4 Chapter 3 - Prophecy

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Finally!

I am finally in Tirigaz, located in the heart of the capital, Weldyn.

Here, is the start of my journey.

First, I would have to register with the Adventurer's Guild located in the center of town.

I would also need to procure some food and other items when I start my travels.

There were many workshops in this town, selling various products that are only produced through the use of Alchemy and Magic.

For example, clothes and accessories that had alchemy used on them, were on sale. There are also restaurants that use Magic that causes the ingredient's quality to change through the process called <Alchemy Cooking>.

Those blessed with Magic have found different ways to incorporate it not only to fighting, but to other daily aspects of life as well.

Magic is mostly born inherently but there are cases where an individual suddenly develops the ability to use magic. Those occurrences were rare and few.

I made my way towards the Guild.

Now--

To describe the Guild, it merely looks like a standard building similar to many of the shops around here; with the exception being that it is huge.

I walked towards the counter, where an Onee-san was.

"How may I help you?" Her smile was sweet.

"I will like to sign up as an Adventurer."

"Hold on for a minute."

The Onee-san then walked away for awhile.

While waiting for her, I decided to take the opportunity to check out the other Adventurer's.

Hmm...

As expected, most of them are fairly well-built, with brawn and muscles. I am probably one of the youngest Adventurer.

The Onee-san then came back with a form.

The form listed out the Do's, Don'ts, Job scope, and the salary.

In this world, payment is made with gold.

Adventurer's earn gold based on the difficulty of the quest they challenge and complete.

After challenging a quest, an Adventurer must head back to the Guild to claim their money.

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After I finished signing the papers, I was given a card.

It was a simple card, showing my name and job status.

Now, I'm finally a full-fledged Adventurer!

However, just as I was walking down an alley, I was suddenly dragged away forcefully.

Strong.

The grip on my arm was strong and the next thing I knew, I was inside a makeshift room that was made up of a cloth like material, similar to a curtain.

The person who dragged who me in--

Was an old lady.

"Sorry for being so forceful, young man."

There was a single table in the middle of the small room and a crystal ball placed right in the center.

The old lady sat down on one of the chairs and gestured for me to sit on the other.

Reluctantly, I sat down.

"Umm...why did you bring me here?"

This old lady was seriously old.

There are races who are able to live very long lives, such as the Elves but this old lady was a human.

She looked to be about a century old.

Her face was filled with creased up wrinkles and her teeth were all but nearly rotten.

However, when she spoke, it was a very gentle voice.

"Young Man, when I saw you walking down the streets earlier, I saw a vision."

Sweat started to trickle down my forehead.

"...What kind of vision?" I muttered, trying to be careful with my words.

"What is your name, Young Man?" Ignoring my question, she instead answered it with another question.

"Lex."

"Lex. Lex. Yes, that's a good name."

The old lady started to leak out a refined chuckle "fufu-" that sounded like a broad leaf rubbing against the wind.

Suddenly, her eyes felt like it was shining.

Perhaps it was just my feeling.

But my impression towards this old lady was turned inside out in my mind instinctively.

It was a conversation with a natural flow, but some kind of strange chill ran through me.

I had to be cautious in my reply. The thing I could say, the thing I couldn't say, things I should lie about, lie that would certainly be exposed if I uttered, it would be bad if I didn't affirm all of those.

"Lex, there is something you have to accomplish. Something you have to do in order to save this world."

Great. Just great.

It's this kind of setting again.

"What do you mean?" I asked back.

The old lady started explaining.

"A long long time ago, Lich-Lord Jevyan, one of the most powerful and dangerous sorcerer, tried to rule over the whole continent. He controlled legions of Undead, Orcs, Trolls and even dead spirits. In his wake, all that was left was naught but destruction. The other races banded together in order to retaliate against his rule. The Humans, Mages, Elves, Dwarfs, Dragons, Fairies, Merfolk, and other races forged an alliance to defeat Jevyan. At that time--"

The old lady took a deep breath.

"At that time, the Dwarfs had forged a secret weapon, a mighty artifact, one that was able to defeat the Lich-Lord. However, there was no one capable of wielding it. The Elves, Merfolk, and even the Dwarfs who created it could not utilize its true magic power. It was then, that Prince Haldric, leader of the humans, stepped forward. Many of the races did not believe that a human could possibly wield such a weapon of great power but they were proven wrong."

I was feeling intrigued at the moment. Secret weapon? That sounds interesting.

"What kind of weapon was it?" I could not help but ask. However, the old lady appeared irritated instead.

"I was getting to that. That weapon soon came to be known as the Scepter of Fire. What really powers the Scepter is the stone embedded inside it. The Ruby of fire. It is an ancient stone that allows the wielder to create powerful magic. It is rumored to be able to change landscapes and control the weather. Using the Scepter of Fire, Lich-Lord Jevyan was sealed away by Prince Haldric in a tomb buried deep within the Earth, along with his army of the Undead."

"OK, but what does any of that have to do with me?" I was feeling a little confused. This Lich-Lord dude is already sealed away. What business does this old lady have with me.

The old lady sighed.

"After Lich-Lord Jevyan was sealed, Prince Haldric determined that the Scepter was too powerful for anyone to wield. After a discussion with the other races, he decided to bury the Scepter somewhere that no one can find. However--"

"Prince Haldric was also worried that in the event Jevyan would one day be revived, there would be no one capable of stopping him. Hence, he decided to create a map that reveals the location of the Scepter. But, in order to ensure that it is someone who is capable and worthy enough to wield the Scepter, he split the map into 10 pieces and a single piece each was given to the Princesses of each race. It was agreed that the map would be inherited by their descendants. Ironically, it is all Princesses in each of the race."

The old lady could not help but stifle a small laugh at her own joke.

Carry on the story please Old lady.

"These pieces of map are heavily guarded and the current Princesses are only allowed to give the map to the one that they deem worthy."

"Why has no one tried to get the maps so far?"

"Prince Haldric made the Princesses swear that only their descendants would know about the map and the Scepter. The other races also agreed at that time. That is why, apart from the Princesses, no one else knows about this. Even the legend of Jevyan has been kept secret all these years. Only a few people know about this."

My mind started shifting gears.

"And? Again. What does this have to do with me? And how do you even know about this legend?"

The old lady revealed a slight small from the corners of her mouth.

"I was one of the first Princesses to inherit a piece of that map."

What the? How old is this woman?

"By now, you should probably know why I'm telling you all this."

Hah...

I knew this was going to be the outcome.

"Back when I was young, I was able to see the inside of a person. Their emotions, character, and--"

"Their past."

I gulped.

"Over the years, the seal on the tomb has weakened significantly. Just recently, Undead have been seen appearing in some parts of the land. This can only mean one thing--"

The old lady stared straight at me in the eyes.

"Lich Lord Jevyan is awakening."

"Lex, you are the only one capable of stopping Jevyan. Back when life was under his rule, it was truly hell. People were massacred in the blink of an eye."

"Lex, you need to find all 10 pieces of the map and locate the Scepter of Fire before Lich Lord Jevyan awakens and finds it first. The first piece of the map would come and find you by itself. You will understand soon."

This means, I have to find the other 9 Princesses?!

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Seriously? Can't I just live peacefully in this life?!