Henry The Trader part 2

Alex glanced at the young man standing at the door, estimating his age to be between 18 and 20, slightly older than himself.

He couldn't help but assume that this young man was Henry's son, as he seemed old enough to have one. Cautiously, Alex spoke, "I'm here to speak with your father."

To alex's surprise, the young man replied, "No, you're here to speak with me. Come on in, the stew's almost done." He stepped aside, gesturing towards a cozy, padded chair near the hearth. Though hesitant, Alex decided to enter and took a seat.

As he settled, he couldn't help but notice something peculiar and seemingly impossible—through the windows inside, he could see outside, even though there were no windows on exterior.

After a minute or two, the young man returned with a tall pot of rabbit stew, filled with carrots, potatoes, and a blend of herbs and spices.

Placing the stew on the table in the center of the room, he made sure to take a bowl for himself, fully visible to Alex.

Following suit, Alex took a bowl, cautiously reasoning that it probably wasn't poisoned.

As they both sat down, the young man initiated a conversation. "Well, I suppose now would be a perfect time for introductions," he began after a brief pause.

"My name is Henry Von Stewart. I'm a trader, forgemaster, grand alchemist, runic scribe, and master wizard."

Alex was taken aback by the list of skills and immediately questioned, "How can you be the old man from before? Why did you let those thugs mug you? And when did you find the time to learn all of those skills?"

Henry chuckled and replied, "Those questions would take longer to answer than you think. But first, answer my questions. I know who you are—I was at your birthday celebration. What I want to know is why someone from a noble family, supposedly a destined blacksmith, is wandering around Dekkalo and hunting in ruins instead of residing in Cortoa learning from the dwarves. Additionally, why did you ask me to lie to your parents?"

Alex felt torn between confessing everything and keeping the events to himself. He hesitated for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts. "I'm not sure if I can trust him," Alex thought. "What if he's a member of the Church of Ludus and plans to kill me here and now?" As Henry noticed Alex's hesitation, he decided to address the concern.

"Lying to me would be far worse for you than telling the truth. There are heart rate and breathing syncing runes all around you. If they trigger, I'll kill you here and now." Looking around, Alex noticed faintly carved runes on the wooden surfaces, barely even noticeable.

Convinced that Henry was telling the truth, he began to recap the events, starting from his birthday ceremony up until that moment.

After intently listening to Alex's story, Henry exclaimed, "Wow, your parents are awful." Alex couldn't help but agree, saying, "I know, right?" As Henry filled himself a second bowl of stew, he leaned back and continued, "We're actually quite similar, you and I."

He paused for a moment, contemplating whether to share the following information, but eventually decided to proceed.

"I, too, was born without any gifts from the system."

Questions burned within Alex's mind, the most pressing one being, "Are you really all the things you said you were? If what you just said is true, then there's no way you could possess skills beyond a D rank, let alone an A rank."

Henry erupted into laughter, finding Alex's skepticism amusing. Finally, he composed himself and simply stated,

"The system only applies to the truly natural races of the world."