Chapter CL - Back Home (part 1)

I decided not to fly back to Mazino because I wanted to feel the carriage again.

I kind of miss carriages. All this time I have been relying on flight completely as my main method of transportation. I missed the bumpy ride, gazing into the road behind as the carriage moves.

I changed into a casual outfit on a dark alley while making sure no one was around. Then I headed to a carriage centre not too far from the southern gate.

The carriage back to Mazino is about a hundred Jules, which is goddamn expensive. But I'm kind of rich, so let's get on with it.

The ride back to Mazino will take around ten hours, but I'm willing to wait that long. I sat at the most end seat of the carriage just so I could look at the back instead of looking at the other people inside.

Luckily, there aren't that many people in the carriage. There's only four of us riding to Mazino, five if you count the driver.

The driver said we are taking a single stop at a village in the middle of the path for a slight rest, and I guess that's where everyone can rest, pee, and other stuff the horse probably needs.

The ride was pretty bumpy and annoying. I guess the road connecting Mazino and Xyphon really is just bad. 

It was still worse back then because the carriage driver from then was super drunk and drove madly. Absolutely not a fan.

Four hours later, we arrived at the village. The others stepped down and headed for the nearest public bathroom. I followed them so I could pee myself.

One and a half years of using an expensive bathroom facility, I am faced with an ugly public bathroom with a bunch of holes on the wall. I made sure no one was peeking when I peed. 

It was a stressful situation indeed…

After a bathroom break, I went to take a stroll in the village to look for some snacks. I came across a fruit stall so I bought some for the road.

After buying them, I went back to the carriage, seeing that it was ready to go again. The ride continued for the next five hours, and we somehow arrived one hour earlier than normal.

Arriving at the northern main gate, the knights of Mazino requested to show our identification cards. I showed them my Green adventurer card, and they quickly let me in. They looked quite shocked when they saw the Green color on the card. 

Looks like Green ranked adventurers really are still counted as a pretty high rank, even though it's actually the middle rank. That is because the number of people that have obtained the rank above Green is very-very small when compared to the rank below Green. So, it can be said that Green rank is far above the average.

I entered the front gate and was welcomed by the feeling of longing. 

Oh… 

How I missed this…

It is about to be winter this time of the year, and the kingdom is quite cold. Everyone is wearing thick clothes to cover themselves from the cold breezy air as they take a stroll on the road.

I walked on the main road while looking around. Yep, nothing much has changed.

The wind is rather warmer than in Xyphon, but nevertheless is still pretty cold thanks to the season. It is the afternoon, and there are still so many people wandering around on the northern road.

And the northern road is the most uncrowded of all three main roads. So it should be even crowdier in the other two.

Let's see... What's the first thing I want to visit? It's nearly dark, and my stomach is grumbling really hard. Ah… right.

When was the last time I ate? This morning? Was it even a proper meal? 

I should eat dinner…

And I know just the place to eat.

I continued my walk from the northern main road to the western road, where a familiar restaurant can be seen. There are plenty of people inside, and it looks like the restaurant has been upgraded.

There's two floors now, and it has an outside balcony on the second floor. From the outside, I can see the inside through the glass windows. And I can see that the first floor has also changed quite a bit.

I can also see the person standing behind the counter.

I entered the restaurant, causing the bell on the door to ring. The person behind the counter quickly turned and welcomed me, but he immediately stopped halfway.

"Welcome to the--"

His expression became stiff as he recognized me. Then he formed a grin immediately and shouted louder.

"Welcome back to Mazino, Rize!"

Everyone on the first floor was confused when the shop owner suddenly shouted. The person he is serving right now was confused when that guy suddenly shouted.

As usual, he is an idiot.

"Long time no see, Hod."

.

The restaurant looks like it has been upgraded. Now, Hod has these chairs right in front of the counter where he can talk normally with his customers, like at diners or bars.

I sat on one of those chairs by myself while he stood behind the wall of wood in front of me. Hod finishes off with the orders and asks his mom to take over for a little bit. He brought back a plate from the kitchen, a menu that I have longed for a very long time…

Barbeque chicken.

"Just like you said, it exploded madly."

I gave him the recipe while he was still in the hospital, so he can make it into a new menu for his restaurant. It's imperfect, but it's still very different when compared to any other dishes that exist in this world.

"As you can see, we have two floors now, all thanks to you."

He complimented me as I dipped the chicken meat into the barbeque sauce.

"Why, you're welcome. I wanted to eat this anyway. But I can't cook for myself, so I need someone else to cook it for me."

"I guess that is correct. But really, thanks to this menu, the restaurant has become so much more known. Around two months ago, the king and queen came to have a date here. It was… a flattering moment!"

"Oh really? That's nuts. Well I understand if the queen was planning this, she was pretty wild for a queen."

"Haha, I can tell at least that much. 

So, Rize… or should I call you Melvin?"

Hod asked that question very carefully, not wanting to displease me in any way.

"In this body, I prefer Rize."

"Rrrright… so then.

How are things doing? Why did you come back now?"

I quickly paused the spoon.

"Well, good news is, I got a lot of things from the academy. 

Bad news, I got kicked out."

"Wow... That was quick."

"? 'That was quick'??"

He said and laughed as if he predicted this, and I simply cleared my throat.

"As I was saying… the academy doesn't really have anything else to teach me anyways. I have all that I can get from that place."

"I see... So did you get it? The healing magic?"

I let out a sigh, and I showed him my hands. The skin is now clean of any charred burns. It shows that I have completely healed it.

Hod's eyes turned insanely wide since he didn't even notice it earlier, but I talked before he could say anything.

"Sadly, I can only get it until King tier. But in just a little bit, I will be able to make a tier up… I think."

"W-Wha!? That's still insane!!"

Hod suddenly screamed, and everyone around us suddenly turned to look in curiosity. I stayed silent so he realized, and he lowered his head down while being very ashamed.

"Right... My own restaurant, and I am acting like this."

"Isn't that the more reason for you to act freely? But it is a bit unexpected to see you like this. Are you okay?"

"No, apparently I'm not. A friend came back from studying abroad, and suddenly they became a damn goddess of restoration."

"I haven't even told you the good stuff yet!"

"Really!? You're bluffing."

"Can you handle it without going wild?"

He understood my question, and he took a deep breath.

"I'm ready."

I let out a chuckle while lifting two fingers.

"I have two magic affinities. Shadow and fire.

My shadow magic has reached the Knight tier, while my fire magic has reached the Emperor tier."

Hod quickly stopped his breath. But then he snapped and quickly looked at me seriously.

"P-Prove it."

I lifted a finger, and a small fire was lit on top of my finger.

The flame is dark purple, and it is emitting a pressure and heat owned only by the Emperor tier.

Hod glared at the purple flames with a shocked expression, and then he coughed to regain his dignity. He opened his eyes and glared at me.

"You have become… yet more monstrous..."

"Don't say that. You haven't even seen me in action yet."

I chuckled a little and then decided to change the topic. I mustn't let anyone know about the recent things that happened at the academy.

Well, at the very least, I can always change the topic.

"So, tell me. What are the things I missed?"

I asked him, and he folded his arms as he told me.

"Well... They aren't as shocking as the things you just told me, but they are definitely shocking to you."

"Try me."