The Sword Mage Without A Path

Brother Fred, Let's Go To The Market

The next morning, Fred was already in the training yard.

His arms still hurt from yesterday's practice, but Fred wasn't about to stop training because of that.

After his Path examination, he had spent most of the day practicing with the wooden sword, with no good results.

Fred needed to start somewhere if he wanted to become a swordsman

He brought the wooden sword up and charged at the training dummy, adjusting his stance and attacking again.

The grip on the sword was firmer this time and his movements more controlled.

It wasn't exactly a good display, but Fred had improved after yesterday.

"Brother Fred!"

The familiar cry stopped him mid-step.

Fred turned around and was met with the sight of Nalia running towards him, with Narissa and Derek not far behind.

"What are you three doing here?"

Nalia skidded to a halt beside him. She grabbed his arm with an intent look on her face.

"Mother said we're going to the market."

Derek was quick to add, "Come with us!"

Fred glanced at the wooden sword in his hands before resting it against the side of the training yard.

"Alright, give me a moment."

After freshening up, Fred joined his siblings.

Together they left the Meyer estate and headed towards the city market.

The streets were already busy.

Merchants were calling out to passersby, carriages were weaving through the streets, and children were darting from one of the many stands to the other, causing concerned parents to chase after their kids.

To Fred, it was the magic that stood out the most.

A merchant with a Blue Path was using water magic to fill several water containers without using a bucket.

A Yellow Path Mage was entertaining a group of children by producing tiny sparks of magic with his fingers.

Further down the road, a Red Path Mage was heating up a pan with his bare hands while cooking for his customers.

Magic was everywhere.

It was an integral part of everyday life.

Fred observed everything in silence before Nalia caught his expression.

"Brother Fred are you looking at the magic?"

"A little"

"Do you want to learn magic too?"

Fred gave a small smile.

"I can't."

Nalia's smile faltered slightly and she looked saddened.

"Oh."

Fred quickly reassured her, "But that's alright."

He didn't want her to worry.

Instead, he took in his surroundings.

The market was full of weapons, armor, potions, and monster parts.

If he wanted to become a swordsman, then eventually he'd have to leave the estate grounds and hunt down real monsters.

That meant he'd have to get a real sword.

The wooden sword that was currently at home was alright for training but it wouldn't stand a chance against a real monster.

Over the past months, Fred had been saving up his earnings.

He had been given a few coins every once and a while for helping out around the estate and he had been careful not to spend most of the money.

Today, he knew what he wanted the earnings for.

He wanted a weapon of his own.

They eventually stopped at a weapons stand.

Several weapons were hanging from the building and along the wall, ranging from simple iron swords to expensive magical weapons with embedded crystals.

Fred's gaze swept over the weapons on display.

A merchant took notice of the young boy inspecting the wares.

"Looking for a weapon of any sort, young master?"

Fred nodded as he turned to face the merchant.

"Something simple enough. Reliable."

The merchant narrowed his eyes at the young boy.

"Planning on becoming an adventurer?"

"Something like that."

The man hummed thoughtfully before retrieving a random weapon from under the counter.

"This one will do for you, young master.

It is a basic iron sword, but it should get the job done."

Fred took the offered weapon and inspected it.

It was heavier than the wooden sword at home, but the weight didn't really bother him since it felt right.

He slowly unsheathed the blade and examined the edge.

It wasn't anything fancy.

It didn't have any form of magic etched into the blade or made from some rare kind of monster bone.

It was just a simple weapon, made just from plain metal.

It was exactly what he needed.

"How much?"

The merchant stated the price.

Fred dug into his pocket and pulled out the saved money.

He had enough.

He placed the money on the counter.

"I'll take it."

The merchant gave a simple nod as he handed the bag containing the belt and weapon sheath over to the young boy.

"Take good care of it."

Fred fastened the weapon on his waist.

For the first time, he felt like he had truly taken a step forward in becoming a swordsman.

It wasn't some weapon that belonged to the Meyer estate that he had to train with.

He had earned the money himself, and he had bought the weapon of his own free will.

Nalia's eyes were wide as she stared at the weapon.

"Brother Fred, you have a real sword!"

Fred gave a small grin.

"Yeah"

"Can I hold it?"

"No"

Nalia pouted.

"Why?"

"Because it's sharp"

Derek immediately pointed at the weapon.

"I want one too!"

"You'll have to wait until you're older."

Derek looked disappointed, but Narissa laughed.

Fred smiled as they continued walking through the market.

They had only been walking for a short while when a group of young nobles passed by them.

One of them, taking notice of the weapon strapped to Fred's waist, asked,

"Is that a sword?"

Fred ignored him.

The boy walked closer.

"Why would a mage family need someone like you to carry a sword?"

Fred halted.

Nalia gave him a concerned look, but the noble boy gave a small smile.

"Everyone knows you're Pathless.

I heard the Meyer family has six Red Path Mages and one useless son."

Fred's grip on the sword stiffened slightly.

A memory of the day before flashed before his eyes, with him encountering Axel.

This time around, Fred wasn't overcome with the same amount of anger.

He calmly met the boy's gaze.

"If you already know that I'm Pathless, then you should already know why I need the sword."

The noble boy frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I can't use magic."

Fred rested his hand lightly on the sword at his waist.

"So I'll use this instead."

The boy laughed.

"Do you think the sword will make you stronger than a mage?"

"No."

Fred met the boy's eyes with a calm expression.

"I think training will make me stronger."

The noble's eyes darkened.

"You're still just a Pathless."

Fred shrugged.

"Maybe."

He turned away from the boy to avoid any further confrontation.

Nalia quickly fell in step with him and looked back at the noble boy before asking quietly, "Brother Fred, why didn't you fight him?"

Fred glanced down at her.

"Because I'm with you."

He didn't want his younger siblings to get dragged into a meaningless fight.

Most importantly, he had nothing to prove to a kid who had never faced a sword in battle.

As they continued walking, Fred's hand occasionally rested on the sword at his waist.

It was different from the wooden practice sword.

He could actually feel the weight of it with each step he took.

This sword could cut.

It could protect him, and it would eventually help him in hunting down the many monsters beyond the city walls.

Fred looked out at the distant woods beyond the city.

Becoming a swordsman wouldn't be easy.

Without a Path, he couldn't protect himself with magic and if he wanted to survive against monsters, then he'd have to rely on his body, his sword, and his own strength.

That was why he had bought the sword.

It was the solution to his lack of magic.

Fred lowered his eyes to the blade at his side.

Yesterday, he had picked up a wooden sword and decided to look for his own solution.

Today, he had bought a real sword.

Although his path was still unclear, he now had something to walk it with.