Chapter 10: An Armored Rose

The next day after I returned from the sewers, I was able to turn in the request.

The woman at the counter was surprised at my growth and the number of goblins I killed.

And also quite suspicious of me...

Apparently the man I killed was a fairly well-known adventurer in these parts named Daren...

He had taken the request because I had been gone for three days, so naturally, I was questioned.

I played dumb, of course. I was too young to go to jail!

Luckily, I managed to convince her that I had no idea who Daren was and got off the hook.

What happens in the sewers stays in the sewers.

I was upgraded to bronze rank after that and received authorization to take requests from the board.

Due to committing murder and nearly getting killed by goblins, I decided to stop adventuring for a short while. Since everyone at the Sleeping Dragon was also worried about me, I thought it would be best.

I did buy a set of iron armor and a shield, however. It was much stronger and protected me better than the previous set.

It was a lot heavier, though...

My current strength was barely enough to move in it, so I made efforts to work out every morning. Over time, I began to see lots of progress.

I began work at the Sleeping Dragon as well. Maul was impressed with my ability to cook and I got closer to everyone as a result.

I would also serve tables alongside Aria.

It had been four months since I emerged from the Lorelei sewers.

I was now fourteen years old and ready to start adventuring again. My nightmares about the dragon in the mines also stopped from the day I emerged.

Currently, I was walking down the street towards the guild building to take a request.

I was accompanied by Cleo's son Jax. My uncle.

He was a level 73 berserker wielding a greatsword. They sent him along to make sure I didn't get myself into trouble.

I sighed.

"What's wrong, Mizik?" Jax asked.

"I'm trying to get over this nervousness I have. Because you know...goblins and...Daren..." I said quietly.

I had told everyone at the Inn in great detail what happened down there.

Apparently, this Daren guy would frequent the Inn and often harassed Aria. He was a drunkard and a pervert.

Maul was delighted to learn I had dealt with him, but told me to be careful from now on.

"I'm sure it'll be fine! I'm also going to help you find a job that's less...insane?" Jax said with a slight smile.

"Don't worry, I'm not suicidal. I don't plan to put myself in dangerous situations like that all the time, I swear!" I said.

Jax laughed.

"You remind me of when I was a young adventurer, Mizik. You've got a bright future ahead of you."

I smiled at his remark as we reached the guild.

We went inside and I approached the request board.

There wasn't anything particularly strange except for the fully armored knight standing by it.

I could tell by the shape of the armor that it was likely a woman. The armor was green with the crest of a rose carved onto the chest and shield she had at her side.

I couldn't see her face because she wore a full face helmet.

Honestly, she seemed pretty intimidating.

"Hey Mizik, I'm gonna go talk to the attendant at the counter," Jax said.

"Are you going to take a request?" I asked.

"No...nothing like that. It's just...I mean, she's kinda cute, right?" Jax said.

I looked at the attendant at the counter and sighed.

"Umm...good luck?" I said.

He nodded and walked up to the counter.

As he did that, I approached the request board.

I tried not to get too close to the armored knight, but she turned to me as I stopped.

Just act natural.

I began leisurely looking over the requests. Some of them seemed to pay decently, but none looked particularly interesting.

"Umm...excuse me," the woman said.

I jumped slightly as I turned and looked at her.

"Hello, sir. Are you looking for a request?" She said.

"Ah...yeah. Sorry, am I in your way?" I said as I stepped back.

"N-no! Not at all! I was just curious if you were seeking work," she said.

She sounded much nicer than I originally thought she would.

Suddenly, she also extended her hand.

I took it and she nodded.

"My name is Rose. It's a pleasure to meet you...uh..."

"Mizik," I said.

"Oh. Are you an Iratus?" She asked.

I froze in place as I let go of her gauntleted hand.

"H-how did you..."

"Your eyes. They shine like emeralds. Your family is from Noir, right?" She said.

"Yeah..."

My father was from Noir and thinking about it made me remember him.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to blurt that out! Please don't look so sad!" She said.

"Ah...don't worry about it. Anyway, what brings you here? I don't think I've seen you around before," I said.

"Well...I just came from Albatross. I'm just...eh...adventuring! I've been here for about a week, so far," She said.

At that moment, I started to feel something oddly familiar about her. The feeling reminded me of the day my father died.

For some reason, I felt like I could trust her.

"So, Mizik...have you ever been part of an adventuring group?" Rose asked.

"Not really. I've only done one job before. I haven't had the chance to try out a lot of things," I said.

"Really? What rank are you?"

"Only bronze rank. My level is 35. I'm not really that impressive..." I said.

I felt really weak standing next to Rose.

"It's okay. I'm not that impressive, either," Rose said.

"Really? You look so intimidating in your armor. I assumed you might be at least silver or gold rank."

"Actually, I'm also bronze rank. I'm only level 30...haha..." Rose said as the looked away.

"Well, I guess we're the same then, right?" I said.

"I guess so! Umm...would you be interested in being my adventuring partner? You seem really nice!" Rose said.

I was somewhat stunned by this. I didn't really know how to react to her question.

Without thinking, I spoke the first words that came to mind.

"I would love to!" I said.

"Awesome! I hope we become great friends!" Rose said happily.

I smiled nervously.

"Umm...what do we do, exactly...?" I managed to say.

"Well...we take a job, of course! I heard there was a problem with goblins in the sewers a while ago, but I think someone already cleared then out... You wouldn't happen to know if that's true or not, would you?" She said.

"I'm the one that cleared the sewers, actually. It...wasn't fun..." I said.

"Oh wow! How many of then were down there?" Rose asked.

"Probably something over three hundred..." I said.

"Th-three hundred!?!? That's an army!!! You took on an army of goblins at level 35 and won!? Who are you!?" Rose said.

"I was level 10 when I started. I just used traps and guerilla tactics to kill them all. I also got this skill with my family name on it to help me out. It took three days," I said.

"So when you said you only took one job before..."

"That would be the goblin situation...haha..."

Great. She probably thinks I'm crazy, now.

"That's...amazing! I heard that the Iratus family had strong warriors, but this isp really something!" Rose said happily.

"You don't think I'm crazy?" I said.

"Well...maybe a little. You fought an army of goblins in a sewer for three days. I don't think many sane people could do that. But still, that's incredible."

I felt a tad bashful from hearing her praise. Then I received a party invite from her.

I accepted it.

"May I see your stats and abilities? I want to know what I'm working with," she said.

I nodded and she sent a request to view my status. After accepting, I decided to look, myself.

{Status}

{Name: Mizik Iratus}

{Class: Fighter}

{Level: 35}

{Hp: 544(+0)}

{Mp: 482(+0)}

{P.attack: 215(+50)}

{M.attack: 93(+0)}

{P.defense: 204(+65)}

{M.defense: 90(+0)}

{Acc: 144(+0)}

{Eva: 119(+0)}

{Spd: 80(+0)}

{Passive Abilities: Sword Proficiency LV.3

Shield Proficiency LV.1

Magic Proficiency LV.2

Ranged Weapon Proficiency LV.1

Light Armor Proficiency LV.2

Unknown Skill LV.????}

{Active Abilities: Lunar Slash LV.5

Armor Break LV.1

Rage Of Iratus LV.1

Critical Slash LV.1

Assault Slash LV.1}

{Magic Abilities: Ember LV.2

Create Water: LV.2

Nightvision LV.7

Magic Arrow LV.5

Fireball LV.4

Chain Lightning LV.2

Greater Heal LV.2

Enemy Detection LV.3}

"I see. You're a fighter that uses magic. Are you planning to be a Spellsword?"

"I'm not sure, yet. I haven't looked at the classes. Which class are you?"

"I'm a Defender class. I'm good at protecting others and supporting the group!" She said.

I smiled at this.

If she was a Defender, then she could protect me while I attack.

This could be the start of something beautiful.

I had a few hangups about simply hiding behind her in battle, but...something told me that it would be best if I didn't bring that up. I didn't want to insult the only friend I ever had in this town...

Other than my family, of course.

"Also, what's this unknown skill? I can't seem to select it..." Rose said.

"I'm not really sure. It's been there for my entire life but I don't know what it does," I said.

"How strange...well, I'm sure you'll figure it out one day!"

Suddenly, Jax walked over with a sad look on his face.

"Oh. Hey Jax. How'd it go?" I asked.

"She's married. She also threatened to have me removed for flirting with her. Oh well...who's this? A friend of yours?" He said.

"Yeah. Her name is Rose. We just formed an adventuring party," I said.

"Pleased to meet you...Jax?" She said.

He nodded.

"I'm Mizik's uncle. You make sure to treat him well, okay?"

"Of course! He and I are friends and comrades, now!" Rose said.

"Hey Jax, Rose and I are going to take a job. Is that okay?"

"Hmm... As long as it's not too dangerous. You told her about the goblin incident, right?"

I nodded hesitantly.

"Well, the rest of the family doesn't want to hear about you dying while out on a request. Try to keep it simple, okay? I'm gonna head back home. Maul might need me in the kitchen. Don't worry, I'll tell him everything."

"Thanks, Jax! I'll be home later," I said.

He nodded and went on his way.

Shortly after that, Rose selected a request and we left as well.

* * *

The request was a simple monster extermination order. There was a small group of crab monsters harassing fishermen that needed to be dealt with.

Actually, it was near one of my favorite fishing spots that my father and I often visited.

I decided not to let it bother me too much and led Rose to it.

"You really know your way around Lorelei, don't you?" She said.

I was quite proud of knowing so much about this shitty town. I hated Lorelei, but it was still home.

"I know a few things. My dad used to take me around this area to fish," I said.

"Oh? Is he an Iratus? Are you close with him?"

"He is...was. And we were really close..." I said.

Rose went quiet.

"I am so sorry..." She said quietly.

"No! It's not a problem! Really...but can we change the subject? I could tell you more later, but now might not be such a good idea..." I said.

She nodded and we continued in silence.

Eventually, we reached the designated spot and got to work eliminating the crab monsters.

There weren't too many of them and they were really weak. Rose protected me while I killed them all.

Actually...I was really glad to have a partner.

Once it was finished, we sat down on a nearby boulder. Rose pulled a basket from her inventory.

"Are you hungry? My...umm...uncle made sandwiches to eat while I'm working," she said.

"That sounds great!" I said happily.

The two of us began eating, but I noticed something odd.

Every time Rose took a bite, she would turn away and lift her helmet only slightly.

I thought it was a bit weird, but figured that she didn't like people seeing her face.

Still...it made me curious.

"Hey, Rose? Why do you wear a helmet while eating?" I asked.

She froze and then turned to me.

"Ah...sorry. My father says I have to wear it to keep attention off of myself," she said.

"Do you get a lot of attention?" I asked.

"You...could say that. What about you? Do you get a lot of attention from girls?" Rose said.

She doesn't like talking about her appearance...? Noted.

"Well, my aunt and I are pretty close. But I've never had a girlfriend. Much less had anyone interested. Actually, I don't even have any friends here in Lorelei." I said.

Despite having worked at the Inn, female customers never commented on me. Actually, plenty of them wanted nothing to do with me.

Because it was well known that I was the son of Ulysses.

"Really? Why is that?" Rose asked.

"I'm an Iratus," I said.

"That's really surprising... I would assume that your family is loved in Noir..."

Probably. But I wouldn't know, since I've never been there.

"Umm..."

"Oh well. Anyway, let's turn in the request! Mizik, I had a lot of fun today. Would you want to join me again, sometime?" Rose said.

"Sure! That sounds like a great idea! I live at the Sleeping Dragon Inn with my family. What about you?" I asked.

"I'm currently staying with my uncle here in Lorelei. We have a house," Rose said.

"Well, when would you like to meet up again? Sometimes I work at the Inn, but most days I'm free."

"How about tomorrow? That sounds like fun, right?"

"We can meet at the guild hall. Is that okay?"

Rose nodded.

After that, we went home.

The two of us talked about a lot of other things on the way back and eventually reached the guild hall.

For some reason, Rose didn't accept any of the money from the reward. She said that she didn't need it.

I just assumed her family was likely fairly well off.

Regardless, the extra funds would be helpful.

* * *

I returned home to the Inn fairly late. Right after I entered, Aria ran over and hugged me.

"Mizik!" She said.

"Ah...hey Aria!" I said.

"Jax said you made a new friend. Who is she!? Is she nice to you? She didn't hurt you, did she? And she better not have made fun of your eyes..." Aria said.

"C-calm down! It's okay, really! Her name is Rose and she's really nice. We just did a job request and that was it. We'll be meeting again tomorrow at the guild hall. Is everything alright?" I said.

"I just needed to be sure. You've had it difficult enough already! I won't tolerate anyone bullying my little Mizik!" Aria said defiantly.

I'm not little! We're the same height!

"No one's going to bully me. I promise," I said.

"They better not! I'll beat them up!" Aria said with a smile.

"You're almost as fierce as your sister, Aria..." Cleo said with a smile.

Which reminds me...

"Hey, Cleo. What was my mom like?" I asked.

Cleo paused and smiled sadly.

"She looked like you. And she was the fiercest woman I ever met. She loved everyone here and always treated people with care. Your mother was a wonderful person, Mizik, and if she were here, I know she would have showered you in love," Cleo said.

Dad never told me about how she was because it was too painful for him.

But I could feel myself smiling at the thought of my mother and the kind of person she supposedly was.

Mom...you gave up your life for me. Dad did too. I promise to avenge him for you. And more importantly, I'll live on in your honor!

Cleo yawned.

"My my...it's getting late. Perhaps we should get to bed? Mizik, there's a plate of food in your room. You should go eat before it gets cold," Cleo said with a loving smile.

"Oh, right! Thanks, Cleo! I love you! And I love you too, Aria!" I said with a smile.

"Awww!!!" Aria squealed.

She hugged me again.

"Alright, that's enough. Get ready for bed, Aria! And let Mizik get some rest," Cleo said.

"Fiiiiine! I'll see you tomorrow, Mizik!" Aria said.

"You too!" I said.

After that, I went to my room, got cleaned up, and laid down.

I was incredibly excited about having made a new friend and had trouble calming myself.

Luckily, it wasn't long before I eventually dozed off.