The blacksmith's heart pounded rapidly in his chest. He clutched it, trying to endure the sudden sharp pain. The world around him blurred, his senses overwhelmed by the fear coursing through his body. He forced himself to breathe slowly, focusing on the chirping of birds and the gentle breeze brushing against his face.
As the warmth of the morning sun reached his skin, his mind finally settled. He opened his eyes, squinting at the light.
"I'm okay..." he said to himself.
Lying in the grass, he stretched his limbs, the blades tickling his skin with each movement. That's when it hit him.
"I fell asleep outside," he said aloud, abruptly sitting up.
A lake shimmered before him. He checked his body, half expecting some mark or sign of tampering, but there was nothing. He was completely intact.
He remembered the woman from the night before. Odd and out of place in the forest, she'd exuded an unsettling aura. William was convinced she had done something to him.
"She must've used magic on me," he muttered.
His body had been utterly powerless in her presence. He didn't get to even see her face. It was a dense black fog in his memories. As it were a punishment for trying to get a look.
"I hit the ground face first because of her! And that dream…"
The moment he'd fallen asleep, he was thrust into a nightmare of chaos, corpses, and at the end of the path, the source of it all.
"Next thing I knew, I was awake. What a nightmare. Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it… Was that dream her doing too?"
William wasn't a religious man, but the experience had shaken him enough to consider praying to the divine hero or the dragon of creation. He wasn't even sure which one was appropriate.
"Maybe I'll ask my guardian about religion next time."
"--You're finally awake. I must say, you took your sweet time, sir. It's already past mid-sun hours."
A shadow fell over him. William squinted and slowly made out the figure of a man standing in front of him.
William let out a sigh. "Exposed to the wild like a rookie… I should thank you for watching over me."
"There's no need for formalities. I only stayed because I wanted a word with you."
William stood up, brushing the grass off his clothes. "I see, this is about business."
He was used to people seeking him out for weapon requests, but this time someone had come deep into the forest. He was impressed. Nicolas had done the same, though. Still, whether he accepted or not was his decision. For now, he'd hear the man out.
The stranger gave a respectful bow. "Sir Jaeger, I'd like to get straight to the point."
William held up a hand. "Hold on."
Mornings weren't what they used to be. At twenty-five, his body had started betraying him. Waking up wasn't instant anymore; his brain needed time to catch up with his eyes.
Getting a request this early is dangerous. Especially with that determined look. I can tell from a mile away this guy's ready to drag me into something I'll regret.
"At the very least, tell me your name first."
The man nodded. "My apologies. I'm Sebastian, a butler of the Reinsfield family."
"The Reinsfields… Aren't they the nobles who practically run Aoba?"
"They make generous donations to the town, yes. But they don't own it. I serve in the main household."
"Really? Then why are you dressed like that?"
Anyone working in a noble household was expected to dress the part: clean, formal and presentable. Sebastian on the other hand, looked like he'd just left a hunting camp.
Sebastian slightly flinched. He didn't want to wear the outfit, but the young lady of the house insisted, dragging him to the dressing room and shoving camouflage gear into his arms. "If you're going on an adventure, you need to look the part," she'd said with a smile he couldn't resist.
Despite the absurdity, he wore the clothes with quiet pride. But the memory brought a tear to his eye.
"I'd prefer to keep that confidential," he said.
"You okay?!" William blinked, puzzled by the butler's sudden melancholy. He scratched his cheek. "Never mind. My bad for poking into someone else's business." He offered a handshake. "Everyone's got their own skeletons in the closet."
Sebastian looked genuinely pleased. "You're a better man than I expected."
William raised an eyebrow. "Wait, who's been talking bad about me?"
"It's nothing, Sir Jaeger. Just an observation."
"Call me William, please. 'Sir Jaeger' makes me feel ancient."
"Very well, Mr. Jaeger it is."
"That's worse! You didn't change anything!"
Though Sebastian wore the uniform of a butler, he clearly wasn't the conventional kind. He had a sharp tongue and no sense of restraint when it came to teasing.
"Tell me why you're here," William said.
Sebastian's gaze shifted behind the blacksmith. "First, I must deal with the third party listening in on us."
William blinked. "What?"
Before he could process what Sebastian meant, three shuriken whizzed past his face and struck a nearby tree. A surprised yelp followed.
"I recognize that scream…" William muttered.
"Shall we meet our eavesdropper?"
They approached the tree to find a blond young man with emerald eyes, hanging on the tree and shouting.
"Let me go! How dare you treat someone as amazing as me like this! Show some respect!"
Sebastian summoned a light flickered an electric charge from his hand, and the shuriken detached themselves from the tree, flying back into his sleeve. The young man tumbled, but Sebastian caught him mid-fall.
"Do you know this child who's spewing nonsense?" he asked, lifting him by the collar.
"Nonsense?!" the young man cried.
William looked away, scratching his cheek. Of course he knew him. "That's my apprentice. Nicolas."
"Apprentice, you say…"
Sebastian studied Nicolas closely. Nothing about him stood out at first, but there was something faint, something hidden that he couldn't stop looking at.
"Quit staring, four-eyes!" Nicolas snapped.
One of Sebastian's eyebrows twitched. "What did you just call me?"
"That's for calling me a child! I'll have you know, I'm of drinking age."
—You pick the weirdest moments to say that…
"Yet you've never had a drink," Sebastian said flatly.
William blinked. "How can you tell?"
"It's in his eyes. Still innocent. That tells me he's yet to try."
"It's not like I don't want to," Nicolas grumbled. "I just haven't had the chance."
A smile crept across Sebastian's face. William and Nicolas both shivered.
"Then let's go grab a beer."
"Ugh," Nicolas groaned.
Sebastian turned to William, who already sensed he was trapped.
"That way," Sebastian added, "we can continue our conversation."
William sighed. "Alright… Let's go."
***
"Well?"
A glass of beer sat in front of Nicolas, who stared into it with intense scrutiny."Hmmm," he muttered, swirling the amber liquid.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "What is it? You said you'd drink alcohol if the occasion called for it."
The apprentice snapped his head toward the butler. "Exactly! If there's an occasion. Since there isn't, this is an unfortunate waste."
He made a move to stand up, but—
"What nonsense are you babbling, little boy?"
Sebastian's hand clamped down on Nicolas's shoulder and pushed him back into his seat.
"I'm not a boy!" Nicolas grumbled, clearly irritated.
The butler leaned in, raising a finger. "Listen carefully. A real man doesn't need an occasion to drink. He simply does it."
"I still don't see how alcohol makes someone a man."
"Then why don't you try it and find out?"
Nicolas eyed the beer once more, visibly hesitant.
"Time's ticking—"
"I said I'm going at my own pace!"
He's giving him a hard time.
William, seated nearby, watched the playful bickering between the two. The bar was the same old place he always visited. He looked around, half expecting a familiar face.
I wonder if Lucy's around… though it's still early.
A waitress appeared and placed a drink in front of him.
"Mr. Jaeger? Good to see you this morning. Just so you know Lucy's still not back. And Marla won't be coming in for a few days. She said to let you know."
"Wait, even Marla?"
Something was clearly going on between the two women. William frowned. He had questions, too many in fact, but no clear way to reach either of them to get the answers.
Before he could dwell further, he noticed both Sebastian and Nicolas staring at him.
"Who might Lucy and Marla be?" Sebastian mused, resting his chin on his hand with a sly smirk.
"I'd like to know too, master." Nicolas added. "I know Marla, but who's Lucy?"
William didn't like where this was going. "Don't call me master, and you—" he pointed at Sebastian, "—aren't you getting a little too familiar? Not very butler-like, is it?"
"My apologies," Sebastian said with mock formality. "But seeing a noble ask after a barmaid? That's not something you witness every day."
William scoffed. "That is in fact something that you see every day... but that's not the case. She's a person like anyone else. And the nobility belongs to my family, not me."
Just then, Nicolas took a sip of the beer and immediately spit it out. He coughed, wheezing, while the other two stared at him in surprise and continued their conversation.
"None of you are going to acknowledge that I finally drank?!" he cried.
"Listen, would you cut it with the teasing already?"
"What are you talking about?" Sebastian replied innocently. "I thought we were bonding."
"I wonder about that…" William muttered, taking a sip from his own glass.
Sebastian cleared his throat and straightened up. "Very well. I suppose it's time I got to the point, Mr. Jaeger."
William narrowed his eyes. "You might as well after dragging me out here."
"I have a request."
William's mind was already juggling too many things: the mysterious woman from the other night, a new apprentance, Lucy and Marla's sudden disappearances, and a merchant he still hadn't followed up on. Now this?
Still, something about the woman in the forest lingered in his mind. He decided to test a theory.
"Before that, I have a question. Did she send you to keep an eye on me?"
Sebastian's smirk returned. "I suppose there was no avoiding that deduction."
William folded his arms. "Finding me in the Lost Forest wasn't just coincidence, then."
"Not exactly. It wasn't her order, but I saw fit to watch over you. We need your help and I wasn't aware you two had already met. That certainly makes things easier."
"She put me to sleep and left me there. You watched over me and in return for your good deed, you'd be at a higher probability of me agreeing to your request. Not a bad tactic, but I saw through it."
"I don't know what you mean by that, but, be that as it may, we do need your assistance."
William leaned back. "So? What do you want?"
Sebastian adjusted his gloves. "My master has taken an interest in your family name. The Jaegers are legendary. They're known for their weapons and contributions to our kingdom's wars."
Yes, yes, I've heard this speech before.
"Let's skip the history lesson. Why the sudden interest in my family?"
Sebastian's expression grew serious. "It's related to the battle against the Dark Witch."
William's eyes narrowed. That name stirred something inside him: fragments of the strange dream still clung to his mind. It couldn't have been a coincidence.
"What about it?"
"Your great-grandfather, Ludas Jaeger, forged a sword, Pagida Spathi. After the dark witch was sealed away, the sword was stored in a hidden temple."
William furrowed his brow. "Pagida Spathi… That name's unfamiliar. Are you really sure it was forged by my great-grandfather? I would've heard about it."
"Indeed. After her defeat, it was stored deep within the Temple of Ouram."
"Wait, Ouram? I've heard rumors about that place, but that's just an old myth."
"Oh but it's real, Mr. Jaeger" Sebastian said. "The rumor is that it's just a myth. That way, it wouldn't get unwanted attention."
William blinked. "Woah, could it really exist."
The butler smirked, "See? You've proven their point. Let me tell you, it does. According to records, no one has ever entered. The entrance is sealed with a blood-recognition spell."
William sighed. "Let me take a guess. You think only a Jaeger can open it."
"Exactly."
"I see. That's where I come in."
"According to legend, Ludas requested the spell when the sword was placed there."
"This is insane. Why is there no record of any of this with my family?"
"Who's to say? You do know where this is going, right?"
—Yeah, I do.
This wasn't a simple weapon commission. This was an invitation to step into his family's shadow. And yet… something about it pulled at him.
"Mr. Jaeger," Sebastian said, more solemn now, "I need you to come with me."
William raised a hand. "Hold it. Who says my blood will even work? I may carry the name, but my lineage... it's not exactly pure."
Sebastian frowned. "But you are of the bloodline?"
"Yes. It's just... complicated."
"All I ask is that you come with me to the entrance. If it opens, we proceed together. If not, you walk away. I'll find another way in."
"You won't give up?"
"Never. Even if I have to blow the place up, I'll get that sword."
William scratched the back of his head. "A bit extreme, don't you think? Why are you after it in the first place?"
Sebastian paused, then spoke slowly. "If we're going to be comrade, I suppose you should know. The sword holds knowledge."
William blinked. "Come again?"
"When the Dark Witch was sealed, a map was etched into the blade. A map leading to her hidden library."
William's eyes widened. "Why would she do that? That makes no sense."
"Who knows? But that's the information we have. I need that map. That's why I'm here." He leaned forward. "So I ask again, will you take my request?"
William sat there in stunned silence. He never imagined his family legacy would drag him into something like this. Part of him wanted to say no immediately. Family matters only ever brought pain. And yet… curiosity burned.
"I'll… need time to think."
Sebastian nodded. "Very well. I'll give you one week to think things through." He stood, placing money on the counter. "Good day, Mr. Jaeger. I'll be back for your answer." With that, he bowed and left the bar.
William stared into his beer, seeing his own faint reflection ripple in the amber liquid.
What did I just get myself into?
To his right, Nicolas lay slumped over, passed out cold.
William sighed and hoisted him up.
"Let's get you home, you drunk."