[Before you start reading please give me power stones!!]
"Welcome to the Asura Kingdom," Philip announced, with a playful smile on his face.
After all, we had crossed the border safely.
"Wow...that was easier than I thought" Hilda murmured while she rejoiced in the wet parts of her skirt.
"Yes, and apparently it was much faster, good thinking Paul!" Laws said with a smile and then patted me on the back.
"It was just a simple intuition. We should really be thanking you, Philip. Without your help, we wouldn't have been able to cross," I said with a smile and extended my hand for a shake.
He blinked a few times and then smiled back at me.
"No problem, we're friends after all, right?...but I have to ask, where are you going?" He asked.
"Isn't it obvious? We're going back to Ars. If what you say is true, then I have to find my mother and Philemon," I declared seriously.
Philip's smile faded and was replaced by a look of doubt, after a few seconds his gaze met mine and he sighed.
"Paul...I understand your reasoning, but you must understand that it is not that easy, that man has protection from the king himself and from the Water God Reída...Fighting him is simply not something you can do," he said, his voice thick with concern and his eyes looked at me pleadingly.
I just stayed silent, Water God, A swordswoman at the level of world powers in her prime and yet in her middle age she should not be underestimated at any time.
My hand instinctively went to the handle of my sword and I gripped it tightly.
Triple Saint, I am strong, stronger than most, but she is on another level, even if I have never met her I am smart enough to know it.
But that doesn't mean I'll just sit back and do nothing, she's a human unlike Orsted.
I just have to find that woman's weakness or attack when she's off guard, honor doesn't matter when family is at risk...
"I know that, although it is a surprise that Reída protects him, that does not mean that she will back down, it is my family we are talking about Philip, you should know that" I said in a calm tone.
Philip clenched his fists as he looked at me, his lips twisted as he looked into my eyes but from one moment to the next he shrugged his shoulders and looked at the ground.
"Haaa...I know, from the beginning I knew I couldn't stop you" he murmured with a smirk.
"I'm sorry," I said, patting him on the back.
After that, Philip looked at Hilda, the guy blushed instantly but shook his head becoming serious again.
"Lady Hilda...what are you planning to do?" He asked.
"Me? I'll also return to Asura... I knew there was a possibility that my parents would die, but now that I know Darius killed them... I want to avenge them" she said in a surprisingly cold tone.
Philip shuddered slightly at this and sighed loudly again.
"I guess this is goodbye then, huh?" He mumbled as he scratched his neck.
"Hmm? Aren't you coming with us? There's enough room for you in our group?" I muttered, genuinely surprised.
"Hah...I can't, my whole family was killed and I'm not technically a noble anymore, plus I have a life with the mercenaries, I can't leave, But at least it comforts me to know that my friends are alive and will avenge our entire family," he said with a smile.
I frowned as I looked at him, my gaze going to his wrists, his feet and his neck.
There were no slave marks of any kind or tracking devices so he meant it...
I sighed deeply as I looked at him, a melancholic smile forming on my face as I approached him.
Without waiting any longer I gave him a strong and long hug, there was no need for words, I could express everything with this
He hesitated for a few seconds but hugged me the same way.
We stayed like this for about 30 seconds and then we both separated with smiles on our faces.
"Well, I guess it's time for you to continue on your way. I should go back now so I don't arrive at the other side at night," he said as he returned to the cave.
I just looked at him with melancholy and a strange feeling in my chest.
"Hey Philip..." I called him and he turned around with a smile "Take care, my friend," I murmured, and he nodded, then disappeared into the darkness of the cave.
I stared at the cave entrance for a few seconds and then turned back to my group with renewed energy.
"Okay, let's continue, there's no time to waste," I declared, and so we continued on our journey.
"Hey...that thing about avenging my family...I wasn't serious, I just said that so that idiot Philip wouldn't keep insisting," Hilda suddenly muttered and I wrinkled my nose.
Of course...
...
A week has passed since we arrived in Asura, fortunately there were no incidents of ambushes or anything like that, but my suspicions were true.
The nearest town was one called Perdin, a medium-sized city that barely touched the title of city since it looked like a large village.
There was an adventurer's guild, but it was quite small, and there I could see two wanted posters on the taskbar facing me...
Obviously I took them off without saying anything and left the place. It's worth mentioning that the girl at the counter had big tits, even I couldn't help but look at them a little...
But back to the topic, it was clear that now in Asura Darius's influence would be much greater so we decided to keep a low profile.
And how would we do it? Well, to start, I would start with my hair.
One of the features shown in the search bar is my ponytail followed by the mole on my right cheek...
Which brings us to the present, We were now on the outskirts of the city, we had resupplied enough and were about to leave, but there was just one thing missing.
"P-Paul...a-are you sure about this?..." Hilda murmured with a trembling voice, she was holding a pair of scissors in her hands which were visibly shaking.
"Of course, we need to keep a low profile from now on," I said unfazed.
"B-but... t-this isn't a bit hasty?..." She muttered and from her voice she seemed on the verge of tears.
"Of course, it's not that big a deal anyway," I said in confusion.
"O-okay...if you say so" she mumbled and I could hear her breathing becoming labored.
I could feel his trembling fingers grip my ponytail and...
(cut)
The sound of the scissors closing around my hair reached my ears and I could hear it fall to the floor like a feather.
"uuuh..." Hilda sobbed as she picked up my hair from the floor.
"Hey! What's wrong? Why are you acting like that?" I muttered, confused.
"I-it's just that I...I loved your ponytail" she murmured and tears gathered in her eyes.
You have to be kidding me...
"Haa...it's okay Hilda, it's just hair that will grow, just to go unnoticed" I reminded her while I wiped away her tears.
"I-I know but...you looked so good like that" she sobbed and I just closed my eyes holding back my sigh.
This is ridiculous.
"I promise that when I'm done I'll let my hair grow until it's longer than yours," I murmured.
This seemed to interest her because she instantly looked into my eyes.
"D-do you promise?..." She murmured
"...yes, I promise" I said and she hugged me tightly.
I sighed quietly, releasing the air through my nostrils and I could see Roxy looking at me with a mocking smile.
"Now then..." I muttered as I took a short dagger.
"My mole...the thing I'll be most recognized by," I mumbled and sat down on a log.
Hilda had already left by this point, apparently unable to bear watching me damage my own face.
I had already spoken with my group about this beforehand, most of them seemed skeptical but Roxy agreed with me.
"Good... now," I murmured softly, a short dagger in my right hand and a hand mirror in my left.
"Fuu..this isn't anything like losing an arm Paul Greyrat" I muttered to myself and without thinking I lightly buried the dagger in my cheek.
The pain was instant but bearable, with surgical precision I made a circle around the skin of my mole and extracted it
"Haaa!..." I threw the dagger to the ground while covering my bleeding cheek, a green glow emerged from my hand and I healed myself.
This time it would only be beginner level magic, to only repair the damaged tissue.
If I wanted to recover my mole I just had to use saint magic and problem solved.
"well...uugh" looking at myself in the mirror I looked like a different person without my mole,
To check it out I walked towards my group, we would camp outside the city and continue our journey until then.
"ugh Paul, you look... different" Roxy was the first to speak while wrinkling her nose.
A punch hurt less...
"Yeah...but I guess with that people won't recognize you anymore, huh? But what if Darius accuses you of being an imposter?" Laws muttered.
"Saint rank magic and that's it, I'd already thought about it, regenerate my mole when I get to Ars" I declared and Laws nodded convinced.
Dinner was normal but I could notice that Hilda was looking at me strangely, as if I were a stranger.
Fortunately, at bedtime she continued using my arm as a pillow and the next day it seemed as if nothing had happened. In fact, everyone quickly got used to the change.
...
After about ten days on the road, we stopped at a place called Rikket.
It was a town near the southern tip of the Donati Region and a center of trade with the Royal Region.
Most merchants headed south to bring their goods to the Royal Region, not the other way around.
Because of this, the streets were filled with representatives and village chiefs from all over Donati, who came to send their harvest south and buy the crops their people needed at the sprawling market.
It was clearly a place of great economic importance to Asura as a whole, although in reality it was just a gigantic trading post and resting place.
That's the Asura Kingdom for you.
We wanted to reach the capital of Ars, without making our presence known if possible.
We had gathered intelligence in the villages along the way, but found no clues as to the movements of our pursuers. Such a large city would offer them all sorts of places to hide and set ambushes, of course.
On the other hand, it also offered us the possibility of going unnoticed.
Rikket was a bottleneck like the lower jaw of the Red Wrym and the border.
It was quite likely that our enemies were waiting for us here. However, to my surprise, the guards at the gate didn't stop us, and there were no lines of armored soldiers lining the streets inside.
There was nothing remarkable about this city, all I did was remove the wanted papers against me and replenish our supplies.
But I also noticed something, Laws and Anna were spending more time alone together and he had a guilty look on his face as he looked at the different villages.
Oh right...his goal was only to get to Asura, not the capital...I should have remembered that.
In less than half a day we left Rikket heading north to the Fittoa region and more specifically to the city of Roa.
The first thing that caught my attention were the citadel walls. Sturdy walls,
seven to eight meters high, encircling the city.
Horse-drawn wagons entered and exited through the gigantic gate.
As our wagon passed through, I saw rows of stalls.
The first thing that greeted us inside the city was a horse stable and an inn.
Crowds of people were coming and going: merchants, townspeople, and even armored warriors.
It was truly like something out of a fantasy novel. I looked at what looked like a waiting station, where people sat with large amounts of luggage.
The atmosphere changed when we passed a street corner.
There were rows of shops aimed at adventurers, a weapons and armor smithy, and further in, rows of shops for the townspeople.
The residential houses were nestled deep within the alleys. Roa was an ancient city with a noble past.
Four hundred years ago, it was the last bastion of defense in the war against the demon race. That's why there was a castle in the center of the city.
That said, despite its powerful history of origin, the nobles of the imperial capital saw Roa as nothing more than:
"a crude pool filled with adventurers," just like my father's words, which I remembered while i was studying geography.in my days at the mansion.
It had been almost a year since the Mana disaster, my 11th birthday was only 3 weeks away but I didn't know how to celebrate it due to the customs of this world.
Also...Laws and Anna seemed indecisive since we left Rikket.
I already had an idea of why but it still didn't make it any less painful.
And just as I suspected, they dropped the bomb when we were eating at an inn at noon...
"Paul...everyone, our journey with you was full of ups and downs, but still, it was rewarding to spend all these months with you, but Anna and I have made a decision." He said and his gaze fell on me.
"We want to stay in this city, this is where we have decided to live" Laws declared and I sighed.
Why do I feel this way?...ah yes, after Gesse's betrayal, Laws had been the only person I could call a friend.
So now the news of his departure hit me even harder.
On top of that I could feel all eyes on me as they waited for my opinion.
I knew I couldn't stop them, our deal was simply to get to Asura and so it was.
"I understand, I won't deny that it's been a shame because of how sudden it is, but I'm still happy for the new chapter in your life that has just begun," I declared with a smile.
Laws visibly relaxed as did Anna and they both smiled at me.
"Thank you Paul, you have been a formidable leader," he said and extended his hand for a shake which I immediately reciprocated.
"And you have been a great friend, without you who knows what would have happened to me against Mauricio's soldiers in Shirone" I said while remembering the event.
Despite the sudden situation and the sadness I felt, I knew I had no right to try to stop them, so at dusk they came to see us off on the outskirts of the city.
"Laws...I know I haven't said anything yet, but take care of yourself, my friend, and if I manage to regain my position as a noble, don't hesitate to ask for help with anything," I said with a smile.
"Haha, no problem and if you want to come visit us then no problem, we won't stray too far from the perimeters of the City" he said and I nodded.
"Mr. Laws, Miss Anna...please take good care of yourselves," Hilda said as tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.
"Don't worry, Lady Hilda, we will start our family here and I can't wait to see the little brat that will come out of you two, Maybe even our future children will play with yours" Laws said with a mocking smile and Hilda blushed like a tomato and with a small smile and then she looked at me expectantly.
Wait..she doesn't deny it?!
"Haha...well, that will be for the future" I muttered and Hilda's smile grew bigger.
Damn...
"Haha! Of course... then see you" Laws said and so he turned around with his wife holding his hand and they started to return to the city
I just stared at them until their silhouettes became smaller and smaller, so when I turned my gaze back to the group I saw Roxy walking towards me with her suitcase in hand....
"Don't tell me you too..." I murmured weakly and she hugged me tightly.
"Paul...we've already talked about it, right? I'm heading to the magic city of Sharia and you're heading to Ars, this is where our paths divide" she said with a calm voice and suppressed the tears who were threatening to leave.
"I know...but still, it will be different without having all of you here" I murmured and hugged her tightly.
"Hey, hey, remember our promise, okay?...in five years" she said and winked at me, causing me to blush.
"O-of course I remember, how could I forget" I murmured with renewed energy.
"Well, by that time I'll still be in Sharia City, so if you don't change your mind then I'll wait for you today in five years" she murmured and I nodded fervently.
"O-of course Roxy!! I promise I'll come find you!!" I declared with my cheeks red as a tomato.
She just laughed and stroked my head.
"Miss Roxy...take care of yourself" Flute murmured, approaching us with Lilia.
"Same to all of you, it was definitely a chaotic trip, but I learned a lot along the way" Roxy murmured and then her gaze returned to me.
Suddenly she unbuttoned a button on her shirt and revealed an amulet that I had never seen before and took it off.
"Here, this earring has the symbol of the Migurds, when we meet again, give it back to me," she said with a smile and I took it carefully while I appreciated it.
It was a simple earring, jet black in color and in the shape of three intertwined spears, the thread that held it already looked certainly worn but nothing serious.
I closed my hands around it and looked at Roxy with gratitude.
"Okay, I promise Roxy, thank you so much for everything" I said.
"Hehe, no problem..." She murmured and then her gaze turned to Hilda who was looking at her with a smile and tears in her eyes.
Roxy smiled at him and I could see a hint of insecurity in her eyes, then she looked at Hilda, Flute and finally at me.
"Okay, see you" was all she said and so she started walking back to the city of Roa
As with Laws and Anna, I stared at her silhouette until I lost sight of her. It was already late at night, so we were going to camp here, but I still couldn't help but look around at this city.
"Paul?...Is something wrong?" Hilda murmured as she held my arm and I just smiled at her.
"It's nothing, it's time for dinner" I told her and she nodded.
Now it was time to return home, to Ars.