The Disciple of Aoide

Inside the wooden building, there stood a young man about 15 staring at the notice board that was before him. The board was filled with requests from the villagers asking adventurers to slaughter the monsters around the village of Armana, to keep the surrounding area safe.

The young man was sulking as his eyes scanned the list of notices hungrily. There was a yearning in his eyes that could not be drenched. He turned to the older gentleman who manned the counter, "Ol' Smith, are you sure there's no way you can let me take up any of these notices? There are so many of them left unfinished. I'll just take the lowest level, Level E's notice. I'm sure it'll be fine. The guild won't mind something as small as that, right?"

Ol' Smith who manned the bar at the inn looked at the young man, in simple wool shirt and pants with a mixture of pity and annoyance in his eyes. He growled, "Arthur, haven't I answered you earlier? There is no way I will let you pick up any notices without an adventurer's license!

"If you can pass the E level entry test that is held within these few weeks, I'll be glad to sign you on any of the notices. I know you're eager to prove yourself but the restrictions are put in place for a reason. It's for your own good." Ol' Smith sighed and said, "Arthur, listen to me. A life of an adventurer might not be that great, look at me, I've decided to settle down with a normal job and even though the most action I would have seen is the occasional drunken bar brawl but at least I still have my life intact, something that cannot be said for most adventurers."

Arthur knew Ol' Smith meant well but the words still stung. It was not that he did not try out for the entry test, he was the first to register when the registration was open. Alas, he could not swing a sword, nock a bow or even invoke a spell to save his life. Similar to the result he got during the year before and the year before that, Arthur failed at the test. He was the first one in and first one out.

When he was sent away by the instructors, Arthur could hear the villagers whispering among themselves.

"Look, there's that failure again."

"Isn't his father the famed dragon slayer? How can the son barely qualify the adventurer's entry test? He's bringing such shame to his father's name!"

"You're right. Thankfully, his mother died from that illness the year before or else she definitely would have died from shame now."

"The boy should just know his station in life and understand that perhaps the adventuring life is not for him, instead of coming here to shame himself year after year. He's just wasting everyone's time. I really don't understand why the instructors allow him to register even though they knew he is going to fail. They're probably giving face to his father."

"Speaking of which, where has the boy's father disappeared to? Do you have any idea?"

"Last I heard, he was going on some kind of cross-dimensional exploration. News of him hadn't been heard since."

The villagers and other adventurer hopefuls would mock Arthur behind his back and they assumed the young man wouldn't know but the one thing Arthur excelled at compared to others was his sense of hearing and ability of vocalization.

While other people Arthur's age grew up developing muscles or agility, the young man became more sensitive to the cadence and tone of voices. This was something useful in the practice of magic and it was the reason why the village mage took him on as an apprentice when Arthur's talent was discovered.

Arthur was overjoyed at the time, he might not end up as a powerful warrior as his father but at least he could become a powerful mage. That was a compromise he was willing to make.

However, even though Arthur could repeat the magical incantation without fault after only hearing them once, he was unable to summon any command over the magical essences. This led to the unfortunate event of him being kicked out of the wizard's apprenticeship after one short week of trial.

Arthur felt like he had disappointed his parents and himself. However, he knew that if only they just allowed him to go on one of the adventurer's quests, he knew he would be successful and prove them all wrong. He was born to be an adventurer, that was something that he knew in his guts.

His mother always told him to stick to his conviction and that was the reason why Arthur tried out for the entry test year after year despite the failure year after year.

Arthur was still a few years shy from drinking age but looking at the pout on the young man's face, Ol' Smith made an exception, "Come here, Arthur. Maybe this can cheer you up. Don't worry, it's on the house." Ol' Smith poured him a pint of ale and put it on the counter.

Arthur was dragged away from the notice board by the allure of trying out a new experience. He had never tasted alcohol before but he always saw the adults have so much fun getting drunk.

While Arthur was eyeing the liquid carefully, a hand slammed a notice on the counter heavily. "Smithy, we'll be taking on this quest!"

Arthur and Ol' Smith turned to look at the person. It was a young man about Arthur's age, wearing a leather armor, armed with steel shield and blade.

Ol' Smith chastised the man, "Hey, Billy, watch it! You're going to break my counter!"

Billy laughed a rambunctious laugh, "Worry not, if it breaks, I'll pay you back with the money after I complete this quest!"

Right then, a female voice came up from behind Billy to apologize, "I'm so sorry, Ol' Smith. The man doesn't know what he's doing. You know how he's like."

Ol' Smith's face lit up with a pleasant smile, "Ah, Felicia, it's so nice to see you. Still coming to Billy's rescue like usual I see." Felicia wore a wool dress that was green in color, probably to camouflage herself in the forests where the archers did most of their training. The wooden bow was flung across her back. She looked far more mature and down to earth than her companion even though they looked the same age.

"Hey, Smithy, what are you talking about? I don't need anyone's rescuing!" Billy bumped his chest.

Ol' Smith and Felicia shared a knowing look and a smile before Ol' Smith picked up the paper Billy slammed on the table earlier to study. Then he frowned, "Wait a minute, this is a Level D's mission that requires a 3-man party but there's only 2 of you here."

Hearing that, Arthur who thought to move away from the counter had his ears perked up.