Scar on his face? Could it be... that the novel’s very first cannon fodder just appeared?

Kaito collapsed on the soft grass, his whole body tired as it has never been before. But even while feeling soreness all over, he couldn’t hold the loud laugh that bubble out of his dry lips.

His laugh contained equal parts of joy and relief, but also some hidden despair. He had walked for hours, non-stop, and finally escaped that eery forest, but what now?

His eyes focused on the origin of his salvation. The faint black smoke lazily rising from a small chimney was his guiding star inside the unfamiliar, mysterious place where he had woken up. In the first five hours or so, he had burnt his brain trying to understand what was really happening, but now he was tired and thirsty and all he wanted was a large bowl of water and some food.

Feeling like his muscles were crying, Kaito forced himself to stand up and walk to the unknown village. It looked small and old and nothing like the modern cities he was familiar with, but if there was a village, there must be humans. And, hopefully, someone who could explain just where the hell this was.

Jumping over the ramshackle wooden fence, Kaito observed the small agglomeration of houses that, although old-looking, seemed well-cared and neat enough.

That was when he heard it.

“Ohh, what kind of filthy stray we have over here?”

It was some very rude words, but all Kaito could think of was how wonderful it was the sound of his mother language amidst such a puzzling situation. It means that at least he wasn’t kidnapped and sold in another country!

He turned around to face the first person he met ever since he had found himself in that strange, bone-chilling forest.

Actually, there were three of them. The one who spoke earlier was standing in the middle, clearly the leader of this small group. He was big, strong and smelled like trouble but these weren’t the first things Kaito noticed.

No, it was the deep, unsightly scar that went from the man’s left eyebrow all the way to his hard chin.

Excerpt of The Rising of the Magic Swordsman.

-Mary’s POV-

It has been a while since I’ve read the novel, but some things on it made me so annoyed that they are still fresh in my mind.

The existence of delinquents in the novel’s Doveshire was one of those things.

That’s the reason why I made a deal with the Adventure Guild’s Branch of our village, since a small, negligible town like Doveshire didn’t have a proper security system. Therefore, the prefecture would supply the guild with our key product, Willow’s Lake Healing Potion, while its adventurers would take turns working at the recently created Security Department. In simple words, they would behave just like policemen and deal with anything -or anyone- acting against the village’s harmony and peaceful environment.

As a matter of fact, the town’s administrator has no power over the Adventure Guild’s Branch situated in their territory. Just like on Earth, when the nation A’s embassy is located within the country B’s territory, but the embassy itself belongs to nation A nonetheless, all Branches of the Adventure Guild are an independent institution from the Kingdom’s authority, and they respond solely to their corresponding Guild Master. The Saran, Atalia and Corralys Kingdoms’ branches are all under the command of the Southeast Region Guild Master, the advanced gold ranked adventurer, Warrick the Berserker.

Of course, it’s not like the Adventure Guild can do whatever they want. The Kingdoms and the Guild have a pact of mutual respect, wherein the adventurers must abide the country’s laws while the king cannot impose his will on the guild.

However, even if we couldn’t order the Adventure Guild’s Branch as we like, we could still hire their adventurers. And we pay them extremely well, because apart from bigger cities, there’s no way one could find a fairly decent healing portion around, and affording those money-eaters healers is a luxuriance not everyone can have.

For sure, my respected grandmother is different from those Golden Clover’s healers, but the truth still persists.

At any rate, especially after the security department creation, Doveshire is as calm and serene as it could be and there is no delinquent at sight. But I didn’t lower my guard. I’m still not sure how strong is the novel compelling force regarding its contents, so that’s why I’m always attentive about the rising of a gangster, perhaps the three ruffians who had beaten up the protagonist in the beginning of the story.

Since they were just mere cannon fodders and stepping stones for the protagonist’s brilliant path, not much are said about them in the novel, apart from the big, strong and scary guy with a scar on his face. That’s why I don’t even know the name of these possible wrongdoers in my village, but I have a guess that one of them is Dak, son of Croy.

My guess is based on nothing more than the fact that he does look big, strong and scary.

Naturally, I wouldn’t punish someone with just this wild guess, even more because he didn’t have a scar. Now, however, it seems I have to check out and see whether I am right or wrong.

If I’m wrong, nothing will be done, but if I’m right, proper measures shall be applied.

I started walking a little faster, eager to reach home. I’m sure grandma will know more about Dak than the record of few lines that I have regarding each one of Doveshire’s inhabitants. In my humble opinion, grandmother, with all her influence and knowledge of our town, is the one who should be the village chief. I have actually asked her once if she wanted to take the lead and that I would arrange it, but grandma said she is too old for such a heavy responsibility and Brann is already doing well enough. Since she said so, there’s nothing I can do, but it sure is a shame.

Mine and Brann’s house was actually quite close, so soon enough I was already standing in my home’s front door. In Doveshire, the most importance place was the main square, where one could find the village's prefecture, the Adventure Guild’s Branch, Old Joe’s Bakery, Cyntia’s Smithy and the village’s only inn, Sunrest.

My family owns the inn, even tough it’s just grandmother and I right now. Anyway, we don’t actually live inside the hostel, but in a small cottage next to our establishment. To be honest, there is a door inside connecting the two buildings, so maybe it can be said as such.

As soon as I stepped inside our small, but cozy and warm house, I felt the usual soft sensation in my heart. Home. It was the feeling of home, in a place incredible different and -literally- worlds apart from my precious life’s. But be it here or there, home has a special meaning for me. The meaning of love, safety and relaxation.

“Hey there, sweetie. You took a while, did you go visit little Brann?” Grandma Alma’s voice is gentle and nice, and she also has the habit of calling anyone below thirty as ‘little’ or ‘child’.

“En.” I said in agreement. Incredible how by being close to grandma, maybe because of her comforting presence, my tongue actually works.

“Did you buy everything?”

“No.” Okay, it doesn’t mean it works very well, but it still does.

“Oh, is it the eggplant? I knew it could be difficult, it’s not time for eggplants to grow, but I still wanted it...” The voice coming from the kitchen sounded disappointed and sad, but I couldn’t help but thank the goddess that it wasn’t the season for eggplants. Don’t get me wrong, my grandma’s cooking is great, but eggplants are just... disgusting.

I made my way to the kitchen. Like the rest of the house, it was small, but it was just too small and tiny and not very efficient. To be honest, this place remains empty and unused for almost the entire year. Most of the time, we would just use the inn’s bigger and more equipped kitchen, but today is a little different.

As I stood in the kitchen’s doorstep, grandma turned around and smiled. Her blond hair was now grayish and her face shows the passage of time. Her deep, dark blue eyes holds the wisdom of the old, but her cheerful smile remains young.

From all my heart, I wished this stupid stone face of mine was capable to return a smile just as genuine back to her.

But grandmother knows me best, and her eyes were warm and understandable as she said.

“Don’t worry, child. I can see that your eyes are smiling.”

My mouth that was opened while I was trying to say something slowly closed. With my eyes smiling, I nodded.

“En.”

In this comfortable atmosphere, we joined hands to cook. The small kitchen was quiet, while we just appreciate each other’s company. And okay, it was too tight and narrow for both of us, so sometimes we would thump on each other and the ingredients would fall. And sure, my talent when it comes to cooking is on the negatives already, so all I could do to help was cutting the vegetables, but... It was good. Carefree-ly good.

We sat down, the table full of tasty-looking foods. Warm spinach soup, black bread, roasted fowl with vegetables and freshly made orange juice. For a small family of the countryside like ours, it sure looks like a banquet.

It kind of was.

“Congratulations, sweetie. May the Gods bless you with many summers ahead.”

Today completes thirteen years since I was born in this world.

In those thirteen years, many things were accomplished. The village’s administration was improved and Chief Brann seems to be in the right track. Imps won’t assault or village anymore, and we made a deal with the Adventure Guild’s Branch. We also ensured Willow Lake’s resources for Doveshire and our Healing Potions business is developing smoothly, just the right way to guarantee us some money while keeping the village low-key, safe and quiet. To make everything better, that old geezer still owns me a favor.

Of course, some matters are still in progress and require attention. That handsome old man is as recluse as always, and a proper conversation between two unsociable people is as rare as an honorable Pope in fantasy stories. The matter regarding the magic beasts attack is advancing slowly, but it is a delicate topic and cannot be discussed with other people. Ryker’s issue can’t be hurried, as of now there nothing much we could do.

But well, you must be patient if you want to eat the ripped fruit.

I blew the hot soup before tasting it. Hmm, good as always. Grandma’s cooking may not be the best that I have ever eaten, since I had plenty first class cuisine in my previous life, but it sure is my favorite. For me, nothing can taste like this warm homemade food.

This is something that I didn’t have in my past life. Professional chefs were good and so, but there was one time when I asked father why couldn’t we just make our own food. I was feeling a little tired of all those flamboyant tastes.

Oh, pumpkin. Don’t you think it is a little too dangerous? Both you and me can cook poison out of burning water, while your mother... Are you sure is wise letting her in a room full of sharp objects and pseudo-weapons?

Since he did have a point, I didn’t insist on the subject. But, in moments like this, I wish I could bring them here, so we all could enjoy this taste that warms both the heart and the stomach.

“Is everything alright, sweetie?” Grandmother’s voice brought me back to reality.

“Hm.”

“I’m glad you like it. Do you think we should give some to little Brann?”

“U-hum.”

“You shouldn’t bully him so much. He is your friend, and we have to treat our friends well.”

That’s not the problem here. I just don’t him to become suspicious of the reason we have so much food, after all, I worked a lot to hide the matter of my birthday. Because, urg, birthdays are a really traumatic event for me. In my past life, my parents would throw a party every year, where I would have to stand and listen to the names of countless people that I wouldn’t even care to remember. To make everything worse, they were all old people, and some would even bring their young sons and daughters, that would then lead to the embarrassing conversation of ‘We wish you the best. Here is my son, he just recently won the Olympics. Why don’t you two become friends’ that is obviously a nice way to say ‘the birthday girl has no friends so, in respect to your parents, I will make him follow you around.’

A birthday party where all the invited are your parents’ guests because you have no one to invite, how sad is that?!?

So, nope. In this new life, I don’t want anyone to know about my birthday. Since grandmother is almost like the village’s Elder, I’m sure everyone would come greet me to give her face. And then I’d have to try talking to people and when I couldn’t do it, it would be embarrassing as hell. So, I very much prefer a simple, delicious meal, with just me and grandmother.

“The Inn?” I asked, trying to avoid the subject.

“Laura is taking care of it. Aya, that girl is working harder than ever before. She’s probably feeling guilty that she is leaving us to marry in another town. Fufufu, being young sure is great.”

Laura is our waitress and helper, since me and grandmother can’t take care of the whole inn by ourselves. A good girl, but recently she has fallen in love with a boy from Rustford, from all places.

“Don’t give me that look, Mary. Her fiancé is a good lad, and it’s not his fault his family is from that town.”

Rustford’s mayor is just angry that I took Willow Lake’s ownership away from them and now they came to steal our waitress. Although I wasn’t in a conversation-base relationship with her, she was nice and would always come help me when I was in trouble speaking to a customer.

I internally cursed the annoying mayor before focusing on the important stuff.

“Grandma.”

“What’s the problem, sweetie?”

“Dak, son of Croy.”

Grandmother slightly stiffed, and then she sighed with a tinge of sadness. But because she understood my question, she answered me.

“Ah, that poor boy. You know, when he was just a small child, his mother got really sick. His father came talk to me, and I tried to help, but... I’m not a full healer. I wasn’t strong enough to help them. So I told him just a high ranked healer could save his wife. ah. Sometimes I think it was my fault.” The last part was just a faint whisper, before she continued talking. “They couldn’t afford her treatment. Croy, who by that time was an advanced bronze adventurer, was willing to do anything to save the mother of his son. So he made a rash decision.” She paused. “He tried to steal from his guild.”

“Naturally, he didn’t succeed. Bowie caught him. And even if the manager could understand Croy’s predicament, he still had to do his job. Bowie was already quite lenient by just talking Croy’s adventurer badge.” Grandmother had serious eyes as she looked at me. “But why the question? Did something happen to young Dak?”

I just shrugged, because I’m still not sure.

“Ahh, I heard he got in a fight recently. But I don’t know, it may be just a gossip. We can’t blindly believe what people say in the market. Dak’s mother has passed away when he was a little child and his father has gained the label of a criminal. It must be hard on him. I don’t think he is a bad person, he is just too used to fight against the world.”

That’s what grandmother said and what I kept in mind when I went to see him, later in the same day.

Big and strong? Check.

Scary looking? Check.

Ugly scar from his left eyebrow all the way to his chin? Double check.

His looks completely matches with the novel’s evildoer, but...

I checked once more the recently added title on his status window.

Is ‘Protector of the Fluffy’ a title a bad person would have?