Potato

"Well... When I was in Lacasn, I came across an old beggar. I gave him some food, and he asked me for some Dwarf liquor from the East. I gave it to him, and as I was leaving, he suddenly grabbed my hand and stopped me. His whole demeanor changed, and I was quite scared. He told me he knew a way to lift my curse. Even though I never told him about it, he still said something unexpected, which shocked me, and I believed him. He said that there was an ancient herb near the Luminescence Lake in a small cave. I asked him how he knew about it and why he was helping me. He said he was just repaying me for the expensive liquor. Even with doubts, I still got to the location of the herb and obtained it. I consumed it at night and had a very bad diarrhea, but the curse was lifted, and I could feel some kind of burden lift from me. The herb also seemed to have other properties, like healing, so it helped me a lot." Auric said his bullshit story that he just took out from his ass.

All this time, while Auric was recounting his story, both Max and Lumina were looking at him intently. Max seemed shocked and relieved. 'Looks like he's a simple man.' Auric thought.

But the problem lay with Lumina, who didn't buy his story. Who would... except for Max? Ellie, on the other hand, looked at Auric with sparkling eyes, confused but intrigued that he consumed a divine herb.

As Lumina stared at Auric, it made him more nervous, but he kept his calm. [ She doesn't believe you one bit ] the system said to him.

"I know," he whispered back.

"Well, ain't that good, Lu! Now Auric has lifted his curse, and he can even use magic! Hahaha!" Uncle Max laughed aloud as he put a big piece of meat in his mouth.

"Well enough! I will buy that story of yours for now. Even though I'm very concerned that you believed that old man, it's still good that you lifted the curse," Aunt Lu said with a look of doubt, but in the end, she still smiled.

Haa~ Auric sighed. Looks like I am safe for now...

Auric sighed, feeling relieved that he had escaped scrutiny for now. "Big brother, what magic do you use?" Ellie asked him with very eager eyes.

"Hmm? Ah... I can use the dark and thunder elements."

"WHAT!?" "WHAT!?" Both Aunt Lu and Uncle Max stood up, looking at him in shock.

H-Huh? What happened?

"What do you mean, what happened?! Why did you not tell me you had the thunder element?" Aunt Lu exclaimed.

"Potato boy, let's go and have a duel now! Show me your thunder magic!" Uncle Max excitedly said to Auric.

As they were shocked to know that he had the thunder element, Auric was quite astonished and curious as well to know why they were so shocked.

"Max, please calm down. Let's finish dinner, and I think Auric is quite exhausted to have a duel with you. Let him rest," Aunt Lu said to Uncle Max, who somehow made an expression that was too weird for Auric to describe. Perhaps he was making puppy eyes? Whatever it was, Auric decided he needed to wash his eyes with some sanitizer.

< system do you have any sanitizer in the shop? I think i need it. >

[ Currently unavailable ]

Aunt Lu then looked at Auric, chuckling at his weird expression. Uncle Max awkwardly and embarrassingly coughed, "Ahem!"

"hehehe" Eliie also started laughing, looking at them. and seeing her laugh everyone started laughing.

Aunt Lu looked at me, and seeing my bewildered expression, she chuckled. Max awkwardly and embarrassingly coughed, "Ahem!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and it reminded me of my past life and family. Were they happy? Were they alright? Had they moved on from my death? I hoped they had! "Mom, Dad, I think I have found our Emma again. Don't worry, this time I will protect her even if I die," I thought to myself with a smile.

"Ah, Uncle, why don't we have a duel tomorrow?" I asked.

They were quite astonished to hear me suggest that. "Auric, I don't think that's a good idea. You are still exhausted, and tomorrow is also the festival. I think you should rest," Aunt Lu replied.

"It's okay, Aunt Lu. I have recovered and am feeling quite well, and the fever is also gone now. You don't need to worry."

"But--"

"Lu, I think it's okay. I won't push him to the extreme, and a man should never back out from a fight. Right, Potato? Show the man you are. Hahaha!" Uncle Max chuckled.

"Uncle... Although everything is alright, could you please stop calling me Potato? It's embarrassing, and why do you even call me that?" I asked him helplessly.

"Hmm? Well, potato is potato, so of course, I gotta call you potato. Hahaha!" he replied.

I sighed. Hearing me sigh, Lumina chuckled, and even Ellie was laughing at me. "Hehe, big brother Potato, eheheh!" she said.

Looking at everyone, I just smiled, happy that everything was alright and they were happy. After we finished having dinner, we retired to our respective rooms and turned off the lights to sleep.

**

In a nearby abandoned house near Winding Groove Town,

The scene inside was enough to strike fear into the heart of anyone who stumbled upon it. The entire place was stained red, and the unmistakable smell of iron and blood filled the air.

Two figures were hunched over a large tub, stirring something into the viscous red liquid inside. Wait a minute, was that blood they were mixing?

Another individual stood nearby, meticulously polishing a Chinese broadsword. "Are the preparations complete?" his rough, gravelly voice reverberated through the air. If a normal person had seen him, they would have been absolutely terrified.

"As ready as we can be, boss," the two henchmen responded in unison, clearly afraid of the man's dark aura.

"I don't want any mishaps on this mission. If we fail, we die! Don't let your guard down or take it easy. This is important for us. I am saying it again," the man said in a cold voice that could even send shivers down the spine of the strongest individuals. He spread his pressure onto the two kneeling in front of him.

"Don't you dare mess it up."

"Yes, boss!" the two men replied, shaking in their boots. They knew that crossing him would mean certain death.

**

The next morning, Auric woke up and stretched, thinking about working out a little. Before, due to his travels and the curse, he didn't have the stamina or time to exercise, but now he had both.

As Auric walked to the window to open up the curtains, he saw that Max and Ellie were already outside exercising. Lumina was sitting on the side, watching with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Aunt Lu, Uncle Max, and Little Ellie!" Auric greeted them as he stepped out of the house and into the courtyard.

"Good morning, Auric."

"Good morning, big brother!"

"Oh, Potato, good morning! Come here," Max demanded, and Auric obliged," yes.."

The knights were also there, keeping an eye on Auric and focusing on protecting him. But they knew what Max was doing and, because he was Auric's family, they allowed it.

"hmm lets see, open your arms." Uncle Max demanded and Auric did as told.

As Auric opened his arms, Max touched him all over the body, pressing on the muscles. "Looks like he is trying to check on my physique," Auric thought.

"Wow, I have to say, Potato, you've got quite the good body there. But didn't you just lift your curse? How is this even possible? Hmm..." Max's words made Auric break out in a cold sweat.

"Well, whatever, let's leave it at that. It's good for you anyway. Hahaha," Max laughed awkwardly at his own antics.

"Now, what weapon do you know how to use?"

"I have never used a weapon before... except for knives and such."

"Hmm, punch me with all you've got."

"A-ah?"

"I said punch me with all you've got."

"B-but..."

"Potato, are you worrying about me? Don't worry, your puny strength won't harm me. Even if it did, Lu is always there," Max reassured him.

Auric looked over at Aunt Lu, who smiled back at him, and Ellie was sitting beside her, looking at him with very expectant eyes. How could he forget that Lumina was a B Rank healer?

'Hah, what am I even worrying about? He's a C-ranker, I doubt my attack will even leave a scratch on him barehanded.'

Taking a deep breath, Auric put up a stance that he had learned in his past life. During his time in the military, it was compulsory for everyone to take close combat classes. Even though he was never particularly good at it, all of his basics were clear in his mind.

Auric stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and weight evenly distributed between his feet. His lead foot was slightly forward, with the heel lifted off the ground, while his back foot was positioned at a slight angle with the heel planted firmly on the ground. He held his hands up in front of his face, with his lead hand slightly lower and closer to his body than his back hand. It was a classic boxing stance.