Journey to Froelia

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[Status]

Name: John Colton

Age: 14

Level: 5

Experience: 200/500

HP: 100/100

Mana: 75/75

Strength: 16

Intelligence: 15

Dexterity: 13

Agility: 14

Wisdom: 15

Unspent points: 0

Skills: Identify, Intermediate Magic Focus, Primal Instinct, Indomitable Will, Sword Training - Intermediate

Spells: Fireball, Light, Aqua, Wind Slash, Raise Earth, Blind

Boons: Wadur's Blessing

Curses: -None-

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[Sword Training - Intermediate]

You are more experienced in the way of the sword. Your attacks seem sharper when wielding a sword. The attacks of enemies with lower skill than yourself is easily readable.

A full month of training later and I stare at my screen. My sword training skill leveled up from beginner to intermediate. 'I've been making steady progress. Does my stats keep growing as long as I push myself to the limit when training?' I thought. It was early in the morning and a knock sounded out from my door.

"Honourable, have you prepared your items for your travels?" Madeleine's voice sounded from outside the room.

"Come in, Madeleine. I need a bit of help organizing some of them." I opened the door and revealed the mess that I had created.

Inside the room, there were a bunch of clothing scattered on the floor and a luggage filled with poorly folded clothes. I scratch my head as I see Madeleine sigh at the sight.

"It's my first time leaving home and staying somewhere else that I don't know what I need to bring or wear, hehehe." I look down at the floor seemingly embarrassed about the state of my room.

"Sigh… Honourable, this just won't do. You are about to go to the most prestigious academy that our kingdom has to offer. Come inside, girls. Our young Honourable needs our help." She claps once as she calls out to the two other maids waiting outside the room. "Yes, Head Maid." They replied in unison.

"Hmm, since you'll be joining a prestigious school, formal clothing is a must for events and such. Training clothes will also be essential. Ah! As for the dates, we will be needing some good looking casual clothing." Madeleine goes on and on as she starts to organize and neatly place the clothes she's chosen for me as the two other maids help her tidy up the mess that I had created.

After a while, they finished packing up my clothes for me. They told me to meet with my parents at the entrance of the castle and that they would bring the luggage for me instead. After a couple of minutes of walking, I reached the door and headed outside the castle. What greeted me was a carriage, my parents and my three instructors.

"Ah John! Are you finally ready for your journey towards Froelia?" Connor asked with a beaming smile on his face.

"Yes, father." I replied.

"That's good. Before you embark on your journey, everyone seems to have some sort of farewell gift for you." Connor said as he gestured to the people waiting on me down the steps. "Since that's the case, let me go first." He added.

Connor took off what seemed to be a copper bangle engraved with a ruby from his right arm and handed it to me. "Your grandfather gave this to me when I first left home. You can think of it as some sort of family heirloom. His father's father gave it to his father and so the story goes. My time with this has ended, and now it's your turn to don this piece of jewelry." His eyes gave off a melancholic feeling. It seemed like he didn't want to part with it yet, however there was also pride behind it.

I took the copper bangle and wore it on my right arm. I then head towards the other people to receive the gifts they have prepared. One by one they gave me their items.

"John, my son. Here is a necklace with a picture of us inside of it. Whenever you feel lonely or distraught, just know that we will always be here with you." Heather, my mother, handed me a silver pendant.

"Thank you, Mother." I say as tears start to form in my eyes. 'Why am I so emotional about leaving… It's only been two months or so that I've been in this world but they have given me more familial love than my real family." I thought as I held back the tears that wanted to flow.

"You guys are being so emotional so early in the morning!" Lucas says as he laughs. "John, my boy. Here's a sword I had my blacksmith friend create for you! Never stop training and keep the edge sharp!" He added as he handed me a sword in a scabbard. I unsheathed the sword to see and as soon as I did, the rays from the sun reflected from the sword showing how shiny it was.

"Thank you, Instructor Lucas! Next time I come back, I will be able to land a strike against you!" I replied with respect. I went towards the next person and that was my magic instructor, Adam Hart.

"John, here I have a wand made from the roots of a young white cedar tree. It is a great conductor for mana and will aid you in casting spells you haven't mastered yet. Well, seeing your talent in magic, you won't have that much use of this in the future." He said as he handed me a wand that was similar to his. It looked like roots entangling each other forming a stick, but instead of the normal brown color, it was white covered with tiny black spots.

"Thank you, Instructor Adam. I will do my best to not disappoint you!" I look at him as I say and I can see the pride in his eyes. "Soon the whole world will know your name, and I will have been the one that had the honor of igniting your passion for magic" He says as he puts his on my shoulder.

"Now, now. Don't pressure the young man too much. Anyway, it's my turn to give my gift." Cleo's voice sounded beside Adam. "Come here, John. I am not an expert in the sword or in magic but I do have pride with the knowledge I possess. Because of that, my gift to you will be my notes from my journey while I was travelling with them and your father. This is my life's work and I do hope you treasure it." She handed me a book and as soon as I opened it, I saw notes of different monsters, their descriptions as well as their weaknesses.

"Thank you, Teacher Cleo! This book of yours will one day save my life! I'm sure of it!" I gave her a solemn bow and accepted her gift.

"Now that everyone has given their gifts, I guess it's time for him to leave." Connor handed me a letter. The one he sealed with our family's seal when he told me I was to go to the academy. "This is the letter informing your acceptance of the invitation to join the royal academy. Do not lose it." He said with a stern face. "You will be accompanied by one of my loyal retainers and his soldiers. His name is Austin. I trust him with my life so there should be no problems while you travel. If you do meet with trouble, just remember your training."

"Yes, Father." I look towards the man he mentioned. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I will be in your care for the journey."

"You need not worry, Honourable. With us by your side, any troubles will be dealt with in haste." He replied. Austin was wearing full plate armor with the helmet at hand and donned a sword at his side. He looked like a very serious man. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes. He had a fairly light complexion but in his eyes you can see the loyalty and the amount of experience he has.

I nodded at his words and headed inside the carriage bidding goodbye to everyone. As soon as the carriage began to leave the castle walls, I heard the sound of my mother's voice. "We love you, John! Stay safe and excel in your studies!" She exclaimed. I put half my body out of the window of the carriage and waved them goodbye.

.

It's been two weeks since I left and we were more than halfway to Froelia. We were already on the outskirts of my barony's territory and are currently making our way through a forest path. It was very uneventful aside from hearing the people from different villages cheer my name as we passed by.

"Halt!" Austin ordered. The carriage abruptly stopped and I began to get confused.

"Why are we stopping, Austin?" I looked outside and searched for Austin.

"Honourable, please stay in the carriage. It seems that we're surrounded by bandits." He urged me to get back into the carriage as soon as possible. 'Bandits? Are we getting ambushed?!' My hands began to shake and I quickly unsheathed my sword with one hand and had my wand in the other.

"ATTACK!" A scream sounded out from behind the trees. I began to hear the clashing of swords and the scraping of metal as well as the screams of different people. It seemed like a hard battle.

Scared, I had myself ready for anything to happen. I stayed within the carriage as Austin ordered and just waited for the sound of battle to die down. My sword and wand were ready for anything.

Whoosh! I hear the carriage door open and see a man with ragged clothing, blood all over his face and a dagger in one hand try to force himself in. I froze at the sight.

[Indomitable Will] skill activated.

"Come with me!" The bandit tried to grab me with his free hand. I reacted and slashed at the hand nearing me and cut it off cleanly. 'Wind slash!' I thought as I pointed my wand towards his neck. Whoosh! Thud! I feel the wand promptly absorb the mana I provided it and the spell worked perfectly. I look at the man that tried to grab me and see his head fall from his neck, blood spraying all over the carriage.

[You gained 50 experience from killing a level 10 Bandit.]

[Experience gained is doubled due to level difference]

My breathing became heavy from the sight. 'This is my first kill...' My hands began to shake and my vision started to get blurry.

"Honourable, are you alright!" I hear Austin's voice calling out to me and see him rush to the entrance as he sees the man on the floor and his head inside the carriage. "Thank heavens you're alright! You can rest now, Honourable. That man was the final bandit." He says as he takes the body and the head out of the carriage.

Hearing his words, my body started to relax. The overwhelming pressure I felt from the unexpected forced entry of the bandit began to die down. I slump towards the seats inside, my wand and sword still in hand. "I just killed someone." I mumbled to myself, seemingly staring at the roof of the carriage for an unknown amount of time.

I stayed that way until night fell and we were to camp. Austin opened the carriage door and he saw me flinch. "Honourable, it's fine now. You're safe." He reassured me.

"I am? Oh, sorry. I just…" My words ended there and nothing else came out. I look at him. "Say, Austin. Does killing get easier?" He seems surprised by my question.

"No, Honourable. Killing does not get easier." He says as he looks down but immediately looks up back at me again. "However, the reason for killing is the most important. If you kill for the fun of it, then I believe that is wrong. If you kill to protect the lives of others and yourself, that is when I believe it can be justified." He put his hand on my shoulder. "Honourable, you are still young and I understand that this might be a lot, but you must be strong. If not for yourself, do it for the people that you love and care about."

"Yes, you're right. If I didn't do that then it would've been my head that was on the ground. Thank you, Austin. I'll join you guys outside for dinner later." I replied. Austin gave me a nod before he left me and closed the carriage door.

Images of the people that were with me since I came here started to flash inside my mind. My parents, my instructors, the people inside the castle that has been taking care of me. "I wonder how sad they would feel if I died just then..." My hands gripped the sword and wand that were still in my hand.

I hid my sword and wand and got out of the carriage and ate dinner. Before I head to the place where we were to sleep. I looked up at the stars. "I can't die. I have to keep living for them. I won't waste this new life that I've been given where I've been showered with care and affection. If it's for them, then... I can do anything. No... I will do anything."