Chapter 16:

Trouble Approached!

Doppolia: A New Magical World


Soon after, we regrouped with the rest of our team. Everything slowly died down. No threat or dangerous quests came in. The capital was momentarily at peace.

So, for the next three weeks, we took on a load of quests to earn more money. Our chemistry had never improved, as it was still as chaotic as ever.

The police refused to approach me ever since that incident. In fact, last week, they reported my existence to some reporters. They put me on the front page of the newspaper, spreading the news around the world. Now, everyone knew I was alive and kicking.

The current mission we were completing involved moving a village of goblins to a different town above the mountains. They were hosted near the capital, neighboring it. The citizens feared the goblins due to their appearance, which compelled them to relocate.

The goblins were incredibly kind and accepting of the move. It made me wonder how the goblins were mistreated, but not the elves.

We escorted them across several miles to the southeast of Stalu, ascending the grand mountain. That was tiring. I had never gone hiking back home, so I had never developed my stamina… especially while carrying another person!

Hinabe fell asleep before we started climbing the mountain. While I escorted the goblins, acting like a tour guide, I was forced to carry her on my back.

“This way!” I carried her weight with one hand and signaled the goblins to take the correct path up. I glanced at Hinabe over my shoulder. The buildup of Hinabe’s drool distracted me from my work. “Hinabe, why do you drool so much?”

Amada and Anojin assisted in escorting them. However, Anojin obviously preferred to escort the women in the village.

“Come on, ladies, we’re almost to the top,” Anojin said, encouraging the goblins to keep walking. “And if any beasts decide to hurt us, I’ll protect you guys!”

“Thank you, crusader!” a goblin thanked.

“Yeah, you guys are awesome!” another stated.

As Anojin heard the masculine tones in those goblins’ voices, he quickly walked away, smacking his lips.

All the men and women in the crowd of goblins were bald, so it was hard to identify their genders while they grouped up.

Anojin persisted in finding another group of goblins with his charming tone, in the hope that they might be females. At least his lover-boy persona applied to every race of woman.

After arriving at the top, we help move over the goblins’ belongings and resources. Thankfully, Hinabe woke up from her slumber and assisted us with moving resources.

We eventually completed the quests and assisted the goblin in relocating. We were given a goodie bag full of treats as a token of appreciation. Amada happily took the gifts for herself, a massive smile on her face. We headed back to the capital as they waved goodbye to us.

We descended the tall mountains and strolled through a forest back to the capital. Once we arrived at the familiar ground, we made our way to the guild to collect the reward.

“Those goblins were very nice people,” pointed out Amada as she gazed at her gift in her hands.

“Yeah. They were cool.” I stated. I glanced at the sleepy Hinabe over my shoulder again. “I bet some of them would be more useful on the team than this drooler on my shoulder.”

Anojin heard my comment about Hinabe and snapped back, defending her, “Miss Hinabe is more useful than you will ever be, you filthy rodent.”

I half-heartedly chuckled at Anojin, bending my wrist repeatedly to calm him down. “Yeah, yeah. Relax, it was just a joke.”

Completing the missions was relieving, seeing the smile on the customer’s faces. However, something was missing. I had gotten used to the peacefulness in the world. I forgot the whole reason I was here: to defeat the Demon King!

I assumed the demon king, Satavio, was aware of my existence due to the press. I had initially planned to let fate guide me but look where it’s taking me now. Hopefully, he doesn’t attack soon.

I realized that I had a powerful strength deep inside, but never capitalized on it. I hadn’t trained or attempted to find a way to use it at will. I used a sliver of it instinctively on a couple of occasions. Sadly, I never understood how I managed to do that.

While passing the street markets, a question popped into my head. I looked ahead at the relaxed Anojin walking. “Anojin, I forgot to ask about this a while ago. You said Mr. Satori was a swordsman?”

“Oh, yeah. Mr. Satori Zanta was the definition of a great swordsman. His power exceeded even the demon king’s. On top of that, he was a great man. He was funny and kind to everyone around him. My grandfather loved him for that.”

“How do you know so much about him?” Amada quickly wondered.

“My grandfather told me about him. He told me all his stories during his time on Mr. Satori’s team as a crusader. He even fought alongside Mr. Satori during that heroic battle.”

Amada’s ears perked up as she heard Anojin speak. A sign of shock spread across her.

Amada sprinted towards Anojin. She leaned into his peripheral vision. “Hold on, your grandpa was on Mr. Satori’s team?!”

“Yeah, he’s awesome.” Anojin proudly praised him. “I love my grandfather. He’s the one who taught me the block spell. He says I have the potential to rival his magic. Though my control isn’t as good as his.”

His grandfather must be the real deal if he really did team up with the past hero. With his body constantly paralyzed after getting hit, I doubt Anojin would ever be strong. However, I’m glad Anojin’s family did not consist of useless crusaders.

“Since Mr. Satori was a swordsman, I assume he has a special weapon he used.”

Hinabe gradually regained consciousness on my back. She overheard the conversation and joined in. “Yeah, he wielded the black sword known as the Tri-Carver.”

“Oh, you’re awake,” I exclaimed, cutting her off.

She continued as she rubbed her drowsy eyes. “It’s named not because of the design, but after his attack.”

That’s a cool name for a sword. The name alone sounded extremely powerful, especially in the wrong hands. If I could get a hold of it, maybe I could learn how to use my strength effectively. “So, where is the Tri-Carver at? Did he bury himself with it?”

“My grandfather told me that after the past hero died, the royal family took custody of the weapon. No one knows exactly where it’s stored…” Anojin pointed towards a vast building in the distance on our right. “…but it’s definitely in the royal mansion.”

Even after being here for almost a month, I had never seen that building before. I guess I never decided to look up. The clouds made it hard to see the elevated building from the center of the capital.

“How far is the royal mansion?” I asked.

“It sits on a little mountain, watching the capital from above. From here, it would take about an hour or two to get there.”

Compared to what we usually walked, this did not faze me. Now that I had a clear goal in mind, excitement filled my body.

Regardless, the real issue was how to gain entry to the mansion. If I show up, returning as the past hero, how will they take it?

What if the royal family doesn’t read the news? How would I prove that I am a version of Mr. Satori?

During my monologuing, Anojin took the chance to shoot an evil comment at me. “You have no reason to go there… It’s pointless. You’re not the great hero, so why do you care about the weapon? You’re a phony!”

I stopped walking and slowly lowered my body, allowing Hinabe to stand on her feet. I retaliated with a comment of my own. “Oh, really? With a strong crusader in the family, I would expect you to be as strong as he is. But, you’re nowhere near as useful as you claim him to be.”

“Hey, he’s the greatest crusader to fight alongside the strongest warrior in the world! Don’t speak badly about my grandfather, you pest!”

“I’m not saying anything bad about him.” I clarified. “It’s just that anyone could be a better crusader than you. Heck, even I think I’m a better crusader than you! Does that make me stronger than him?”

“Calm down there, phony. All you have to your name is a little bit of power. Even if you had the sword, you wouldn’t know how to swing it properly.” Anojin deepened his voice, his tone sounding more serious. “And watch your mouth. You don’t know anything about him!”

An evil smirk lurked on my face, knowing this would aggravate the crusader. “Or what, you gonna hit me with that big ol’ shield on your back? Don’t worry, I’ll block it because I’m the better fighter… and a better crusader.”

Anojin stopped in his tracks. He rotated his body, twitching like a robot, and sprinted back towards me. Multiple veins popped out of his face and neck as he tightly gripped my collar. He fell for the bait.

Anojin exploded, full of rage. “You want to go?!”

“Yeah, let’s go.” I retorted, gripping his armor plates around his collar. “Let’s see if you’re as strong as your grandfather.”

Anojin and I kept arguing with each other. Amada tried to pull us apart as the tension grew denser in the air. However, I was so focused on Anojin that I accidentally shoved Amada into a group of people nearby.

Amada lost her balance and fell on the floor. However, something cushioned her landing. She looked below her and realized it was a human. He quickly picked herself up and bowed her head. “I’m so sorry, mister. Are you alright?”

The man groaned in pain, rubbing his head. His white suit was overly elegant, screaming wealth. Two bulky men, dressed in white formal suits with white fur attached to their collars, stood near the down man. One of the men shoved Amada away and focused on the man, acting like bodyguards. “Are you okay, Prince?”

As I glanced at the man on the floor with his bodyguards, a frown formed on my lips. Because of the way the bodyguards acted, I feared the man Amada fell on was someone popular. Since she hurt him, that meant we were going to have to face some consequences.

sTakumi
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