On the way down the mountain, the blizzard had gotten visibly weaker, they noticed this and assumed it to have been due to the fall of the ice dragon.
Since the event took place, none said a word, they didn't know what to say or how to act. They were still all surprised.
The only one who spoke with the young man was Hex and The guild Master.
"That was amazing, boy! You didn't even need our help!" The Guild Master Said so proudly
"That's the third time, you've said that today. He heard you. The question you should be asking is, how did he do it?" Said Hexo
"Who cares about that?! We need to celebrate!" Said the Guild Master happily
'We do.' They all simultaneously thought
The Guild Master seemed to have gotten closer to the young man and opened up to him after watching him fight causing the tension around them to have lowered. That being said, the young man never answered any questions nor did he speak. He only ever responded to questions which involved him shaking his head or nodding.
The Guild master didn't mind it at all, he would still try to communicate with the young man.
An hour had passed since they left the cave, having exterminated the dragon rather quickly. However, it was extremely dark out, and the distance to the city would be at least another 3 hours, so they decided to take a small break.
The Guild Master and The Bright Sword went to gather wood, leaving Hexo, the Magician, the Cloaked Girl and the Young Man alone.
They all sat down in a circle in the small earth walls that the magician created, with a glowing light orb in the middle. The light orb barely lit up their faces, but in the beginning, no one said a word… until.
"H-Hey… Why don't we all just introduce ourselves before I have a heart-attack?" Hexo asked with a serious face
For a moment, they all stared at him with confusion before the magician spoke up.
"Good idea, I'll have the honors of going first, my name is Satire Stepha, you can just call me Satire."
"Stepha… Isn't that-"
Hexo was interrupted by Satire who suddenly said
"That's right, we're a renowned family of high-ranking magicians. We all possess a large quantity of high-rank spells which every kingdom's after. And to top it off, we're rich from selling the valuables, but I'm sure you already know." She said so, proudly.
"Y-Yeah… So why is a member of such a talented magician family an adventurer? Doesn't your family have a history of working as court mages who receive the best treatment?" Hexo asked
Upon hearing this, the proud look on Satire's face disappeared, turning slightly more gloomy as she hung her head and replied
"You're pretty well informed, huh…"
"I don't travel around for nothing. Despite how I look I'm very responsi- responsible…" Said Hexo as he looked away.
'He just hesitated on that, didn't he?'
"… Well… Yeah, I didn't become a court magician because I wanted to be free and explore the world, the same as every other adventurer." Said The magician as she gripped her staff tightly.
They could all relate to her, that desire to explore the unknown, it was present within all of them.
"Also, Weren't you that guy that got stopped at the gate for not having an Adventurer's card?" The Magician asked
"You saw!? W-Well… I wouldn't worry about it, it happens all the time."
"Isn't that something to worry about?! And what happened to being responsible!?"
"More importantly, who's next? I already introduced myself in the guild, but I'll do it again. I'm Hexo."
A rather simple introduction, not more was needed as they all knew him. Still they could tell from the way he acted, that he was a good guy at heart.
No one said anything after him, so it left him no choice.
"Since no one is going next… How about I pick? The lady with the cloak, can you introduce yourself?" Hexo asked
The girl nodded before removing the hood off her cloak. Surprising everyone in that moment. She still her face mask still covered the bottom portion of her face, however they were able to see her long silky light purple hair with matched the color of her eyes.
A young and innocent looking face, which seemed no older than 16. It was dangerous, no doubt. She seemed like the type of flower which appears to have healing properties only to end up poisoning the individual.
Looks were deceiving. They all saw this from the recent fight, as she was the one that had poisoned the dragon.
"Shera…" She muttered
"T-That's a great name… How old are you?" Hexo asked slightly blushing
"Seventeen." She replied
He was surprised, he had expected her to be beautiful, but this was something else. She was completely his type.
"Same age… I'll get straight to the point, Shera. Are you single?" Hexo asked
"Single?" Shera asked as she tilted her head to the side
"Are you engaged to anyone?" Hexo pushed on
"No, wh-"
"Let's get engaged."
"What?"
"Let's get engaged."
For a moment, as the snow continued to drop down in the area, there was silence. And following that silence, came a single word which would forever affect Hexo's heart.
"No."
She said so, clearly, looking Hexo straight in his eyes.
*Crack*
"W-W-Why…?" Hexo hesitantly asked.
"Relationships and engagements affect the party and success rate of the quest." She Said so Seriously.
"O-Oh… I-I see…" Hexo muttered
"H-Hey… Hexo, are you okay?" Satire asked
"Of course. Rather than being sad of the result… I should be proud I tried…" Said Hexo, with the same smile
"A-Are you sure?" Satire asked
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
'You're crying.' They all simultaneously thought as they watched him
Manly tears streamed down his face as his heart was split in two. However, he still somehow managed to form a smile. In that moment, the young man acknowledge Hexo for his act of true strength.
"Either way, this doesn't mean I've given up…" Said Hexo as he glanced at her while wiping his tears.
After hearing this, for a moment the two stared at each other, before she said replied.
"Suit yourself."
That reaction somehow managed to bandage Hexo's heart. It somehow gave him the feeling that he still had a chance.
"Still, to want to engage to a girl that fast because of her looks… I expected differently from you." Said Satire while avoiding his look
"What's wrong with liking a girl because she's pretty? People say personality is everything, how am I supposed to love her if I don't find her attractive. First looks then personality, that's how I live my life. Besides, if it was only looks, I would have asked you out." Said Hexo
'There's another reason he likes her? Cute… I wonder what it could be…' Satire thought to herself
The one to Change the subject however, was none other than Shera
"You… You're the last one. What's your name?" Shera asked as she looked at the young man
For a moment there was no reply, so just as she was about to ask again, he opened his mouth.
"J… John." He muttered
Upon hearing this, everyone felt a strange feeling of accomplishment. They had got him to talk
"John… That name sounds familiar. More importantly, I have one question." Said Hexo
The young man stared in Hexo's direction without saying anything. The others also listened in carefully to Hexo's question.
"No need to introduce yourself, just tell me one thing. You're the wandering devil, aren't you?" Hexo asked
Once again, a moment of silence. A question which would be an insult to ask someone, asked just like that, without consideration for the other. However, it's not like it was asked with no reason.
"Your characteristics. Your power, the lack of logic in the way you fight… Being able to solo a Dragon… Answer the question, are you or are you not?" Hexo muttered
Without saying anything, John placed his palm on his head as it began to tremble. He seemed to be in pain, but that pain suddenly disappeared as a bright glow was emitted from his trembling palm.
This reacting was in no way normal, their first thought was that he was suffering from a mental condition.
"Yeah… I am." Said John
In that moment, the tension in the area rose as they all turned to John in disbelief. It didn't make any sense, he didn't seem like the type of person to do it. Was it a joke? Who would joke like that? Satire and Shera were in doubt and wanted Hexo to ask again, but after hearing that reply, he couldn't sit still.
"I see…" Hexo muttered
Then suddenly, In that instant, Hexo rushed up on John before grabbing on to his cloaks collar and asking.
"So it was you…" He muttered before sending a right hook straight at John's face.
John who saw the punch, didn't even bother to dodge and took it head on, causing his left cheek to swell as his head turned to the right from the impact
"Why…? WHY DID YOU KILL THEM!? THERE WERE KIDS! FAMILIES! INNOCENT PEOPLE! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFTER YOUR HEAD BECAUSE OF IT!?!" Hexo shouted
There wasn't one person in the continent who hadn't heard about the wandering devil and his act.. It was a great tragedy after all, which led to the fall of a city.
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