Golden Apple

Asher stepped outside the manor grounds for the first time unsupervised. Due to the nature of his position, he had never been allowed to go out into town. He was always on the manor ground for his protection, but things were different now. If he stayed in the safety and comfort of the castle, he would eventually be subjected to a worse situation than he had now.

Asher walked a short time before coming to the edge of a dirt road. The town was about five minutes by carriage from the manor grounds, but it was more of a thirty-minute hike through the mud and dirt roads by foot. Asher grimaced under his hood because he just got his armor and did not want to dirty them so quickly.

Asher walked carefully, missing the muddy parts. The dirt road soon turned into cobbled streets as Asher approached the gates. There was a bit of a queue where the guards checked every person.

'Now for the moment of truth.' He walked forward through the gate. He did not have any identification papers to prove that he was not Asher Richt. If they stopped him, he would have no excuse for being here, and his plan would be over.

He walked as calmly as his nerves would allow him. They don't check every person, but they do have random spot checks on people coming in, so he decided to remain in the middle of the group. He was making sure to walk directly in the middle of the gate as far as possible from the guards.

"Hey, you in the hood." Asher stopped in his tracks. His mind began running through all the possible scenarios of how this would go down, and not many of them ended well for him. As Asher turned to the voice source, he saw the guard question a man in some robes like a scholar. As he continued through the gates, Asher let out a profound relief.

The first hurdle was now clear. Asher walked through the streets, seeing them only from the carriage, but it was a completely different experience. The entire city was so wrapped up in the awakening that it looked like a parade the last time he was here, and now it looked like a renaissance fair. Everyone was dressed up in part and wandered the cobbled streets from store to store.

Asher rode past this street yesterday in the carriage, but now they were stalls and vendors selling their inventory. It was amazing to see how vibrant the city was. He did not know how starved he was for another human contact. He had gotten used to the same people day in and day out. Asher was wide-eyed with wonder as he wandered down the main street. He could see the cathedral where he did his awakening at the end of the road.

Asher did worry slightly about him being a ten-year-old alone, but his worries were dashed as they were several people around his age wandering about the city. It was not that unusual since they are considered a young adult after their awakening. Asher could not help himself, and he stopped at every stall, checking some of their selling things.

"Hey, kid, check this out." A man with a snide smile held up an apple made of shiny gold. "This is a golden apple from a dungeon. One bite can cure any illness, and it will make your skin so smooth that it will make any woman jealous."

"Is that so?" Asher wondered why this man was showing him such a thing. Dungeons were areas with a high concentration of mana particles, so they were full of materials, beasts, and plants that could not be found anywhere else. They were also extremely dangerous, so anything from them would sell for an extra high price.

"That's right. An adventurer sold me an entire batch, and I am selling them for a gold coin. This is not a deal you can pass up." The salesman seemed way too shady for Asher. Asher could not believe that something valuable could ever go for that price, and it was just too fantastic to be true. Anything from a dungeon would cost a small fortune, especially something that could cure anything. Asher turned his attention to the golden apple in the man's hand.

[Scan Complete]

Name: Gold-painted Apple

Quality: F

Description: A regular apple painted to look gold. It has a sweet taste and is excellent to use for cooking.

It was as if Asher suspected the apple was fake and not valuable. "So, what do you say? A man with a discerning eye like you will not be able to miss an opportunity like this." The salesman was rather pushy and arrogant to think that Asher would fall for his scam, and Asher was somewhat annoyed to think someone would be this shameless.

"Hey, you. I thought I told you to get lost." A voice snapped. Asher turned to find a dark-skinned man that stood much taller than the sleazy salesman. When the salesman saw the gentleman, the blood drained from his face.

The salesman studdered through his words. "W-w-what do you want? Don't make me call the city guard."

"Oh, please do. I think they will be interested that you are selling counterfeit items." Before Asher or the salesman could react, the man snatched the apple from the salesman and used his thumb to wipe the gold paint off the apple, showing the red skin underneath. "Now, I recommend leaving before the guards become the least of your worries."

Waves of murderous intent rolled over the man like a mist as he smashed the apple in his hand. The man jumped in fear, and his stall vanished in a flash of light with a wave of his hand. 'That was the spacial element.' Asher thought to himself as the scammer ran away.

"Are you okay? He didn't take any of your money, did he?" When Asher shook his head no, the man let out a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"That man was full of it. I didn't even take him seriously."

"Yes, I suppose. However, some will naturally fall for it." The man scratched his head and was not used to someone so young being so clever.

"So why stop me? I am thankful for the assistance, but is there a reason you choose to help out?" Asher questioned the strange man. He did not believe that someone would help out without something being in it for them. Asher could admit that he might be considered jaded, but in his experience, it was how the world worked.

"Because I believe that if I help someone in need, they become a lasting friend."