know you can do it, you just have to give him a chance.” Jenny said, as she smiled at her. Though, Jenny was giving this matter serious thought, she knew that if Melissa took this too hard, she may commit suicide. If anything happened to her, it would be a big loss to the church, and to her friends. Though Jenny would never let it come to that, she cared deeply about all her peers. “You have a mission, you must follow your hero no matter what he may be. “G.o.d gave me this revelation, could it have been wrong?” Melissa asked Jenny, her face looked very lonely. “At that time, you clearly heard the voice of G.o.d......” Among the clergy, whenever you hear the voice of G.o.d, it’s usually through another person.   “G.o.d doesn’t lie, stick to your beliefs.” This is all Jenny could say to Melissa, this is because it’s taboo to say that you doubt G.o.d’s revelation. In fact, if anyone other than Jenny heard Melissa doubt G.o.d’s revelation, they would probably have her expelled from the Church.  “I know I’m being naïve. I wish I was as strong as you, Jenny.” When she heard those words, her expression changed dramatically. Jenny was far from an ordinary person, she helped found the Kingdom when the evil dragon was slain. (True, I am strong……) Jenny looked into the distance, thinking of times long gone by. Back when she went on adventures with Carwes, she was a young lady, full of confidence. “You and I are different, I didn’t get a revelation from G.o.d.” Jenny had finished reminiscing, Melissa was quiet. “……Why?” The few other priestess that were nearby gasped. (No surprise there.) Jenny was a special case. Jenny, who used to be called the "Sword Princess," was asked by Rijarl, who was a simple wandering mercenary at the time, and later king of Ohfun, to accompany him upon a battle-filled journey. During all this time, Carwes and Jenny were by his side. All sorts of enemies appeared before the three, trying to obstruct their way. The last enemy that stood before them was the evil dragon, Crish. They helped Rijarl and defeated Crish after a fierce battle. They would all gladly go to the gates of h.e.l.l and back for Rijarl. Though, that’s not to say that Rijarl didn’t have any bad attributes. For one he was arrogant, he liked to drink, was a womanizer, if most people knew this about them they wouldn’t think he was a man who committed heroic deeds. Jenny naturally developed feelings for Rijarl. One night after a fierce battle, both of them were mentally and physically fatigued. Even though they spent some time together that night, nothing happened afterwards. As a result, Jenny never married, nor did she have any children. Because when she learned more about Rijarl’s personality, in her eyes, men are just mortals. Jenny never forgot about him, nor did she regret meeting him. After the Kingdom of Ohfun was founded, Rijarl and Princess (梅蕾蒂) got married. However, he couldn’t’ beat his old habits, he stayed a womanizer and reportedly cheated on his wide on numerous occasions, usually with the maids. Fortunately, the princess was a very smart woman, after a few years, she finally suppressed his lecherous habits. Even so, his many mistresses still bore children, but these matters were swept under the rug as to keep the true successor to the throne a secret. As far as Jenny knew, the true prince was born from one of Rijarl’s concubines. “High priestess……” Melissa called out to Jenny, obviously worried. “I’m fine. Only those pure of heart can hear the voice of G.o.d.” Jenny smiled, but she didn’t tell Melissa the truth. “Didn’t G.o.d give you any hints?” Melissa timidly asked Jenny. “No, nothing.” “To get a revelation from G.o.d is considered a great honour, it is also said G.o.d gives you many trials to overcome in order to pa.s.s the test. I will help you in any way possible, Melissa.” “Thank you.” Melissa said in a weak voice, her eyes full of tears. “Take him to the temple. Maybe if you can get him to pray, he could become a hero.” Jenny said, she was giving her advice, but she was also interested in this magician. Then, she asked the magicians name. “……His name is Louie, son of Headmaster Carwes.”     Melissa said in a low voice. “Louie?” As soon as Jenny heard that name, a shock went through her entire body, she hadn’t felt that kind of feeling in years. “Do you know him?” “Ah, of course I know him. I was good friends with Carwes for thirty years……” Jenny answered. However, this wasn’t the only reason she was surprised. (Is this fate?) Jenny said inside herself. (No, this must be a coincidence……) However, it doesn’t seem destiny had any part in this, for it was the decision that she made thirty years ago that was to blame. Jenny looked into Melissa’s eyes, with a hint of envy. “Thank you Jenny, I’m already feeling better.” Melissa certainly didn’t know Jenny’s true feelings, she slowly stood up and smiled. “You cannot escape him, you must face your hero.” Jenny said these words, intending to encourage Melissa. Then, she thought about this moment, she knew that Melissa shouldn’t run away from this opportunity to gain life experiences. Looking at Melissa walk away from the chapel, Jenny had a feeling, a feeling that a pa.s.sionate era was coming.   4 – Thieves Guild   “Five thousand silver coins, that’s my lowest price.” The information broker said, with an obvious grin on his face. “No one has found the remains yet. Can you imagine, that place is probably filled with countless treasures.” “Yes, I can imagine——there being no treasure!” Merrill said bluntly to the information broker. The Thieves Guild operated in an underground bar, they were currently in a small room. Merrill was trying to negotiate the price of the information. “We will only give you money once we have found the treasure, deal?” Merrill tried a different approach, though they risked losing the deal entirely. “You know what? I don’t like gambling.” The broker said bluntly. (d.a.m.n it! He won’t take a risk!) Merrill said inside herself. “Just pay the price that I’ve given you. I’ve already discounted it from the price of seven thousand silver coins. Or——” An insidious grin appeared on the brokers face. “If you have no money, you can spend the night with me……” Upon hearing this, Merrill pulled a dagger and immediately put it towards the broker’s neck. “I want you to see the sun come up tomorrow, you’ll shut up.” Although the broker was still smiling, Merrill had nothing but murderous intent on her mind. Since she received combat training in the thieves’ guild, Merrill knows how to handle all types of opponents, her skill and speed with a knife is unheard of. However, in terms of overall experience, she is still not mature enough, if she was to fight anyone who wasn’t in the thieves guild, she’d probably lose. “That’s a great sense of humour you’ve got……” The broker said, his face now tense. “I’m not joking.” Merrill’s face now became calm, as she put the blade back into her sheath. She was wearing loose clothing, so her chest was a little exposed. “You seem more like a Cat, than a rabbit, if I say so myself.” The broker said in a teasing tone. “Well, now I’m a bear.” The broker sighed. Rabbits and cats are jargon used in the thieves guild. Cat refers to thief, and bear refers to a an adventurer. There are also more terms used in the thieves guild, for example dog refers to someone being a spy for the royal family, fox is someone who is a fraudulent liar, and brokers are generally called “rat”.Rabbit refers to someone who works in a brothel. “This is nonsense. Cat’s like you are really rare.” When Merrill was a baby, she was thrown away by her parents, a homeless couple found her lying on the street and took her in, but they sold her to the thieves guild when she reached five years old. From the moment she arrived she was forced to pay for her own freedom. If she had chosen to become a rabbit, there would be no way out of the endless cycle of prost.i.tution. Therefore, after a careful a.s.sessment, she decided to become a cat and take the thieves guild training. They were really impressed with her skills, and in just one year she earned her freedom.  To everyone in the thieves guild, she will always be a cat. “I’m not doing it for money……” Merrill murmured. One year ago, Merrill found herself needing money, she was almost penniless. So she joined the ranks of adventures, seeking money and treasure.  “Alright, I’ll cut you a sweeter deal, how does four thousand sound?” “Broker……” Merrill looked up, her big round eyes staring right at him. “Are you thick in the head!?” He seemed very angry, he stretched out his hand. Merrill took out a few gems and carefully put them in his hand. “Although they aren’t top quality, these stones should be enough.” Since she was running low on money, she used precious stones for payment instead of money. “Wait until the end of the bidding, then I’ll give you the information.” “I know.” Merrill then turned to leave. She went to the door, and was about to open the small handle of the door, but she suddenly thought of something, she then turned and faced the broker. “What’s wrong?” “I forgot something.” Merrill smiled at the broker, then winked. “Oh, thank you.” “Little Merrill……” All of a sudden, he started laughing, he then raised his right hand in response to Merrill’s thanks. “If you were like that more often, then maybe the price would be lower.” “I don’t want to bargain that way!” Merrill shouted, then she kicked the door open and left the room.   ***   “So, did the negotiations go smoothly?” The following morning, the three female adventures including Louie came to the cottage. They asked this question because they were preparing to leave. “I you already know, why ask?” Jenny said coldly. The red-haired warrior woman was holding her right eye, the bruising was fairly obvious, and there was also signs of swelling. That was from yesterday, the result from Louie’s punch. She looked at Louie, seeing the scar she left him yesterday, it looked very painful. Even so, he was still excited. “We’re finally going on an adventure……” Louie had mixed feelings about this whole ordeal. He really wanted to cry out in pain, he thought about doing it, but he didn’t want the girls to think he was a bigger fool than he already was. “Yeah, don’t bust my leg this time.” The thief girl looked at Louie with contempt in her eyes. “We are looking forward to see if you are truly a hero.” Melissa said, sounding very superficial. (Well, just you wait and see.) Louie said inside himself, he then looked down at his waist. A sword was hanging by his waist, he brought it with him this morning. He spent a lot of time choosing the right sword, Louie didn’t want just any old sword. Finally, he choose a long-handled straight double-edged sword, it was like this sword was made for him. It could be said that the sword became his travelling companion, a trustworthy friend that he can always rely on. After waiting a while, the entire group had all their equipment ready. “Off we go!” Genie loudly announced. The adventure had finally begun.   5 – The First Adventure   “……This is a dangerous area, only adventures dare roam these parts.” The little thief Merrill said. Louie was born in the capital of Ohfun, this was the first time he had been outside the city limits. Therefore, it was necessary for the girls to brief him about the area. At the beginning, the girls were only talking to each other, but after a while, they started to talk to Louie. Though this proved to be too much for Louie, as Merrill’s high tone and fast talking made his head spin. To cope with Merrill’s height, Louie had to bend over a little, he carefully listened to every word she said. “For an adventurer there’s two things that they do, fighting or exploring.” For those who were good at fighting, they generally guarded caravans or worked for important figures. As for the people who have expertise in exploring, their goal was to explore the ruins of the ancient kingdom, or they find missing persons or missing items.  “What areas are our group proficient in?” Louie asked, after listening to Merrill. “Our group is all rounded! As you can see, Genie does the exploring and fighting while I handle matters in town. ” The thief girl proudly said, sticking out her chest. “No matter what the task, will you accept it?” “Only if we are paid well. However, we don’t just don’t accept any job. For example, if the job is life threatening, we won’t take it.” Merrill said in a serious voice. “We also want to test our abilities, whether it be wisdom, strength, skills, etc……” “You’ve said enough.” Merrill wasn’t finished, Genie interrupted her. Perhaps she thought that Merrill was telling Louie too much. “Genie, since you weren’t willing to teaching him the basics of adventuring that task fell onto me. What would happen if we wandered into wilderness and he wasn’t prepared, it would be a disaster!” “We shouldn’t have let a rookie join in the first place, it’s too much trouble. We should have just picked a female magician instead.” “That wouldn’t work. He was a hero chosen by G.o.d and I must follow him, even if it’s against my will.” When Genie complained, Melissa refuted her argument. (Is that so?) Louie said inside himself. Louie was listening to all three of them, he found out that all three of them were criticizing him directly. One thought that he was stupid for not knowing the outside world was dangerous, one thought that he was a rookie, and the other one only tolerated his existence because G.o.d told her so. These three female adventurers really didn’t want anything to do with Louie. (I just have to be patient.) Louie said inside himself. It seemed they were now approaching their chosen destination. In the ruins of the ancient kingdom, there are a lot of dangerous traps and monsters. To overcome these dangers, one must have determination and strength. Louie suddenly felt excited. However, at that time, something caught his foot. Louie fell on his back, his hips and back violently hitting the ground. “You are so clumsy, I doubt you’ll even be able to protect yourself.”     The thief girl said. Louie couldn’t hold back his anger, he slowly stood up. His luggage was still fastened around his waist, it looked fine. He was mostly carrying bags to put all the treasure in, he also carried some herbs for magic. Although Louie said they wouldn’t need them, the female magician Ila insisted that they would come in handy, she more or less forced him to take it with him. She also didn’t forget to remind him about their deal. Ila wanted Louie to bring back any valuable artefacts from the ruins for her research. Louie patted the dust off him, and then moved forward. The three women had left Louie behind, he could see them in the distance. They weren’t’ arguing anymore, they appeared to be laughing. (Looks like they’re happy without me.) Louie decided to keep his distance between him and the three women. Even if there was no one for him to talk to, he was still interested in getting to the ruin, because that’s when he could have some fun. (The ruin is right around the corner.) Louie said inside himself, he now couldn’t’ see the three women in front of him.     6 – Ruins   Finally they came to the ruins of the ancient kingdom, it’s been five days since they left Ohfun. The Yasugarun mountain range could be seen in the distance, a town could also been seen half way between them and the mountains. Although most of the ruins of the ancient kingdom are covered in weeds, this wasn’t the case for this ruin, Louie could tell people had been here before. “I wonder what treasure is inside.” Louie said out loud. “Don’t get your hopes up.” Merrill said rudely. Out of the three women, the thief girl was the worst, mostly because her personality and mannerism was fairly straightforward, though Louie didn’t care about the tone of her voice. Even so, Louie knew they still thought of him as an outsider. “This ruin is very close to that town, so there’s a high possibility that we won’t find anything.” “I know.” This was common sense, Louie already knew that. There ruin wasn’t very big, that status of the owner must have been very low. The ruins which Carwes and the King found were much bigger than this, when compared to the ruins they found, this was nothing. “There must have been some part which hasn’t been explored.” “Here we go.” The thief girl proudly smiled, as she looked through the ruins. “Even though this ruin is nearby a town, there should be something that people have overlooked and not explored.” Because this ruin was nearby a town, other adventures have most likely explored and taken what treasure they found. However, sometimes ruins outside of big cities and town remain largely ignored because of the dangers within. “In ancient ruins, there is generally a door that leads underground.” After Merrill said that, she jumped onto a pile of rubble. She then knelt down on one foot, and started examining the rubble. “It’s below!” Looking through the rubble, Merrill could see some type of mark. “If we can get this rubble out of the way, we can gain access to the underground area. It was covered by all of these stones, that’s why no one has found it yet.” After Merrill said that, she started to come down from the pile of rubble. Because of her very short skirt, she had to move carefully so n.o.body saw her underpants! “Is a door really hidden beneath this rubble?” They didn’t know how many adventurers had come across this ruin, but the fact that no one had found this door was cause for concern. “I found part of the door that wasn’t under much rubble.” After inspecting the door, she heard an echo after she knocked on the door, she speculated that there could be a staircase underneath the door. “So this is……” After listening to the words of Merrill, Louie felt enlightened. Previously he has heard from other people mention that thieves have the ability to look at something in a way that normal people can’t, he didn’t expect to see it first-hand. “I’m amazed you found that door and knew what was underneath.” “A survey of this ruin is necessary. However, that’s not the reason we came here.” “We came here for another reason?” Louie curiously asked the thief girl. “Yeah, we’re also here to fight some monsters. We’ve heard of a group of monsters that feed on the local villagers livestock, this ruin might be their hideout.” It was most likely evil goblins, usually they didn’t go near humans and hid deep in the forests or mountains. However, they reproduce really fast, and because of this they need to find new place to live, this unfortunately leads them to live close to humans, much to the anger of the local population. This village is also located on the border, so this type of trouble isn’t unusual to them. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t try and do something about it, recently they’ve been hiring adventurers to help them with their problems. Adventurers are the best choice when it comes to these matters. “It seems other adventurers came here before, one of them was a thief and marked this door, but he or she didn’t tell their employer.” That also means that the intelligence broker could know. “Does that mean this is a scam?” “Yes, most likely.” Merrill said, Louie accepted this. Although Merrill looked cute, but she was also a thief, she could be fooling Louie and he probably wouldn’t notice. “Let’s get on with this!” Genie shouted out aloud, she was getting bored. “In short, someone’s marked a door and hasn’t come back. Moving on……” Melissa also felt the same way as Genie. (No one has opened this door……) Louie constantly repeated those words that the female warrior said in his head. Those words proved attractive for him. If no one has opened the door, then that meant something valuable could be inside, and he thought it was worth the risk. “It would be great if we could get this door open.” “We just need to understand something……” Melissa revealed a n.o.ble smile. “We need to remove all this rubble, would you be willing to remove all this rubble?” While the three women looked fairly able to move rocks, Louie was fairly confident that he could move them all himself. “Sure, I’ll move it all.” Louie threw down all his luggage, including his magical wand. Then he started moving all the rubble, one small pile at a time. “Come on, let’s have some food!” Melissa was in a particularly good mood. Louie didn’t say anything, he just continued moving the rubble. “Well, let’s eat!” The red haired female warrior said to the other two women, as they sat on some nearby rocks. She took off the bag around her back, and started removing all kinds of things, such as bread, fruit, and some easy to store meat. Merrill cheered loudly, as she seized a piece of meat. She then started to cut the meat into small pieces with her small dagger, then she put it into her mouth. “Be careful not to choke.” Genie said dismissively. “Stop acting like I’m a child.” Merrill’s mouth was stuffed with food, while chewing she shouted angrily to Genie. “I only eat meat, it’s good for the body!” Melissa took some fruit, she took a dagger and carefully peeled the skin off, she then cut it into several pieces and put it onto a small wooden plate. Genie held out her hand, and all three of them put a piece in their mouths. Then Melissa started to peel the skin off another piece of fruit. “That magical companion we have is pretty good.” Merrill said in a mocking tone, as she looked over at Louie moving the rubble. Then Louie suddenly remember the incantation for the lightweight spell, if he used that then the heavy stones could be moved easily. “Do you think he’ll be able to move all those rocks?” Halfway through eating her meal, Genie stopped. “He just wanted to show how much of a man he is! When he gets tired, he’ll stop.” Melissa had nothing to say, she continued to peel. “I just hope he’s not as stupid as he looks.” Merrill said, as she continued to eat. From time to time she would take a drink from a leather pouch, just like an animal who drinks from a lake, her face was covered in water. If there was a nearby river or lake, they could easily get more drinkable water, however, they don’t have time to dilly dally. Since the information broker told them the ruins were small, so the underground section must be very small. So it wouldn’t take too much time to explore the place, this is why they didn’t take too much food with them, (So this is what I get for four thousand silver coins? They’re better be some treasure.) Merrill said inside herself, as she continued to chew meat. Then she smiled, for all she knew this ruin had lots of treasure hidden away somewhere. However, she still didn’t know if they would actually find anything worthwhile. Secretly, Merrill was watching the magicians every move. Even though the summer heat was relentless, Louie kept moving the rubble off the door. With his armour and most of his clothes removed, the physique of his upper body was very attractive. His muscles were covered in sweat, he looked like a natural born fighter. “I wonder if he’ll move them all.” “He’s already helped out a lot, but if he continues like that he’ll become tired. Then we’ll have no on to move those rocks.” Melissa didn’t eat that much because her appet.i.te isn’t that big. However, she was still making food. She b.u.t.tered some bread and sprinkled vanilla powder on it, then she called for Louie to join them. But he wasn’t willing to stop lifting the rubble. Melissa wasn’t going to accept this fact. Even though she didn’t like him, she still thought he needed something to eat. She had seen bare chested men before, but the sight of Louie’s physique made her nervous. She knew that she mustn’t be fooled by a man’s body, however, she thought that he was simply showing how superior men are to women. Men are naturally better than women, so a woman can only play the role of being protected…… The spirit of chivalry, Melissa hated this. Because she couldn’t stand that sort of thing, she gave up her aristocratic name. “Women are only beautiful decorations.” Suddenly she heard the words of her fiancé. When Melissa came to Ohfun to join the Temple of Mylee, she met High Priest Jenny, although she was a woman, she had a very high position in the church. From that point onward, she was told that one day she would serve a hero chosen by her G.o.d Mylee. (Even so……) Melissa sighed deeply. When the G.o.d of War gave her a revelation, she was told that the magician Louie was her chosen hero. However, this man didn’t have the qualities a hero should have. (This trial, may be too much for me……) Melissa put her head down and repented. At that moment, Genie couldn’t take it anymore, she stood up. “I’ll help you move that big rock……” Genie said to Louie, while she pointed at a big rock on top of the door. Louie had already removed more than half of the rubble, but there was some pretty big rocks. “Let me finish, I’m almost done!” Louie replied, he didn’t intend on stopping. His body sweat had long dried into his skin due to the intense heat of the sun, and although he was out of breath, his face didn’t look tired at all. “Without the use of the lightweight spell, it’ll be impossible for a normal person to move it……” “Then let me help you with it. Genie said bluntly, then she began to move towards the rock. “You should leave this kind of heavy handed work to a man who knows what he’s doing.” Louie said. However, Genie didn’t answer him, she just fiercely started at him. Louie thought that he hurt her pride with that comment. (This is it!) Louie smiled. “Alright then, we’ll both move it together. You grab that side and I’ll grab this side.” Louie said. However, Genie never said a word while they moved the rock, she just stared at him. Merrill and Melissa came over to watch them move the rock, though they didn’t help. Genie watched Louie struggle to move the rock, she knew that he needed help all along. “Those two people, they seem so alike!” Merrill said to Melissa, with her hands on her cheeks. “Do you mean their physique?” Melissa asked. “I guess so, but more like they’re personality.” “Really?” Melissa said with a puzzled look on her face. Because she didn’t know what type of man Louie was, she really didn’t know how to answer. However, Merrill made this very clear, her observations were rarely wrong. Suddenly Melissa hugged Merrill from behind. “Melissa, what’s wrong?” She knew that Merrill didn’t grow up with a lavish lifestyle like she did, and that she saw everyone in a different light because of this. (He’s not a bad person……) While Melissa kept hugging her, Merrill gazed towards Louie. With her big round eyes, she saw a big sword. She knew Louie was in trouble, and this time she didn’t want to hesitate.   7 Goblins   All the stones on top of the door had been removed. Merrill then came onto the scene, she was looking for the correct position of the door. She knocked on the door, then she started to pour water over the dust covered door, the flow of the water would determine the cracks of the door. “I got it! I got it!” Merrill shouted repeatedly, with her dagger in hand she drew a big square. “Good girl!” Genie said, as she touched Merrill’s head. “Don’t treat me as a child!” Merrill said angrily, as she pushed Genie’s hand away. “Do you know how to open it?” Melissa asked. “I’ll need to examine it a little more. However, we could get our magician to use an incantation to open the door!” Little Merrill watched proudly. (They need a man to do everything.) Louie said inside himself. He then prepared to chant the incantation, he was going to use the “unlock” spell. “Alright, it’s magic time!” Louie said. As he began to chant the incantation, he could feel himself get slightly weaker, though this is only natural as using magic does take some of your strength away. “Since this ruin is small, there shouldn’t be many hidden dangers.” Merrill said. (I still hope there’s some fun to be had.) Louie said inside himself, just as he finished the “unlock” spell. At that moment, a large grinding sound could be heard, the door was opening. After the huge door fully opened, everybody could see a staircase leading underground. “Alright, let’s go in!” Genie said as she lit a torch, she was the first to descend the stairs. Merrill and Mellissa followed after her, Louie was guarding the rear. (Oh yeah, I forgot I borrowed this from Ila……) Louie reached into his pocket, and pulled out a magical treasure. It was the “four” magical gla.s.ses. Before leaving to go on the adventure, he borrowed several magical treasures from Ila. ——“This is a very important item to me, you better bring it back!” Louie remembered what Ila said to him before he left. Because this was very important to her, she told him more than once. She really didn’t want it getting lost or broke, she even asked if he wanted her to accompany him. This magical treasure is very dangerous, logically speaking, it should be sealed away with all the other forbidden treasures. Mainly because it has the ability to kill someone with the evil eye, a function within the gla.s.ses. However, this wasn’t the reason why Louie wanted it. He needed it to see in the dark, it would come in useful when searching dungeons or seeing in the night. When Louie put on the gla.s.ses, he began to chant the incantation for night vision. Then, his vision became all red. He could clearly see everything as clear as day, with this he could move freely in the dark. While feeling the effect of the magical gla.s.ses, the three girls and Louie continued down the stairs. “Yuck, there’s a bad smell……” Genie said, desperately trying to find its origin. “It could be the smell of dust, sometimes books have this smell.” Louie said aloud. “Or this foul odour could be coming from a foul beast……” “Maybe it’s a zombie. The ancient kingdom manipulated undead monsters.” After listening to their words, Merrill said something. “Could a necromancer really be in here?” A necromancer is a magician who manipulates and creates undead monsters. Among the undead monsters, there are zombies, vampires, headless hors.e.m.e.n, and so on. This made Louie become excited. “Melissa, you change positions with Merrill. Merrill, keep an eye on our rear, and remember to protect the stupid magician.” “Ma'am” Yes, Ma'am!” Whenever Genie gives instructions, Merrill always loudly agrees. “If our opponent is an undead monster, the magician is going to be more useful than any of us.” Merrill said. They finally came to the bottom of the stairs, in front of them was a big room and two doors. “Two doors? Which one do we take?” Genie said, then she put her hands on one of the doors. She tried pushing it open, but it wouldn’t open. “Maybe they’re locked.” Merrill said, then she ran to Genie’s side. “Aren’t you supposed to be guarding the rear?” Louie said. “I know. Just give me a minute over here.” “No matter. Monster or not, I’ll defeat whatever comes my way.” Louie pulled out a sword, he bought it the day before he departed from Ohfun. He turned around, and took a good look at the staircase. Then, he suddenly discovered something. (Is that……) There was a s.p.a.ce at both sides of the stairs, it looked like it was doors. Genie didn’t notice this, since her touch didn’t light up that area. However, Louie was using the magic night vision gla.s.ses, with this he sees in the dark. Louie walked towards the door. Then, he gently put his hand on it, it easily opened. He heard strange sounds coming from within. It was a big open room, there was dozens of small creatures wriggling towards him. Just then, he smelled that terrible stench again. (This was the odour Genie was talking about!) At that moment, Louie could only think of calling out the monsters name. “Goblins!” Louie cried, Genie and Merrill turned around to see the oncoming danger. “You idiot! What did you do?” Genie’s voice thundered behind him. “Retreat!” Melissa shouted. “What the h.e.l.l were these things doing here!?” Louie grabbed his magical wand, and took a defensive posture. He then walked slowly back to the bottom of the stairs, and planned to take on the goblins one at a time. The goblins were holding small daggers, they were more agile than they expected, one of them swung it’s dagger at Louie. It hit him in the thigh, although it was painful, fortunately the stab wound wasn’t deep. “You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!” Louie shouted at the goblins, as he charged them with his sword and magical wand.     8 – A strong magician   “You are so stupid!” Genie looked very unhappy. Goblins were lying unconscious across the entire room, most of them were knocked out by Louie. He used his magical wand as a weapon, he beat the monsters with it until it broke. He then charged them with his bare hands, only three goblins were killed in total. “Man, that was quite the fight.” Louie immersed himself in the excitement of victory. His body has a couple of scratches, but his injuries were only minor. “What an unacceptable way of fighting……” Melissa loudly protested. (What is she talking about?) She was obviously upset about the way he fought, it was totally unbecoming of a hero. “Anyway, why don’t we explore the rest of the ruins?” “I doesn’t matter anymore.” Merrill said faintly. “The goblins probably got into the ruin through a hole, which means they made this place their nest. I don’t think we’ll find any treasure here.” “Let’s get out of here. We shouldn’t linger in a goblins nest.” Melissa proposed, everyone was in agreement. The entire room was stained with the blood and smell of goblins, the air in the room was intolerable.  The four of them headed towards the stairs. Walking back up the stairs, the trio never said anything, they just kept sighing. Louie looked at the three depressed women. Even though they didn’t find any treasure, he didn’t know why they didn’t find the fight stimulating. “Didn’t you guys find this place interesting?” Louie asked when they exited the underground ruin. Of course, the wind didn’t give him any answer, it just blew on by. It seemed summer was coming to an end. (This summer was pretty hot.)

 

Louie said inside himself.