Hunted

I cleaned the wooden table. The voices of customers rang in my ears; today was a busy day.

"Taro! Get me another drink," a middle-aged man called out.

I nodded, walking back behind the bar and taking a few more glasses. Old man Andor noticed me and called out, "Hey, is that bastard asking for another drink? He hasn't paid for the last three. Make sure he pays before you give him another."

I gave him an understanding glance and walked back to the tavern; there, I walked to the middle-aged man who was sitting with a group of what I deduced were adventurers.

"Thanks, Taro!" the man said, extending his hand for the glass. But I moved my hand away.

"You need to pay first; if you get drunk later, who will pay us?" I said.

The middle-aged man grumped as he put his hands in his pockets and put a few coins on the table.

I set the glass on the table, took the coins, and brought them to the counter. Andor saw me and didn't say anything.

Then, I looked at him and pointed outside with my thumb. And he nodded.

Pushing the door outside, I saw the busy street. The night sky was full of stars today. I put my back against the wall of the tavern and let out a big sigh.

It's been a few days since I escaped from the Winfield mansion alive. After coming to Carleone, I was wandering aimlessly for a bit until I found this place. Old man Andor needed someone to help him around, and I needed a place to stay, so we made an agreement.

My mind was still fuzzy, and everything felt like a dream. For a while, I thought I'd be consumed by resentment for Conall, but I refused to be that pitiful.

Revenge would only trap me in an endless cycle. I had to move on.

Yet even after saying all that, I couldn't help as everything was still running through my mind over and over. I wonder how Eden is and what Lilith is doing right now. And is Mars okay after helping me in front of Conall?

I looked at the people on the sidewalk. Carleone is a busy city, even at night, unlike the quiet of Nerton.

A hand touched my shoulder. My body went rigid, and I instinctively readied the ring's power. Then I realized it was old man Andor. However, my heartbeat was still fast.

"What's wrong? You seem tense." Andor asked me, laughing.

"Don't worry about it. Is my break over that fast?" I asked him.

"No, I just wanted to give you this." He extended his hands, and I saw that he gave me a few copper coins. "It's your payment."

"But didn't you say my payment was that I got to live here?" I asked, puzzled.

He smiled. "Well, at first I thought you were going to steal from me. So I had to prepare; however, it seems like you are a genuine kid, that's all." He then walked back inside to the tavern, and I heard him start to scream at one of the customers.

I looked at the coins, then at the glove I was wearing. I still haven't changed from the clothes Eden gave me, paranoid of any mage I come into contact with.

Carleone is also nicknamed the city of mages, so being careful was never enough.

I stepped away from the tavern into the middle of the crowd. I started walking randomly.

My magic has gotten much better, so I can sense any undead coming nearby. I wouldn't care otherwise; however, it was the scent of jasmine, which was the smell of vampires.

I could be paranoid and they're not after me, but I can't risk anything. I continued walking for a bit, trying to change my direction between moves.

The scent didn't fade; if anything, it grew stronger. I had no doubt now: I was being followed.

I started moving faster, then I noticed an alleyway, and I ran to it. Feeling that the vampire was following me, I continued moving until I found that nobody was around.

I looked behind me to see a robed man, whose red eyes were glowing. "So you chose your place of death, assassin?" The man extended his hand, making a sword out of black smoke.

I didn't wait or reply and dashed towards him as I cast air slashes in front of me. The vampire noticed this, so he used his sword to cut them apart.

I stopped in place, and using the energy around me, I jumped, using air to help me go even further than normal, and my fingers caught the edge of a windowsill. I used the leverage to swing myself up to the next one, slowly ascending the side of the building.

The vampire noticed I tried to escape, and mana started contorting around him, and he jumped a big leap, which left behind an impact.

I looked at him, then smiled. I was waiting for him to try and follow me. I let go. As I plummeted toward the alley floor, the vampire shot past me, unable to alter his trajectory.

The vampire was shocked; however, before he could change his trajectory, I suppressed the air around my fingers, held it for a second, and then I shot it.

Just like a gun, the shot was strong enough to pierce through the vampire's head. He started falling down, but I couldn't waste time and attacked again.

Shooting him a second and a third time. We both hit the ground, but I used wind to decelerate my fall, making me safe.

As for him, his body was distorted and destroyed to the point of no recognition. I stood there taking my breath; I wasted all of my mana trying to fight him.

But then, the mangled flesh began to knit itself back together.

I stepped back, looking at it in shock. Did all that not kill it? I have to run and find a guard.

I broke into a desperate sprint toward the main street. Time seemed to slow. Behind me, the reforming vampire let out an otherworldly shriek.

Then, a light appeared. It was a flash for a second, and I stopped in place. "Huh?"

I looked back to see that the vampire's body was cut clean into pieces. On top of it stood a man who looked like he was in his early 20s.

He had brown hair and blue eyes. He sheathed his sword, then looked at me and smiled. "You did well fighting this guy. Are you an adventurer? Or perhaps a knight for a family?"

The young man asked me; I was in shock. How did I not see him at all? Where did he even come from?

The young man's bright eyes kept looking at me, and then he let out a sigh. "I guess you're tired after fighting. I should've expected that; sorry for asking you that much! However, I'll be taking him. Is that okay with you?" He pointed at the vampire.

Without waiting, I nodded; that would be of much help. Then in another flash, the body and the young man were gone.

Is that a mage? Thankfully, he didn't seem to be as strong as Gilbert, so he didn't detect me. Fear was stuck in my heart.

Walking out of the alley, I looked around, trying to sense if there was another person with the vampire. After confirming that no one else was there, I started walking back to Andor's tavern.

Slowly, I reached out to the door and opened it. Most people were gone, as it was about to close. Thankfully so, since I had no powers to work anymore.

Then Andor's voice came out from the side: "Hey, Taro, can you prepare two drinks?"

I looked in his direction to see that he was sitting on a table with another person opposite him. It was the mage from before.

"Oh, it's you!" The mage said in an excited tone, "Father, does he work here?"

Andor nodded. "Why do you two know each other?"

The mage smiled, and his blue eyes looked at me for a few seconds before replying, "Yes, you could say that. By the way, Taro, nice to meet you. I am Roman."