"A Whisper of Doubt” (Part 1)

The wound on his leg, though still tender, had begun to heal after a full day of dragging himself along the roadside.

The regenerative potion he had taken did accelerate the natural healing process. However for severe or life-threatening injuries, the effect was minimal, as it needed time to act.

Leo sat down on a fallen log by the roadside to rest and change his bandage. The rough bark snagged on his worn trousers.

The wound was still open but noticeably closing. "I think tomorrow it will be fine," Leo analysed.

He replaced his bandages, wincing as the fabric pulled at the edges of the wound, and applied more of the potion.

After changing the dressings, he took out a small, well-worn calendar to check his return plan.

It was the fifth day of summer, 189 NE (New Era).

The Humbra calendar had become peculiar over the ages. It was decided that one year would be divided into four parts according to the seasons, with each season lasting 100 days.

He took a bruised apple from his backpack. Looking at it, he noticed that he had nothing to drink.

"Oh shit… nice day to die dry." He grumbled.

His throat felt like sandpaper. He took a bite in the apple, the juice a welcome relief.

"It's been over a hundred days since I started this whole thing. Don't I deserve a toast?" He smiled wryly.

He had another bite of the apple.

Leo signed… "I'll definitely have a toast to celebrate my first mission," he said to himself, picturing a frothy mug of ale.

Leo finished his apple and got up to continue his journey when he heard the sound of an ox cart. The rhythmic creak of the wheels and the soft plod of hooves grew closer.

The ox cart stopped, and a farmer looked at Leo and asked, "You lost, kid?" He had a strong country accent.

Leo didn't want to look weak, so he pretended he was fine. He straightened up, ignoring the throbbing protest in his leg, and walked over to the cart.

"Not lost, sir, just tired and need some help," he said.

"What kind of help ya need, kid?" The farmer asked, his eyes weathered and kind, crinkling at the corners.

"I need to get back to Gothia, that's all," Leo said.

"Hop in then, kid. Gothia's where I'm headed," the farmer said, jerking his head towards the back of the cart.

Leo climbed into the cart and sat down, relieved. "Thanks, mister, I'll pay you back when I can." He settled onto a pile of sacks, the rough fabric scratching against his skin.

"First off, what's your name, sonny? You look like you've wrestled a bear and lost."

"It's Leonard, sir."

"Leonard, huh? No need to fake it; I can see your leg's messed up."

Leo was surprised; his muscles tensed, his body going into a state of alertness. His hand instinctively moved towards his swords.

"Whoa there, sonny! Don't you worry," the farmer said with a hearty laugh. "I ain't gonna hurt ya. Just got an eye for these things."

"How did you know my conditions?" Leo was confused, his voice laced with suspicion.

"Well, I'll be," the man chuckled. "I'm a Neumond myself. You thought only city folk could be gifted? I just protect my crops with my bare hands." He seemed quite proud of himself, patting his chest with a calloused hand.

"But sir, how?" Leo thought the man had some special ability.

"I'm old enough to be your grandfather, boy. Years of experience, that's all. Maybe if I took the test, I'd get a gold or platinum rank; who knows?" He winked.

"By the way, what's your name, sir?"

"Call me Clyde," the old man said as he started chewing on a grass stalk.

Clyde's accent was very strong, suggesting he had lived his whole life in the countryside without much education.

Leo had to concentrate to catch every word, the unfamiliar drawl thick as honey.

It was a bit difficult for Leo to fully understand what he was saying, and he even wondered if the man was from a different continent.

Everyone on the continent of Fros spoke the same language, Nordilic, but there were different accents and dialects across the four continents.

They also had an ancestral language they could use to communicate, but it was only taught in schools.

They conversed as best they could along the way, and Clyde explained that Leo should be careful of all kinds of people in Fros, especially outside the walls.

It wasn't just the monsters. Seemingly normal people could be awakened.

Night was falling, and Leo was fighting off sleep, his eyelids heavy. When he saw the long walls of Gothia rising on the horizon with its large spotlights.

The big cities used a mix of technology and magic. Machines developed before the awakening had been remade with magic runes to use mana as fuel, increasing efficiency and performance.

The return trip was relatively uneventful despite Leo's injuries. He protected his collection at all times.

Though he slightly regretted not having time to remove the ivory tusks from the boar Leirion. Those could have been sold for a good price.

Leastwise the weight of the pouch with the flowers felt reassuring against his hip.

Approaching the gate, the guards stopped them to check their identities and the cart's cargo.

They were allowed to enter.

Leo jumped off the cart, his leg protesting with a sharp stab of pain.

He needed to go to the Guild House. Then said goodbye to the farmer. Thanking him again for the ride, Clyde waved back as headed towards the market.

"What can I do for you today, Leo?" Silica asked, her brow furrowed with concern as she noticed his limp.

She was actually using his name, a far cry from the formal "Mr. Leonard" she had used before.

"I've come to deliver the items from this mission," Leo said, a touch of pride in his voice.

He handed Silica the closed bag and the contract he had signed. "Please don't open the bag in sunlight. The flower becomes useless if you do."

"Certainly, Mr. Leonard," she replied. Silica was amazed by Leo's determination.

In her thoughts he was very weak to complete such missions. "He really did it," she was impressed.

After the verification and payment for the completed contract, he just wanted to fall into his bed and pass out from exhaustion.

Arriving at his boarding house, he paid all his debts, the two gold coins feeling lighter than expected in his hand.

His sore muscles felt better after a bath in warm water, but his bed still felt hard. Exhausted, he fell asleep anyway, oblivious to any discomfort.

When Leo woke up in the morning, he thought about what had happened and shuddered.

The boar's tusk and the spider's fangs were still fresh in his mind. He now realized how close he had come to dying.

He touched his leg and felt that his wound had already healed.

He was ready.

Then set aside money for meals for a while, and the rest would go towards buying armor, even if it was the most basic kind.

Leo browsed the market, assessing various types of ready-made armor, but he wasn't confident about the cost-benefit ratio.

Everything was very expensive and seemed like fragile cloth and sensitive metals.

Leo wasn't wrong.

Ready-made armor was expensive because it was readily available.

Leo recalled from the Equalizer starter book. "If you wanted something good and cheap, it meant days of gathering materials and working with a blacksmith or tanner."

He only had one gold and three silver coins; there was no way to buy anything of good quality with that amount.

Leonard was about to leave when an old man waved to him.

"Come here, boy!" shouted the hoarse old man, waving widely.

"What? Me?" After a close look Leonard recognized the old man in disbelief.