I got out of bed this morning and did a few stretches.

I kept my important possessions in bed with me at all times and checked them to make sure nothing was missing.

Good, nobody broke in.

I hadn't taken the time to examine the sword, yet, but I figured now was the time.

I held the sword in my hand and pulled up my status menu.

{Add item to inventory?}

A message suddenly appeared in front of my vision.

For a moment I felt like the dumbest guy in the world. I had spent an entire week and a half holding onto my items by hand and protecting them without remembering that I had an inventory function!

I was terrified that someone planned to steal from me at any moment!

Almost reflexively, I grabbed all of my valuables and placed them in my inventory.

The satchel in its entirety, my coin pouch, even my armor and weapons.

I made a mental note to store various things around the house before going out today.

Anything valuable. Anything that could be useful in any way! Items stay frozen in space-time when placed in the inventory so I considered putting food in it for later as well.

Speaking of which, I had made short periodic trips to the marketplace to buy food using the money my father gave me as well as what I had from Mason.

I currently had 1,920g in my coin pouch. That was quite a lot of money. More than enough to get me through the next three months if I spent it wisely.

Anyways, I held the magic sword up and examined it using the status screen.

{Item: Legendary Magic Sword 'Vengeance'.

Currently unbound. (Owner not chosen)

Description: A powerful magic sword that can only be used by its chosen warrior.

Quality: Divine Mythical.}

Item Stats: HP: ????

Mp: ????

P.attack: ????

M.attack: ????

P.defense: ????

M.defense: ????

Acc: ????

Spd: ????}

This sword seemed like it might be powerful, but I couldn't use it yet. It was hard to tell the shape of the blade through the black scabbard but it looked just like a scimitar. The hilt was dark gray with a large blue gemstone at the bottom.

The more I examined the sword, the more it felt like it was examining me. Searching me for something. There were light blue gemstones embedded into the handle and guard. It extended up into the shape of a V. The guard connected perfectly with the shape of the scabbard.

Vengeance seemed like a fitting name for it. I could think of a couple of things I'd like to enact it on.

That dragon and the knight captain.

I placed the sword in my inventory and began walking around the house to take anything useful.

I walked past my father's room and stopped.

I hadn't gone anywhere near it since before he died. It was probably time that I took a look.

The room was somewhat messy. Much more so that mine, at least.

You always told me to keep my room clean. What am I supposed to feel here!?

The mines incident, which is what I had taken to calling it, happened about twelve days ago.

It still felt like there was a void in my heart.

I had never felt anything for my mother like this, but that was because I never knew her. I could imagine that this was how my father felt after she died.

I swore again to myself to kill that dragon.

Honestly, that might be a decent goal to work towards in the long run.

First I needed to get back to Noir and take over the household, then I could train to kill the dragon.

Sounds like a plan.

Speaking of going to Noir, I realized that my father said that his two guards would be back in a few days. It had been almost two weeks and I hadn't seen either of them. I hadn't been out of the house hardly at all, either.

Could something have happened to them? It was a pain to think about, but roads weren't exactly safe these days. Especially with the landscape warping and strange monsters appearing in certain places.

Nonetheless, I kept walking around the house grabbing anything useful. I found several items that I might be able to sell later or even use. Lastly, I raided the fridge.

If a thief breaks in here, he won't get so much as a bite to eat without committing murder!

Afterward, I decided to look out of the front window of the living room in the vain hope that I'd see my father's guards walking towards the house.

Instead, I was overcome with a truly dreadful feeling as I saw something else.

The knight captain and five Lorelei knights.

What the hell could that dishonorable coward want with me now?

He walked casually up in his full steel plate armor and smacked his fist against the door loudly. With dread, I answered the door. I made zero attempts to hide my disgust at seeing him again.

"Ooh, there's someone here. How annoying. This house has recently been vacated due to the mysterious disappearance of Sir Ulysses Iratus. Please leave the premises immediately. We will be confiscating this household for future owners as per Duke Oswald's orders." The knight captain said.

My eyes went wide and my mouth hung wide open.

DID I HEAR THAT CORRECTLY!?

"Hold on, you twisted asshole!!! I LIVE HERE! This house belonged to my dad, and he didn't disappear mysteriously, he died because you abandoned him in the mines!!! As his son, the house belongs to me!"

"Sir, do you know this kid?" One of the knights standing behind the captain said.

"I'm not sure I do. The report says that both Ulysses and his son Mizik went into the mines and were never seen again. Honestly, he's probably some squatter trying to trick us for a free house."

"As you say, sir," the knight backed off.

No!!! Help me! Please! Don't leave me to this monster!

"Vacate the premises immediately, or face execution. We do not tolerate lawbreakers of this magnitude," the knight captain said.

I ground my teeth so hard in rage that I thought they'd break.

I felt a searing anger take hold of my heart and mind.

The old me would have cried and begged them to stop but all I could think about was tearing this guy limb from limb.

I swiftly pulled my sword from my inventory and lunged at him.

Faster than I could blink, he deflected it with his shield, drew his sword, and pointed it at my throat.

"Since I'm feeling merciful today, I'll let you off with a warning. Attacking a guard is a criminal offense punishable by death. Since you're still so young, it might be displeasing to others that I slay you on the spot. Besides, do you think that a low level weakling could ever hope to stand against a level 55 warrior?" He said.

My heart sank even deeper in my chest.

Level 55...? How could I even wound someone that strong let alone kill them!?

"Please... You already let my dad die! Are you really such a monster that you'd throw me out in the streets!?" I cried.

"Stop pretending to be that wonderful young man! Mizik, the son of Ulysses, was a polite and respectable boy. He vanished into the mines along with his father. It already pains me that such a nice boy with a bright future ahead of him will never even see the light of day again!" The captain said.

This guy...no...calling him human was an insult to our entire race. This monster just made up a story about me being dead in front of everyone.

Casually...like it was nothing!!!

An idea formed in my head at that moment.

"Hang on! I have documents stating my birth and relation to Sir Ulysses! Please, just listen!" I said frantically.

"Oh? Let's see them then. Hand me the documents you have and I'll take a look to see if they're genuine." He said

I quickly pulled up my inventory screen and just before selecting the image of the satchel, I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a sinister smile coming from the captain.

He was up to something.

I could just see it now...

"Here! Take them! They prove that I'm Mizik Iratus."

"What? These are forgeries. You're an imposter."

He would then proceed to tear them all to shreds and destroy my chances of getting to my father's home.

He knew something, somehow.

No. I won't let you. I'll fight tooth and nail until I collapse from exhaustion before I give you my last lifeline!

I gritted my teeth and managed a mocking smile at him.

"I changed my mind. I'm not giving you shit. Why don't you take this house and shove it up your ass? You're a rotten bastard. You're no better than a lowly goblin!" I shouted.

Now he was mad. As expected of someone so high and mighty. He raised his sword and I jumped back, preparing to look for a way out.

"Sir, don't you think it's rather unbecoming of you to get so bent out of shape over the ramblings of a homeless kid?" A voice said behind him.

He turned his head to the same man that spoke up earlier and closed his eyes to calm himself.

"You're right. Listen, kid. Get out of here, right now. If you don't, we will be forced to execute you for impeding our work!"

You don't need to tell me twice. I'm out of here.

I ran out of the door and shoved him while I was at it.

I ran without stopping for almost an hour.

When I finally decided to rest I ran into an alleyway and collapsed.

My home...my safe place...the house He left me...it's gone!

While panting wildly and gritting my teeth I felt a drop of water hit my head.

"DAMN IT ALL!!!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Water suddenly started pouring down from above.

And then I was crying again. Like a baby.

I'm so weak... Why am I so damn weak!? Am I just going to be bullied into ending my life? Is that how this ends?

I sighed deeply as I stared at the ground.

"I need shelter. It doesn't have to be permanent, but there should be something..." I started muttering to myself silently. "Next, I need to get stronger. Physical training is fine, but I need to level up. What can I kill right now?"

Think. What can I do right this moment?

"I can find an inn. I'll live there. It shouldn't be too expensive. And they have food as well. Cheap food."

What else?

"I can register as an adventurer? That'll do. I can get stronger by taking requests and killing things for money. If I live cheaply, I should be able to afford transportation to Noir. If all else fails, I can just walk."

I stood up and slowly began making my way through town. I was already soaked to the bone, so I didn't care to rush.

I had seen a few inns around town while my Dad was still alive and decided to look for the cheapest one that served food.

First, shelter.

* * *

I walked into a slightly run-down building with three floors. It was an inn called 'The Sleeping Dragon'.

The building was a far cry from the peaceful, clean house that I had been in before, but it would do.

I walked past several dirty looking male and female adventurers who were either quietly eating their food, or drinking loudly with one another.

I arrived at the counter and looked at the receptionist.

"Can I help you?" Said an older woman that looked to be about sixty-five. She had circles under her eyes and wore a long red silk robe. Her gray hair was kept bound by a hair pin.

"I'm looking for a special deal on rooms if you have any. I'd like to live here for a while, if possible."

She raised an eyebrow at me.

"Aren't you a bit young to be in here, kid?"

"I'm not a kid, I'm thirteen. That's close enough to adulthood here, right?"

She shrugged as if she didn't want to argue.

"You got money? We aren't running a charity here."

"I have plenty. Give me the cheapest room you have." I spoke with almost no emotion.

She stared at me. Directly into my eyes.

She raised an eyebrow for a moment and then her expression changed to one of pity.

It seemed like she felt sorry for me.

I don't need your damn pity. I've already been through enough.

She sighed.

"I don't know what you went through to look like that, but I'll cut you a break. My name's Cleo. Cleo Kneltol. I'm the owner of this lovely little place. You can take the room down the hall on the left. Farthest one to the wall. It's not the worst we have or the cheapest, but I won't charge you much for it."

Cleo 'Kneltol'? I could swear I've heard that last name before...

"How much is 'not much'?" I pried.

"I said it wasn't the cheapest room we have. But I'll charge you less than one of those rooms. Besides, those rooms aren't for ki-...young men like yourself. They're usually reserved for...grown-up activities. If you catch my meaning."

I wasn't dumb enough to not know what she meant. But if it meant that I wouldn't have to spend all night listening to people go at it like animals, it seemed like a fine deal.

"I'll take it. How much?"

"Twenty-five gold coins a month for you. You'd be stealing it if I went any lower."

"Done," I said as I quickly counted twenty-five gold from my inventory and placed it on the counter.

Cleo gathered the money and only glanced at it before placing it below the desk.

She smiled wearily at me.

"I hope you enjoy your stay. What's your name, anyway?"

"Mizik. Just Mizik," I said.

I couldn't go letting everyone know my last name... It seemed like I could hardly trust anyone.

Especially since my family was hated here.

Upon hearing my name, her eyes went wide for just a brief moment before regaining her calm composure.

"How do you spell it?" Cleo said as she took out a piece of paper and a quill.

"M-I-Z-I-K," I said quickly.

After she wrote it down she paused and looked at me.

"Pronounced Miz-ick, and not Miz-eek, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"I'll let the staff know so they don't call you something stupid instead of your name, sound good?" She said.

"Great. What's for dinner?" I asked.

"Today's menu is on the board over there," she pointed at the wall on the right, across the room. "Have a seat and someone will be right with you."

Before I walked away, Cleo handed me a key with the inscription 1f r12 etched into the top of it. I placed it in my inventory.

I bowed my head and went to an empty table in the corner of the room.

A minute later, a pretty young lady walked up to the table and smiled at me. She had short brown hair and wore a simple black and white collared shirt with a brown apron and long black pants.

She seemed exactly like the kind of the girl scumbag adventurers would harass.

"Hello! Can I get you something to eat?" She asked me.

"Sure. I'll have whatever is cheapest." I replied without feeling.

"That'd be the daily special! Today's special is pot roast and mashed potatoes. Is that okay?" She asked with a bright smile.

I could tell she was still nervous, but seemed to relax a bit upon seeing I was so young.

"Yeah, that's fine...thanks..." I managed to say.

"Umm...can I get you anything to drink as well?" She asked.

I honestly didn't feel like talking to anyone right now.

"Water. Sorry."

"Don't mention it!"

She turned and stepped away from the table to put the order in.

I began thinking about how I would apply to the adventurers guild tomorrow. The sun had already set at this point and it was dark.

Ten minutes passed.

The young lady came back to the table with a glass of water in one hand and a plate of food in the other. She was followed by a huge brutish man with a scowl on his face.

Some guys in the room eyed her as she walked to my table and the brutish man glared daggers at them.

The girl reached my table and put the plate down in front of me, gently, with the glass of water.

"Thanks..." I said to her.

Normally I'd smile, but I don't think that's impossible at the moment.

"Not a problem, sweetie! Thanks for being so kind!" She said cheerfully.

I gave her a confused look.

Kind? I feel dead inside and can just barely manage basic human interaction. And she thinks I'm being nice? Does everyone treat her like crap or something?

The brutish man stepped forward and bowed his head to me.

"Usually guys come in here to gawk at my daughter and say rude things to her. She mentioned you didn't seem that way and I wanted to thank you. That's not the only reason I came out here, though," He said.

"Umm..."

"Cleo says your name is Mizik and you're gonna be staying here a while, right?" The Brutish man continued.

"Yeah, that's the plan at least..." I said quietly.

"My name's Maul. And this is Aria. Pleased to meet ya," he said with a smile.

Maul, here, was at least seven feet tall with broad shoulders wearing a black collared shirt. He had deep circles under his eyes and he was bald. His face looked a bit pudgy and his eyes looked terrifying.

He seems nice.

"Glad to meet you too, Maul and Aria." I managed to say. "Hey... I don't mean to be rude, but I've had a terrible day. I'd like to be alone for a bit if that's okay."

He simply nodded.

"I figured you weren't normally like this. You seem pretty gloomy for a kid. If you need anything, let me know. C'mon Aria. Let the kid eat in peace."

She nodded and smiled at me then walked off with Maul.

I sat in silence for a moment.

I really hate being called a kid. Though I guess I would be to him.

Maul looked at least sixty and Aria couldn't have been older than twenty-four.

I looked at the food in front of me and picked up a spoon that had been placed there by Aria while Maul was speaking. I hadn't noticed her moving about because I was focused on Maul.

If I was going to get stronger I needed to be more perceptive of my surroundings as well.

I couldn't be shown up by a waitress.

I placed a spoonful of potatoes and roast in my mouth.

When I tried it, I was genuinely surprised by how good it tasted. I thought this place was cheap, but the food here was pretty good!

It was also that point where I realized that I was starving. I cleaned the plate within minutes. The water wasn't bad, either. It tasted fresh.

After I finished eating, Aria walked over to me.

"Enjoy your meal?" She asked with a smile.

"Yes, it was good. How much will it be?"

"Aunt Cleo says your first meal is on the house."

"Thanks, I guess," I said.

"Umm, can I ask you a question?"

You just did, but fine.

"Sure. What is it?" I responded.

"You've got really pretty eyes kinda like emeralds. Do you...maybe know a man named Ulysses?"

Excuse me?

"Of course I know him...he was my father," I said as I turned my eyes downcast.

She put her hands over her mouth in surprise.

"Wait! So your mom was Karia, right!?" She said.

She leaned in close. Almost two close for comfort.

I nodded in response.

"Karia was my older sister. I heard she passed away shortly after giving birth, but I never learned her son's name. I did hear that she was happy right up until the end though," Aria said.

After everything that had happened, I was now face to face with my mother's sister.

I want to just curl up and die.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean for her to die," I said as I felt tears welling up in my eyes again.

"No, please don't cry! Really, it's okay! I heard she was happy to have had you in those last moments. Although, I have to wonder where your dad went..."

"He...died almost two weeks ago. He was killed by a dragon in the mines."

Her eyes went wide.

"That's horrible! Who's taking care of you now?" Aria asked.

"Nobody. I'm on my own. The Duke sent his guards to repossess our house earlier today. I was hoping to stay here for a while," I said.

Aria immediately hugged me tightly.

I really don't know how to feel about this.

"It sounds like you had a rough time, huh? Well, don't worry. I'll tell aunt Cleo what happened. You'll be safe here!" Aria said happily.

I hoped that was true.

Aria let go of me and I slowly stood up. I had dried off mostly but was still wet from the rain.

"I'm going to lie down for a while. Please thank Maul for the food. Although, I guess I should call him grandpa, right?" I said meekly.

Aria nodded and took my leftover dishes.

As she started walking away, she turned and spoke one last time.

"It was nice meeting you, Mizik!"

I stood up and headed to my room. It was down a hallway near the front desk.

I walked up to a door with the plate labeled 1f r12 on it. I used the key I was given to open the door, then I entered and locked it tightly behind me.

The room was kept lit by a couple of lanterns on each side of the room. One on the dresser and one on the nightstand. The bed was large and looked mostly clean.

In the dim light, I could see an open door to a small bathroom that had a bathtub, a toilet, and a sink.

I stripped off my clothes and drew a bath.

While soaking, I ran through the things that happened in my mind.

I found shelter for almost nothing and on top of that, I discovered my mom's family members.

I had never seen these people in my life before. Or even heard of them.

Although, I could imagine the pain my father felt at losing mom and facing them.

I sat in silence for almost an hour before getting out. I put some clean clothes that I had left in my inventory and laid down in bed.

After that, I passed out almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.