Chapter 17

The guild recently received a message from the newcomer stating that two children were found inside the mine. According to them, they were kidnapped by the baron's knights, and in the cage where they were kept, four more children were there along with them.

However, they were taken somewhere else and have never returned. The traveler had investigated the mine yet he found none worth taking notes of as it was pretty normal. Apart from the cage and the story from the children of course.

The beasts found inside were not much of a threat, turns out they weren't as harmful as everyone thought. The beasts were ants and they had enormous bodies and weights that could crush a couple of people to death but they are also incapable of seeing. They didn't harm humans at all.

The traveler had made friends with them and though they were ants, their numbers were not much, they didn't have a queen after all. After going through the mine, the traveler had found thirty-three worker ants and they were currently outside the mine, waiting for his orders. As to why they do so... It was unknown.

The traveler arrived at the mine in the afternoon but now the sun was setting and clouds have covered the skies. The two children had fallen asleep and the three of them sat on a tree log.

The boy was laying on the traveler's lap comfortably while the girl used his right arm as her pillow. The traveler had always loved children, he never denied that fact. Although sometimes they don't give adults space and were clingy as well as annoying, they were children.

Children rely on adults and they should have fun all they want as nothing stays the same. Children who used to be clingy might distance themselves, respect others, learn to give space, they will soon mature and become more responsible. However, until then, they can spend their youth without any worries.

Waiting for less than an hour, a group of people from the guild arrived at the scene. They caught sight of the gigantic ants, way larger than Chimera, sitting down in an orderly manner and were very obedient. Apart from that, they confirmed that the children were the kids who went missing two days ago.

Seeing that everything was going well, he announced his leave and went ahead to go back to the inn. He was feeling tired, physically and mentally. He wished to know more about the situation but his body was too tired and he understood that he needed rest.

He sighed as he walked away, he would leave this matter to the guild, they were much more capable than him anyway, he told himself. As for the rewards, Lila said they would be given later tonight and he just needed to check his guild member card.

When the sun had fully set and the sky had turned dark, the traveler was already back to the inn. He finished eating his dinner and went straight to his room. But he couldn't simply fall asleep after that as he needed to write it down in his journal. If he doesn't, little Cass would have a hard time.

After writing down almost everything, the traveler began to think about his power. He was able to solve the problem of it being too dark in the cave by imagining that he had night vision. He also used it to stop the boy's fever and make him feel better.

But he knew he couldn't tell people that he can do such a thing. He knew how to do it despite being awake but little Cass didn't and he planned not to let him know. He had to somehow make people believe that he has a certain ability, something that would not attract more attention.

At the same time, he felt that his plan was not very stable and it was quite risky. What if he meets a wielder who has the exact ability he pretends to have? Cassius has always been friendly with animals but it wasn't his ability and he had told Lila that it isn't.

Remembering the guild, he recalled Felix. The traveler made his mouth disappear only to make it normal again the next day.

"Human body parts... Producing human body parts and taking them away. That's a good idea," The traveler thought as he imagined himself with six more arms and having a third eye.

He began to use his power, which from now on he decides to call altering reality, and as the name suggests, he altered reality as to how he wanted it to. Aside from night vision, and altering reality, he would be able to grow certain body parts and also make them disappear.

He thought about how he could use this type of power. First, he could produce more arms that would be a great help and would add efficiency. But of course, to control many different body parts, one should have focus and fast thinking.

Second, perhaps he could produce eyes on the walls and spy on people, and maybe create ears to listen to secret conversations. There were many perks for having that kind of ability. He could make people's eyes disappear and prevent them from seeing... the traveler found this ability strange but it was still a great idea, he thought.

However, it wasn't as easy as it sounds. Controlling multiple body parts at the same time would be tiring and he might not be physically tired but to control them using one brain would be problematic and difficult.

The traveler would need time to get used to it. He looked down at his journal and began to write his thoughts and suggestions. He started by saying that from tomorrow onwards, the use of their power should be properly thought of and one should always think before doing something.

He introduced and explained the new ability he added, the reason why he did so, and why it should be the power that will be known publicly. After he was done, he wrote some final reminders and went to sleep.

For some reason, the traveler had a dreamless night...

In the morning, he woke up as usual. The first thing he did was to take out his journal and see what was in it. He didn't plan to write anything, he simply wanted to know what happened yesterday as he had no recollections of it.

It took him more than thirty minutes to process everything but he had understood most of it. Before going out, he took out the guild member card and see if there was any change.

Name: Cassius Tarquin

Rank: Fourth Level - (60/500)

Completed Missions: Two (2)

Success Rate: One hundred percent (100%)

Guild Points: Sixty five thousand (65,000 GP)

The traveler was curious about the guild points as he seemed to have plenty of it. He wondered about the things he could get from it. But first, he needed to get down to freshen up and get a cup of coffee.

Sticking to his usual schedule, it didn't take a while before he was done. When he left the inn, Caesar was standing there again. This time, however, he had a serious expression on his face. The smiling Caesar was gone.

The traveler expected that he was upset that he didn't die there at the mine but what came out of Caesar's mouth next genuinely surprised him.

"Are you curious why there were children inside a cage back there in the mine?" He said in a low voice, "What if I tell you that I used to be in it too?"

Caesar added, "Would you mind listening to my story first? Please don't misunderstand, I had no intention of killing you. I just wanted to show you." He sighed, "This time, I would tell you nothing but the truth... Not that I lied to you about anything anyway. I swear I have never."

Caesar gulped nervously, "About her being a witch... It was all true. The story about my first love was true. It's hard to believe but I've never lied to you and maybe if you consider leaving out some details a lie then perhaps I did."

"-About the invading your mind, I'm sure you've noticed by now. I was merely trying to read your memories. Forgive me if I did so without your approval. I needed to make sure if you encountered my uncle and cousin on your way here and as expected, you did."

The traveler felt as if Caesar was not faking anything so he decided to give him a chance to explain. If Caesar knew about the children as stated in his journal, then he would like to know more. He said, "Let's move to a better place, away from people."

† Mundivagant †

Caesar sat on a bench in the park, "The Marcus family. I belong to that family, my uncle's a baron and my cousin is Amelie. I saw her in your memories. The Marcus family is famous because every member of it is a wielder... Except I'm the outcast."

"-Nonwielders are not allowed in the household and they must awaken before they turn thirty. We all know that even if you have a family of wielders, the chances of you turning into one wouldn't be any higher and as time passed, my uncle who is obsessed with perfection started to worry about me."

Caesar explained, "That's when he decided to send me to the dark forest village. It was a village that protected witches. I met this girl, she was beautiful- Wait, no this isn't what this is about... Sorry about that. Anyway, after spending some time there, I was sent back. My uncle he... trapped me in that cage you saw in the mine along with other kids."

"-Do you know what they do to the children there?" Caesar asked and the traveler shook his head in response, "They force them to become witches. As I still didn't awaken, I was forced to become one as well. It wasn't my choice and-"

Before he could continue his explanation, the traveler noticed something in his pocket. Without any warning, he took it from Caesar and examined it. It was a handkerchief but what made it special was the mark... A red four-leaf clover.

"Ah, I see. You saw them while you were with Amelie, right? They're my men." Caesar explained, "I'm not trying to kill my cousin or my uncle but I just want him to stop. He even used his own daughter in his schemes and that's just..."

The traveler interrupted, "What do you mean by he used his daughter?" He asked as he recalled something from his journal. About a witch using fire.

Caesar began his explanation once more, "The abilities that the witches use are from the Marcus family as well. I've heard that you've hunted some witches down so you probably saw some who used fire. Amelie is a wielder who could use fire and my uncle found that ability powerful and... you know the rest."

"-Anyway, have you heard about the friendship of the Whitestone city baron and chief of dark forest village? I was the cause why it ended and I don't regret it. Whitestone city has been sending children to that village to make them capable witches... That mark on their napes, it wasn't a mark that makes them witches, it is a mark that means they are nothing but slaves."

The traveler felt confused, "You're the leader of those men dressed in black? With a red clover mark. If you know so much then why don't you tell the people?"

Caesar explained, "I gathered those men to prevent children from getting kidnapped but... I can't, I can't betray my family. Despite everything, I genuinely care for them!"

"If you care then stop this." The traveler said with a straight face. "You say you care about them yet you sent your men to attack your cousin and uncle? From what I've heard from Amelie, her father was injured. How do you explain that?"