Chapter 11: The Calm before the storm (7)

Adam stood there, frozen in disbelief at the aftermath of the battle between Raoul and Torka the ogre. The forest was in shambles, with trees toppled over and the ground scarred from the intense battle. Adam's heart raced as he tried to grasp the magnitude of what had just happened.

"How many gates did you unlock?" Adam finally asked Raoul, who was standing in front of him. Despite his efforts, Adam couldn't see Raoul's expression since he had his back turned. Raoul was lost in thought, with a worried look on his face as he questioned himself.

"How did a high-grade monster like Torka even get here? The barrier set by Zeke is still intact," Raoul thought to himself.

"Master!" Adam cried out as he grabbed Raoul's hand.

"Hm?" Raoul finally acknowledged Adam's presence.

"Are you okay?" Adam asked with concern, a worried look on his face.

"Haha, I'm fine," Raoul said, brushing Adam's hair aside. "You did well today," he added with a smile.

Adam felt his face turn red with embarrassment at Raoul's compliment. He cleared his throat and asked again, "Master, how many gates did you unlock?"

"Sadly, only six," Raoul replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"Six? With only the fifth gate, you put the forest in this state. I can only imagine what it would look like if you had unlocked the sixth gate," Adam said, his voice filled with wonder and fear.

"Thankfully, you'll never know," Raoul replied with a mysterious twinkle in his eye.

The two made their way back to the village, but to their surprise, they found that nearly all the villagers were armed and waiting for them.

"What's going on?" Raoul asked with a calm tone.

"You! What the hell happened in that forest?" an old, bulky man yelled as he pointed his sword at Raoul.

"Calm down, old man," Raoul replied, raising his hands in surrender.

"Adam, are you okay?" a woman asked as she hugged the boy. "And you," she continued, turning to Raoul with menacing eyes. "What did you make this poor boy do this time?"

The villagers began to shout at Raoul, demanding to know what had happened.

"Just what were you doing there? The whole village was shaking. Were you facing Zeke or something?" they all asked.

They all remembered the time Raoul had faced Zeke in a sparring match and went all out. The village was in disarray after that, and Raoul came back half-dead, carried on Zeke's shoulder.

"You fought with my grandpa before?" Adam asked, looking up at Raoul with awe in his eyes.

"Everyone, calm down," Raoul said, silencing the crowd. "A high-grade monster slipped through the barrier and entered the forest, but I took care of it. You can all put your weapons down and return to your daily routines."

"What?! How is that possible? Has the barrier weakened?" the villagers asked in disbelief.

"No, on the contrary, Zeke probably strengthened it before he left. For a high-grade monster to slip through it, hmm," Raoul pondered.

"What class was it?" someone asked.

"Fifth class," Raoul replied.

"How could a fifth-class high-grade monster pass through a barrier that even a disaster-grade monster can't breach?" a third villager asked, still in shock.

"Maybe it evolved from a normal grade monster into a high grade," Raoul theorized.

The villagers nodded, accepting this as the most logical explanation.

Just then, Edward, the old grumpy man, stepped forward with a huge barrel of alcohol. "Since everybody is assembled here because of the commotion, why not have a drink?" he suggested a hint of a smile on his face.

The villagers hesitated for a moment, but then they slowly put down their weapons and started to relax. Raoul and Adam breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that the situation had been diffused.

"Yeah, let's have a drink!" All the men in the village of Rosegard shouted in excitement, their voices echoing through the quiet streets.

"Adam, as promised, I cooked you a delicious dinner," said Vallyn, a smiling twinkle in her eye. She was a talented cook, and Adam's favorite dish was always on the menu when she was in charge.

"Ehh, Vallyn, why not just make dinner for the whole village?" chimed in Edward, his eyes lighting up at the thought of a feast.

"Yeah, cook us something good, Vallyn!" All the villagers chanted in unison, their voices rising in excitement.

Vallyn, always the generous hostess, ended up making food for everyone in the small village of Rosegard. With a population of only 150 people, everyone knew each other like family. This night, everyone was present, kids included, ready to celebrate and feast.

As the night went on, the gathering slowly turned into a full-blown party. The villagers ate, drank, sang, and danced. Everyone was having the time of their lives, even Raoul, who wasn't typically one for such festivities, was caught up in the joy of the night. Adam had a big smile on his face, surrounded by so many people who cared about him, but even still, a lingering sadness remained. The only person missing from the celebration was Zeke, his grandfather and the one who would usually initiate these events. But despite this, Adam was happy, and he knew that he would look back on this night as one of the happiest times of his life.

Three days passed, and Adam resumed his training with Raoul. He was more determined than ever, especially after seeing Raoul display his power against Torka. He trained harder than he ever had before, and Raoul pushed him to the limit, not going easy on him like he usually did.

As the sun began to set, Raoul and Adam finished their daily training. Adam lay on the ground, exhausted from the day's activities.

"You are a fucking freak of nature, do you know that?" Raoul asked, his eyes scanning over Adam's panting form.

"Not really," replied Adam with a sad tone. "I still can't fully open the second Gate."

"I'll be honest with you just this time," Raoul said, pausing for a moment. "You are, without a doubt, the greatest genius this continent will ever see."

Adam lay silent, gazing up at the sky with a melancholic look. "I've been having strange dreams ever since my grandpa left," he said, breaking the silence.

"What about them?" Raoul asked, his tone curious.

"I think I'm not human..." Adam's voice trailed off, and the two of them sat in silence, contemplating the weight of his words.