The Rivalry of Terrin

Chapter 9

The Rivalry of Terrin

The De Monde family, a newly emerging merchant family in Terrin that was recently gaining a reputation was envied as the nouveau riche. The affluent merchant Blanche who was elegantly attired and adorned, beaming outside his grand store that stocked everything, mainly the variety of medicinal ingredients.

Back to about thirty years ago. Aligned with the time when a certain family was demoted from nobility to commoner status, the De Monde family migrated from their rural origins, investing all their assets to open a small shop in Terrin's western district. They were brimming with hope, but reality was harsh. They faced the authorities, struggled until their last reserves, and Blanche was born amidst the family's deprivation period.

The small shop had to close due to the pressures, forcing the De Monde family to work in various odd jobs. Franz, the head of the family at the time, didn't give up. He chose to live by gathering ingredients, familiarizing himself with local hunters to revive the business. The family hit a fortune when Raymon gained the love of a goddess-like Gathia of the Los family.

Even when Gathia was banished from Terrin and deprived of any royal privileges, she still had some influence in the lower-class area. She then helped support the De Monde family and continued helping each other, until Raymon died during a beast hunt.

From then on, Gaetia struggled to support young Garion alone. Los's stature waned while De Monde's grew. Considering their relationship, Franz supported Gathia and Garion, even when Blanche begrudgingly helped. He had to struggle since he was small to support Garion who got to focus on his study for the elemental awakening test.

If Garion succeeded at that time, their families’ status would rise. The hope was put on Garion for what Blanche didn’t succeed in the year before. This made Blanche a lower status, and the deep resentment built up over time.

However, Garion couldn't achieve it despite Gathia's lineage, and Los family was fading from people’s memory, whereas De Monde's fame surged. Los’s knowledge and power were no longer needed Blanche never befriended Garion, only Franz remembered Gathia's past virtue, thus he continued helping with the trade.

The struggling nights had turned into De Monde's prosperous era, yet Blanche and Garion still hated each other. What’s more was the chaos.

For other people, the comfortable appearance was only a display. For anyone who had to operate a business. Every day for the De Monde family was like being on a battlefield. Everyone must rise early before dawn breaks, there are no days off, and today was no exception.

"Just do this and you all are already panting, hurry and organize the area before the new goods arrive. Brace yourselves up and work!" The speaker was an elderly man with half-white hair, tapping the floor with his cane sternly. The workers were startled and jumped up hastily to move the goods to the back of the shop, passing by a plump young boy who rested his chin on his hands sitting on a wooden crate in the middle of the room. his dark eyes glancing at them over and over, he then yawned

"Dammit, the cart is here to deliver and you lot are useless!" The old man continued to scold, waving his cane so that no one dared come close. They just responded and kept doing their work.

No wonder grandfather was frustrated. Belz looked around the large hall, each item was placed neatly. However, the front shop, which was the most important thing, was not ready. The nobles who came early were getting restless.

The clatter and commotion filled the shop from dawn. Everyone was drenched in sweat and wearing masks at each other was normal. This is a familiar scene from his earliest memories to the present day...

"You idiot, the Rem grass needs to be arranged more neatly! How you display it makes it look like a weed, Do it all again!" His grandfather knocked the table with his cane. The young woman across the table turned pale and started to rearrange with trembling hands under the old man's stern watch.

"Grandfather, is there anything I can help?" Belz asked. Observing the arrangement on the table, the Rem grass is rearranged to face one direction, showing both stem and root to highlight its freshness and quality. The price tag showed the tiny number 550 that got crossed out and had a bigger number of 450

It's a simple tactic that anyone could do, and it was effective. The old man raised his eyebrows at the plump boy next to him then burst into a warm smile, patting his head gently, contrary to his demeanor towards the employees.

"Oh, my grandson! Such a good boy, you don’t need to do something like this. Go prepare for your studies instead. You are truly my pride." the old man laughed heartily.

"Belz, these tasks are not for someone with fire elemental affinity who got recognized by Arthuria. You will grow up to be a renowned apothecary." the young woman smiled briefly before continuing her work. The old man laughed louder.

"Well said, well said! My grandson will become an apothecary indeed!" The old man patted the boy's shoulder lightly before returning to his work, leaving Belz looking on from a distance. When he looked back at the young woman, she still wore a beautiful smile.

Surely, that's the first qualification for anyone working at the De Monde family shop. But he dislikes such flattery.

The front shop then properly arranged, nobles and royal guards began to flock in. Belz saw his father wiping his sweat discreetly at the side and walked past groups of people negotiating the prices. Belz knew them all well. They were shop owners from inside the wall, buying stuff from their store to sell at higher prices for profit.

"What's up, my son? No classes at Arthuria today?" The plump man greeted, catching Belz's attention away from the scene. Belz turned and shook his head in denial.

"Most instructors are taking our seniors out on external missions. Those remaining are training the weak for a second round. I've got nothing to do there." Belz responded indifferently, earning a sigh and a pat on the back. His father’s face brimmed with pride.

"You possess fire element and power at level 3! I am proud of you, especially when compared to that farmer's son. Just go and take a break today!" Blanche exclaimed, laughing heartily. The nearby customers also recognized Belz, making his father smile even more. However, this jovial mood was cut short as an agitated employee rushed in, his expression panicked.

"Sir Blanche!" he yelled, only to be silenced with a reprimand for startling the customers. They then walked to the side, and Belz seized the chance to follow. Blanche glanced at his son before asking the panicking young man.

"Don't make a scene in front of the customers, you idiot. You'll tarnish our reputation." Blanche scolded; the young man trembled. "What caused you to panic?"

"It's... Sir Blanche, the Serias family came to deliver their goods again. They refuse to leave and are blocking the storefront..." The young man's voice trembled, his face pale. Belz noticed a flash of anger on his father's face.

"Tsk... Those shameless people think they now have power, huh? Their goods are of poor quality, yet they dare to sell them at high prices." Blanche gritted his teeth before turning to pat the boy's head.

"I've got a little matter to attend to. We'll talk later. Tell me about your day at Arthuria when you're free." he chuckled before departing.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Belz repeated his earlier offer, but again he was left alone, watching everyone as if they were in a different world. Initially, the flattery felt good, but over weeks, the constant facade became annoying. Even his peers at Arthuria, upon learning of his high elemental level, donned their masks to face him. Though they resented him, none dared confront him directly.

Walking out of the shop, Belz's gaze wandered to the distant. The morning fog covered the castle beyond the city walls—a place everyone dreamt of entering. But today, he didn’t have any spirit. He had overheard a conversation yesterday. Ceren questioned a water element trainer named something-Brun's training methods and why Las stopped attending the training. Brun's blunt excuse for Las's absence was—'always skipping training and never taking it seriously while training, he will not teach that kid anymore.'—which made Ceren storm off in anger.

"Nonsense." Belz muttered. He kicked a pebble against a roadside glassware stand, causing a small crack. The elderly owner grimaced in distress but dared not say anything, silently accepting his loss. Irritated, Belz stomped over to the old man with hands put in his coat pockets, under the watchful eyes of the gossiping crowd yet no one dared to intervene.

"It's nonsense, truly!" The boy nonchalantly tossed some coins in front of the old glass vendor and then made his way through the crowd, heading straight for the city's southern gate. His face showed annoyance, and a faint glimmer of fire in his eyes made everyone step aside, not daring to block his path, even the city gate guards.

"There’s no way the mad one who dares to confront me every day will just give up so foolishly... That trash." Belz muttered to himself at the city gate. It was still early in the morning. only half of the sun had risen over the distant mountains. Belz started to run along the dirt road and stopped to rest near a wooden building close to a monument of a man who was known as God of Elixir.

The boy walked straight to the counter, ordered a glass of warm milk, and sat near a window corner, staring out at the road leading down to the southern valley for quite a while. The glass was empty, leaving only a dried residue. As the number of passersby increased from a few to a regular trickle, he found no sign of the person he was looking for. Finally, he decided to stand up and walked against the flow of people heading into the city, reaching the vegetable garden area. His eyes scanned for the herbal planting section, a key sign of Las' home. He surely recognized the vegetables sold to his store, even if Las was not there, but he found an old man with unshaven brown hair and beard working with the soil, Garion.

Compared to Belz's father, Garion seemed older despite his younger age, as his life's labor in gardens and fields aged him significantly. The only thing Belz knew about this man was, he did not get along with his father, having positioned themselves as enemies for a long time yet strangely continued to trade with each other. This wasn't someone he could easily converse with.

Belz glanced towards the nearby small wooden house where a young woman with brown hair stood hanging laundry. Without hesitation, the boy walked briskly towards her. The woman seemed slightly surprised to see her son's friend coming over but did nothing more than offer a gentle smile. She was Las's mother.

"What's up, Belz? What brings you here?" she asked, flicking the laundry lightly before draping it over the line.

"Is Las around, Auntie Aerel?" Blesz asked straightforwardly. The woman thought for a moment before replying.

"Las left early this morning, dear. He mentioned something about special training in the woods with his teacher and took a leather map with him. But what's wrong? Can I pass any message to you?"

"Really? Did Ceren find a new teacher to replace Branford?" Belz blurted out in surprise, prompting Aerel to look even more astonished and inquire.

"Is there an issue with Master Branford? Can you tell me about it?"

Belz nodded nonchalantly.

"As far as I saw, Branford had him just cleaning. Las didn't go to Arthuria yesterday. Ceren had quite a fight with Branford, so I thought..."

Blesz paused as he noticed Aerel's face turning pale.

"Oh dear, why didn't I realize sooner..." Aerel thought of Las's expression the previous evening, initially assuming he was just tired, which might explain his pallor. Maybe something happened yesterday, but Las was too afraid to mention it to them.

"Why is Blanche's son here?" a stern voice interrupted, drawing both their gazes... Garion smirked and cleared his throat softly. "If your father asks about the herbs that need to be delivered in the next two days, rest assured they will be sent on time."

"I'm not interested in those matters. I'll take my leave now, Aunt Aerel." Belz said, then turned his back and ran off without bidding farewell to Garion.

"Just look at him, so ill-mannered just like his father, no difference at all." Garion grumbled, sighing deeply before noticing his wife's distressed expression.

"Aerel, what's wrong? Should I take you to the healer?" Garion asked with concern, embracing her as she began to sway slightly.

"I'm fine, but..." Aerel gazed in the direction where the plump boy had run off, not down the road but towards the forest's edge, seeming unreliable. "It seems we should venture into the woods."

"The woods?" Garion was puzzled, but Aerel didn't care to elaborate. She quickly withdrew from his embrace and strode briskly into the house.

"I'll prepare myself. You can stay if you wish." she stated firmly, her dark eyes not betraying any jest. Although Garion didn't fully grasp the situation, his instincts told him...

Do not interfere

The woods...

In the past twenty or thirty years, these were regarded as exceedingly dangerous. Entering required a well-prepared group, ready to face the wild beasts that could appear at any moment in their territory. But times had changed. Paths had been cleared, reducing the forest's expanse as people moved in for farming and foraging, pushing the dangerous creatures further back.

The map he copied yesterday is only partially reliable due to its age. Since dawn, Las and Dragoon have checked over ten marked spots but found none of the Dewdrop grass Dragoon sought. Eventually, they considered investing might be wiser than continuing this futile search. The worthless map gradually gained value, noted with every new point that was interesting as they encountered it.

By a gentle stream with crystal clear water, Las’s feet began to feel sore and decided to rest on a rock, drinking the cool water. He unfolded the aged leather map again while Dragoon hovered behind, humming thoughtfully...

"Venturing deeper into the forest could be dangerous." Dragoon remarked, looking up at the vast woodland with concern. Though Las couldn't see clearly, the spiritual energy beyond the stream felt immensely dense, almost indecipherable. Surely, it indicated the presence of high-level beasts, perhaps demonic or monstrous creatures. Encountering one now could turn this Spirit elementalist into a real spirit…

"Dragoon, is Dewdrop grass such a rare herb that nothing else can replace it?" Las asked straightforwardly. The young ghost stroked his chin, his frown deepening, suggesting the issue would not be easily resolved.

"Other things can be used, but in my era, some are far rarer and harder to come by, and so far, I haven't found anything suitable to replace it at." Dragoon's response made Las sigh in agreement. Sometimes things aren't as simple as they might seem, even with Dragoon's presence. After all, what's unavailable remains so as the day fades into night.

"Ugh, I'm starting to get hungry. Is there anything to eat around here?" Las said, looking around. His eyes caught flickers of light everywhere, which made sense since they had been following the trail of valuable ingredients to this point. This area could be considered a treasure trove, with rich soil full of nutrients and mineral-rich waters, turning it into a hotspot.

"Ugh... so hungry!" Las began to whine, but noticing Dragoon's unusual silence, he looked up to find the ghost staring in a certain direction — a path they had just crossed but now seemed strangely different.

"Is there a cave on that map?" Dragoon asked calmly, his gaze fixed back the way they came. Las shook his head in denial.

"There's no cave on the map... And we didn't pass any caves just now!" Las blurted out, trying to focus his eyes again. Whether it was now or before, he should have noticed a stone cave by the streamside. Moreover, inside the cave, there seemed to be numerous strong spiritual energy lines, one of them had a chillingly cold aura, turning the air into visible mist.

Even with the sun high in the sky...

"There are scents of top-tier ingredients all over there, but what kind of cave is it?" Dragoon continued to muse, floating closer for a better look.

"How would I know if you don't?" Las leaped down to stand firmly, peering into the darkness. "But it's so dark in there... Why do I get goosebumps from just looking?"

"It feels familiar though. Why can’t I remember?" Dragoon tilted his head, peering closely, while Las didn't dare to approach any closer than five meters, his sight limited even at this distance, despite the bright daylight.

"I think it's not quite..."

"What's this, you farmer? What kind of odd cave is this?" Las was cut off by a sudden voice behind him. Turning, he saw a well-fed boy of his age looking puzzled yet oddly disturbing.

"You merchant! How did you get here?!" Las was incredulous, but the other boy just shrugged.

"I followed the scent of your poverty here, obviously." Belz retorted with his usual cheekiness, leaving Las speechless. At first, Las thought it might be an illusion, but no mirage could replicate such impudence.

"You came all the way here by yourself? Are you out of your mind?" Las exclaimed, but the other boy glanced around before pointing accusingly.

"As if you're not alone. And where's that new teacher of yours? I'd like to see them." Belz said, folding his arms and looking smug. Las cast a wary glance back at the dark cave and his spectral guardian.

"Whatsoever, we should get out of here." Las said firmly, attempting to drag the plump youngster away, but Belz shook off his hand, laughing derisively.

"You should know the difference in our levels." Belz casually showed his hand forward, and in a blink of an eye, a brilliant orange flame ignited, radiating intense heat that forced Las to step back. Seeing his opponent overwhelmed by his power, Belz laughed heartily.

"Hey, don't get too cocky! This place isn't right, and if we don't leave now, something will hap..."

Crack...

Las couldn't finish his sentence when an unpleasant sound erupted. Even Dragoon widened his eyes at the sound. Belz, who had seemed brave moments ago, paled in shock as the cave seemed to sink slightly into the ground.

Crack...

The sound echoed again, and the cave sank further. Both Las and Belz were agape at the unfolding scene. They had never heard of such phenomena before. But Dragoon clapped his hands and laughed, recognizing the anomaly.

"Las, I remember now! I've encountered this thing before. It's a... Ah...?" The ghost boy stretched his hand sideways but was cut off as the cave reacted violently, rumbling so fiercely that the ground trembled.

Crack, crack, crack, crack...

Eventually, the dark cave merged completely with the ground, turning into a pitch-black abyss... and it began to sway.

"See, I told you this doesn't look good. You fatso!" Las sneered, his face pale.

Both boys prepared to run, but it was too late when the pit lunged at them with incredible speed, instantly positioning itself beneath their feet. As the ground vanished, they began to fall. Las nearly grasped a rock at the edge but suddenly jerked back because Belz was pulling his shirt from behind, refusing to fall alone.

It was a moment when they both realized the depth of their friendship...

"Whoa~!"

Their screams echoed, soon swallowed by the darkness... before the pit vanished without leaving a trace, not even dust.

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