A Father's Most Important

With a hint of glint, Len's eyes lit up. He took out 100 gills from his pouch and handed it to the vendor.

"100 gills! Give me the thigh!"

[The vendor has been intimidated! All stats decreased by 10% for 7 minutes!]

[The vendor is more inclined to yield to you!]

Perplexed, the vendor nodded absentmindedly.

Not a second passed and Len grabbed the chicken thigh. He munched it greedily with mad eyes. After gulping it down, he glared back to the black-haired woman and walked away.

"..."

"I-I guess we are sold out miss, come back again tomorrow…?"

The vendor started to sweat and told the black-haired woman while packing up his selling equipment.

Unfortunately, his words only entered her right ears and left through her left. Eyes wide open with mouth agape, she mumbled.

"An apostle… in Derdun…?"

Lots of questions flashed through her mind and no answer came.

'When he handed the gills… his aura and flow of mana changed… there's no mistaking it, that was [Intimidation], a skill only that 'person' possess… how come this man...? His attire looked poor and shabby, his demeanor also similar to a beggar… could it be!?'

The woman experienced the phenomenon called cognitive dissonance and fell deep in her thought. Her doubts and chaotic state of mind forced her to reach a conclusion that could prove to be fatal.

'That man! He's pretending to be the people of the land! He's also going after the gem! His acting almost fooled me! Such fearsome tactic, blending among the people, waiting in silence for the right opportunity to act!'

She made too quick of an assumption. The gear in her mind began to turn and tried to make sense of everything. The person she just met was an expert and high-leveled, went undercover looking for the gem, pretending to be one of the people of the land, and spying on apostles such as herself.

Not realizing the holes in her theory, she clenched her fists and sweat poured down like a broken dam.

'The difficulty just increased by 10 folds… I must be extra careful from now on. It is possible that man has already found the gem and just waiting for opportunity arises…'

"Are you alright miss?"

"I'm fine."

Turning away, she walked towards the nearest inn. Her hands and feet felt cold, she needed rest so badly.

'Another person who possess [Intimidation], how come I've never heard of this man? How long has he been hiding? How did he hide from my…'

Gulping her saliva, she increased her pace.

…

Len finished his chicken thigh and ran blindly, afraid that the woman would chase him. When he realized, he arrived on a bridge. Below it was a river flowing calmly with fishes swimming in it. A sense of familiarity struck him.

'This is…'

He was here a few days ago. The bridge where he first met Octo, the blacksmith.

Looking back to that day, a lot of things has changed. He had a temporary bed to sleep. He could just wake up and eat the food on the table, similar to when he was just a child.

'Dad… mom… how's your day? Are you guys healthy?'

Then it struck him. What about my parent? Will I ever go back home? If I do… how long would have passed? What changes happened in my home?

As he wondered, the wind scratched his skins and a sense of loneliness gushed over him. Glancing at the afternoon sun, Len reminisced of the days before. His arrival and the struggle he faced until this very present moment.

'What kind of quest is this? Making a [Rare] item in 3 weeks? That's seems very unlikely, doesn't it?'

Standing on the bridge, Len leaned on the hand rail and saw his own reflection on the river below. He lost quite some weight, cutting off the junk food certainly showed its effect. Also, eating fish soup and rice definitely helped.

Looking at his face, Len daydreamed.

A different world actually exist. If considered seriously, this fact actually quite hard to swallow. Learning such secret filled him with excitement and worryness. What will happen to him when the quest is over?

Nobody knows.

What about his world? He came to this world through some unknown force, could the opposite also happen? A person from another world crossed into his?

Len wanted to know why and how.

But thinking about such thing at the moment was nothing but a waste of brain cells. Len needed to focus on the task at hand which is making a [Rare] item.

Sighing to himself, he stretched his body and noticed something. Even after all that running he didn't feel tired at all. Perhaps because of levelling up causing his strength and stamina to increase. Knowing that he grew physically gave him joy and a bit excitement of what to come next.

Staring at the sky, Len thought.

'I guess I'm just gonna go back and sleep.'

He continued to walk as his eyelids grew heavier by the minute.

…

"Should we leave?"

"..."

Octo remained silent. He rubbed his beard with a frown.

'The time has come. The apostles are beginning to find out our location…'

Reaching his hand into his pocket, he took out a small object the size of a stone. It shone brightly with a pale blue color.

"The arcane gem…"

Small particles of light danced inside, creating rings that circled the core. Made of unknown material that is somewhat transparent.

Novy mumbled with her eyes locked onto the gem.

Putting it back into his pocket, Octo shook his head.

"No, we won't leave. There's no other place to go."

"T-there's still a lot of place to go! We can go to the south! To Corstol! That place is even smaller than Derdun, sure! But-"

"No."

"But why…?"

"It's not 'we'."

"Huh?"

"It's you. You are leaving, I'll stay."

"What? No, that's stupid! Why would I leave you alone!?"

"Listen Vy, you know better than anyone about how dangerous this is. The arcane gem-"

"The arcane gem should be destroyed! Why wouldn't you listen to me!? That thing will only invite apostles and dangers! Don't you understand!?"

Novy swung her arm.

Octo didn't say anything, he stared at his daughter right at her eyes, red and wet with tears.

"I cannot."

"Why!? You never told me where you got it! It just appeared out of nowhere and you suddenly got so obsessed with it!"

"..."

"Where did you got it!? Did someone gave it to you!? Did you stole it!?"

"No."

"Then what is it!? I don't even know what it is, but you risk your life and limbs for it! What about me!? You never told me anything!"

Screaming her lungs out, tears dropped on the ground.

Octo couldn't stay silent anymore and hugged her tightly. Along with Novy, his eyes turned red.

"I cannot tell you. Not because I want to, but because your life will be in danger."

"Why? How…?"

"Arcane gem, that's all I can tell you. Only the name, no more no less."

Taking a step back, Octo held her daughter's hands and told her.

"Now listen closely Vy. Simply knowing the existence of this gem is already putting your life in danger. Nobody must learn of its existence. the power it holds is too great, it could alter the flow of the world. It is why they crave for it."

"Who… are they?"

"They… are someone you must not know."

"But aren't they dangerous!? Will it not be better if I know who 'they' are!?"

"No, you must not know."

"Why!? Tell me!"

"...'They' won't do anything to anyone who doesn't know about them. If you know, then 'they' will find you. 'They' will and they won't let you go alive."

"I-I don't understand! You have to tell me something! You've kept it a secret ever since I was born! Mother-"

"Your mother would tell you the same thing as I did!"

Octo yelled. Holding her shoulders, he fell on his knees.

"Please Novy, it's not that I don't want to destroy it. I cannot."

"You… cannot?"

"This gem is not something that any living being should tampered with. I'm nothing more than an old blacksmith, Novy. This is beyond my capability."

"Then… what do we do?"

"As I said, it's not we. It's you. You can still escape and forget all this stupidity and nothing will come to harm you."

"No! You know I won't leave!"

"Novy! You have to listen to me!"

Shaking her shoulders, Both of their gazes locked into each other.

Through his eyes, Novy could see desperation inside him. His genuine worry for her, a pure sincere wish to see her live a peaceful life.

Novy, the one who can communicate with mother nature felt his deepest emotion.

"I…"

"Novy. No matter how long or how far we go, they will always find us. The only thing that I hold dear more than my own life, is you."

"..."

Biting her lips, Novy looked on the ground. Her cheeks, nose and eyes became red. She trembled in anxiety.

"I do not want to see you in pain. I want you to be happy. It is the only wish I have, please Novy. Don't cry."

Wiping her tears and snots, she jumped and hugged him back, not less tighter than his. A moment later Novy loosen her arms.

"Don't die."

She whispered.

Turning away, Novy ran back to the house.

Octo, seeing his daughter's back getting smaller and smaller, reached his hand out only to realize that this is the last time he will ever see her face again. Pulling his hands back weakly, Octo walked to a wall in the workshop.

He grabbed a hammer and lifted it up and high.

"Fuuh…"

Taking deep breaths, Octo swung his hammer in one swift motion.

BAAM!!

CRACK!

And the wall collapsed, revealing a huge black, metallic sword.

Grabbing the hilt, Octo stroked his fingers along the blade as blue spheres revolved around it.

"Force..."

…

Novy, with tears flowing down her cheeks, ran back to her room. Dragging a wooden suitcase and a backpack, she unloaded all her belongings.

Her clothes, uniforms, miscellaneous things such as scratched mirror, silver pendant, etc. were all kept in the suitcase. Finally, her eyes laid on an object.

A short sword made by her father.

Grabbing it, she pulled it out from the sheat. She remembered how she loved to hear the metallic sound it made every time she stroke the blade with her fingers. It glinted below the sunlight through the window.

Using her index and middle fingers, she stroked it from the base to the top of the blade. There two alphabet engraved on the bottom of the pummel.

'VY'

It stands for the last two character of her name, Novy.

She slid it back into the sheath and hung it on her waist. Lifting her gaze, she observed her room. It was decorated with old dolls and somewhat plain colored.

Looking back to the time she spent in this room, her tears began to flow once more. All the things happened in this house... everything will become nothing more than a distant memory.

It was all because of the gem.

From the deepest part of her heart, she wished it never existed.

But she knew, asking for the impossible is useless.

She walked outside to the living room. Glanced at the surrounding and she felt a stiff emotion surging inside. Deep down, she knew that this day was coming. The day where she has to leave her parent, her mother, her father... she knew since her mother's death that his father, one way or another will also leave her.

But not this fast.

She cannot accept it. Leaving her only family member to death, leaving his father to be killed by an apostle just because they wanted a stupid gem.

As she said her last goodbye to this house, she ended upon the last room. The room where the boy lives… temporarily.

The door was slightly opened.

Not knowing what to feel, Novy peeked her head inside.

And there he was.

Sleeping.

The bags on his eyes were clear as the blue sky to outside. His saliva dropped to the floor from the edge of his lips.

'What am I doing honestly?'

Novy got weirded out by herself. What am I doing? Peeking on another person sleeping? Have I gone mad?

Even though she doubted herself, she didn't take her eyes off him.

"..."

Apostles came from a different world, but she never cared about their pasts even once. But now, facing this boy, she became curious.

An anomaly amongst anomaly.

Ever since she learned of his struggle, perhaps, just a little bit, she became somewhat empathetic of him.

Keeping her silence, she walked away without telling anything to him.

When she reached the kitchen, Novy noticed that there were two dirty plates on the counter, Novy thought, 'Maybe I will wash these off first…'.

She rolled up her sleeves when she saw something through the window. On her peripheral vision, a faint silhouette stood in front of the workshop.

Long black hair and a robe.

Dran's words suddenly echoed in her mind.

"She wore a robe, black long hair and a pair of beautiful eyes! And I think she's looking for a gem or something."

Novy froze.

"She's… here…"

She ran back to her room and took out her wooden suitcase and backpack. I must get away as soon as possible! I won't go back on my words! No matter what!

She peeked through the window and the black-haired woman was getting closer and closer to the workshop. Novy escaped through the back door and ran away, never to be seen again and lived the rest of her life in Corstol.

...Or that's how it should be.

…

Octo, sitting on a stool holding his giant sword on the back lifted his head.

A long, black-haired woman. A pair of large round eyes shined in the dimly lit workshop. Two swords on her waist, one was over two metres long and the other, a short sword.

"The arcane keeper, Abram Willocton. A halfling of the Gigant race, and a human. You have a longer lifespan compared to an average people."

"..."

"Furthermore, you married a human. Your child, Novy Willocton, a quasi-gigant inherited most of your traits. She will live a long life."

"Speak no more, apostle."

Lifting his giant sword, Octo pointed it to her.

"Don't you wish to know my name?"

"I do not need to know who you are. All I need to know, you are here for the gem."

"...As you wish."

Smiling, the black-haired woman pulled her long sword.

'I have to get the gem first before that man.'

Afraid that the man she met this afternoon will snatch the gem before her, she immediately tracked the arcane keeper after resting in the inn. Not only that, the pressure kept increasing as that man is not the only one after the gem.

'That man and that punk…'

With eyes glaring dagger, she demanded.

"Where is the arcane gem?"

"I threw it in a volcano."

"Fuh…"

The black-haired woman knew he was lying, after all, she has 'their' backing and 'their' backing cannot be wrong.

"[Setsu]."

A slashing move accompanied with a blue light swiped the whole workshop. Octo moved his hands and used the huge sword as a shield.

The impact pushed Octo few metres away, but his body was steady and calm. The black-haired woman however, was surprised.

"Impressive. Stopping my attack with brute force. That's not ordinary sword is it?"

Octo answered with a grunt.

"Grrhhh."

He rushed forward and swung it from the side.

…

Novy stopped midway. Looking back, she saw her house and the workshop. She could felt a faint shakes from the ground coming from the workshop.

The battle of life and death began.

She couldn't bear to see the ending. She remembered her father's last wish, to let her live in peace. She doesn't want to betray her father's expectation. She must run away and live. Apostles are not people she could face alone.

'The guards… I have to call them!'

Then remembered that she won't make it in time. She will need to go back and forth and everything would be over by then.

'No… why... how did she find us so soon?'

Tears flowed down her cheeks again. No matter how many times she wiped them off, it always came back.

'This… isn't right.'

Faced with a dilemma, Novy knew no matter what her choice is, it will always end up tragically. There's no way out.

'Why must apostle come to our worlds? What did we do to deserve this? They bring harms and sadness upon our world, why have they come here? What's their purpose?'

The world is unfair.

Once again, she will lost another precious family member. After her mother, now her father. Just like in the past, she's powerless. Despite all those practice she did in the past, facing an absolute strength the apostles possess… she's nothing more than an ant.

She knew of this very well, having experienced it first hand.

'All apostles really are…'

…

"Ah…"

Turning back, she stared at her house. Specifically, Len's room.

A distant memory from the past resurfaced. Years before, an old tale she heard once.

A tale of an apostle who fought for the people of the land. An apostle who protects instead of killing people. An apostle who build instead of destroying the world. A selfless apostle who would sacrifice everything to save life, even his own.

He succeed helping the world to be a better place, but he disappeared without a trace. An old tale told by a traveller, forgotten and buried by time.

And one of his famous quote was...

'The only thing that could stand toe-to-toe against a demon is another demon, and apostle is no different than a demon.'

She gritted her teeth and threw all her belongings on the ground. Putting all her strength on her feet, she ran back.

This is it. This is the make or break decision. A second difference could change the whole story altogether. And Novy used that second to decide her life, her father's life, and also according to Octo, the fate of the world on this very decision.