'SHIT'
[CALM DOWN FOR NOW, JUST ANSWER HIS QUESTION]
"Well, I politely decline your offer, maybe another time," replied Alvar as calmly as he could.
"Oh come on," said Theodore, grinning. "You've been buried in books all day — relax a little. Besides, Veronica says you owe her one."
'Owe her one?' Alvar mumbled to himself.
Theodore meant I couldn't refuse because I owed Veronica a favor, so it would be rude of me to decline, but she...
He looked into her eyes, while she leaned in closely...
"Return half the favor now, boy," she whispered.
'Oh no.' He understood her completely.
[WE CAN'T REFUSE NOW]
He hesitated, meeting Veronica's eyes again.
"…Fine," he said, exhaling. "Just this once."
"Atta boy!" Theodore said, slapping his shoulder. "We were headed to the Moonlight Rest — best roast and ale in town. My treat."
"Ok," Alvar replied, locking eyes with Veronica as Theodore looked around for the Emerald Goddess.
[IT'S OBVIOUS WHAT SHE REALLY WANTS. AFTER THIS, WE'RE REQUIRED TO PAY FOR ANOTHER DINNER AT A LATER DATE. AND BY THE LOOKS OF IT, IT WON'T BE A CHEAP ONE.]
[AHH!!!] The system exhaled. [OUR 80 SILVER COINS ARE AS GOOD AS GONE.]
Picking up his belongings, he put them in a leather bag that he and Martyr Wood, the innkeeper, had bought together.
His whole attire screamed normal — an above-average peasant at best — yet the sword at his hip stood out. It was far too fine for someone like him, the kind of weapon that looked like it belonged to a seasoned knight rather than a commoner.
It was like those people on Earth who buy watches worth more than their houses or cars — except this one could actually save his life. A practical but slightly unhealthy investment.
It might even be rarer than what Theodore had held.
The Goddess had arrived.
Her clothes were very much the same as Veronica's but with more emphasis on green. She was a little bit taller than her as well.
Around them, several adventurers turned their heads, stealing glances before quickly shifting their focus to Alvar instead.
It was obvious what those looks meant.The "don't get cocky" look.The "don't try anything funny" look.
By deliberately avoiding looking at the Goddess, the adventurers entered his line of sight. He was so preoccupied that he didn't register their glances at all — though the system did.
"Let's go."
In the fine dining place:
A huge lizard, about the size of an average pig, lay on a large plate. Its insides were stuffed with a fragrant mixture of mushrooms, rice, and a blend of aromatic spices that made the air smell irresistible.
There were four of us. Theodore and Al sat side by side, Veronica across from him, and in front of me sat the Emerald Goddess.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Zuri," she said, extending her hand. I shook it, replying with my current name, "Alvar Walter."
In the fine dining place:
A huge lizard, about the size of an average human, lay on a large plate. Its insides were stuffed with a fragrant mixture of mushrooms, rice, and a blend of aromatic spices that made the air smell irresistible.
There were four of them. Theodore and Alvar sat side by side, Veronica sat across from Theodore, and in front of Alvar sat the Emerald Goddess.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Zuri," she said, extending her hand. Alvar shook it, replying with his current name, "Alvar Walter."
Afterwards, they began eating.
It was Alvar's first time eating a lizard, so he hesitated at first — but the flavor was incredible.
Almost every meat he had eaten here was delicious.
He thought eating as a group would make people conscious of each other, but it seemed everyone was comfortable in his presence.
Even Zuri was devouring that thing like there was no tomorrow.
"Blurp." He held it in after they finished eating, and while drinking their ale, a conversation started.
"How is your training?" asked Theodore.
"It is very good. I have to say, I'm getting stronger faster than expected," Alvar replied.
"I see."
"Did you buy spell books though? I'm sure you have?" asked Veronica.
"Well, I have Introduction to Magic Theory by Professor Robert. I think that's enough."
"Isn't that a children's book?" said Theodore, raising an eyebrow. "You won't get much training out of that. Most mages practice spells out of a scroll book, or buy books on advanced magic absorption and sense."
He leaned back, tapping his cup. "The book you just mentioned is for kids who just opened their magic cores."
"Heheh." Alvar grinned awkwardly, nervous, eyes darting away. "I'm doing just fine with that, so I'll continue."
"Well, you do you, I guess," replied Theodore, cleaning his teeth with a wooden pick.
He looked… well, disappointed.
'Why is that?'
[I THINK HE BELIEVES IT'S A WASTE OF TIME. MAYBE HE HAD HIGH HOPES FOR YOU—REMEMBER WHEN YOU BEAT HIM IN JUMPING?]
'During our first meeting?'
[YES.]
'So he thinks it has no effect on my training, hmm… Well, I'll show off when the day comes. I heard knights and adventurers sometimes do collabs together?'
[YEAH. ONCE YOU REACH E-RANK AND ABOVE, YOU CAN ACCEPT QUESTS FROM KNIGHTS OR EVEN DIRECTLY FROM CITIZENS.]
[AND AT C-RANK, YOU'RE GIVEN PERMISSION TO ACT INDEPENDENTLY.]
'C-rank, huh… I wonder how many there are?'
[I BELIEVE SOMEONE SAID THEY'RE THE TOP FIFTEEN PERCENT. MOST DON'T LAST LONG, THOUGH.]
'I see…'
Zuri went to the restroom for a few minutes.
While she was gone, Veronica leaned forward slightly.
"How is your memory? Do you remember things well now? It hasn't affected your day-to-day life, has it?"
"I don't believe it did. As for the memory before waking up, I don't remember a single thing."
"I see… but do you want to know about... uh..." Theodore hesitated, "your parents?"
'Hmm.'
'Do I need this info, system?'
[IT WON'T BE BAD TO ASK FOR IT. ALTHOUGH YOU SHOULD ACT MORE CALMLY, NOT TO SHOW ANY HINT OF INFORMATION, SINCE THIS IS NOT YOUR IDENTITY.]
"Yes, I want to know some info, I guess," he said carefully.
Theodore slouched, clasping his hands, and began explaining.
Apparently, Alvar Walter came from a small town at the western border of this kingdom, the Kingdom of FOSS.
He was quite talented, as Theodore said — arguably the most gifted in both magic and swordsmanship in the village, even compared to those in the next town.
Theodore remarked that swordsmanship was what he had completely forgotten, but his magic seemed fine. His silent spell casting was apparently quite rare. Even though there was no record of him achieving that in his magical studies, Theodore said it was believable since his late father ran a potion shop.
Theodore began to look uneasy as he continued. He said that despite not having a mother growing up, Alvar had a father, an aunt, and her husband... but all of them were murdered.
Not only them — the entire town. Men, women, children, and elders — all dead. Only he survived. For reasons even the knights didn't know.
That was... heavy.
Alvar didn't want innocent people to die. But he couldn't deny that his own actions were the reason the real Alvar Walter was dead. His fire blast inside the carriage killed him.
What he could do… was live on and make his name remembered. That was the least he could do.
While trying to digest every word Theodore said, and accept that this might be a world where murder was far too common, Theodore spoke again:
"Do you want to meet... some of the members of the town next to your village?"
[REFUSE. THIS SHALL NOT HAPPEN. NEVER.]
"No, I don't think I want to," Alvar replied, slouching.
He noticed Zuri had returned, standing quietly beside Veronica's chair. She didn't want to interrupt, but he saw her, and she sat down.
"I want to move on from it. I don't want the life I previously had — especially one so messed up it would tarnish the life I want to build for myself," he said firmly.
"So until the day comes when I feel ready, I want to remain private. I don't want them to see me or hear about me — except maybe through letters I send in private."
"I am blood-related to some of the townfolk?"
"No," Theodore answered.
"If that's the case, I want to move on from that. Refuse any requests you might get from people who want to meet me, okay?"
"Of course."
'Good. I believe this is good enough for now, right, system?'
[I BELIEVE SO. FURTHERMORE, SINCE YOU WILL BE KNOWN IN THE FUTURE — IT IS INEVITABLE THAT YOU WILL BE INSANELY STRONG — WE WILL NEED AN ALIAS. A NAME THAT IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ALVAR.]
'Yeah. There's also the possibility the knights will let me go freely. That way, I can change my name.'
'Although, I should pay the real Alvar Walter my respect for as long as I live. It is my fault after all.'
Conversation regarding Alvar's situation had ended for the night, but the night was still young. They began discussing other matters of the world.