Chapter 41: Ch 41: The Decaying Flower
"Naida, are you good?" he asked, noticing her stunned silence.
She quickly nodded, but her eyes still held fascination.
"Raidan, I have seen my grandfather fight... He is strong too. But your walking on air is very amazing."
"It is nothing... The real world is far more magical... I am just a small adventurer," he said, shrugging.
"I know that too. Grandpa told me that we are living in First Olympus. And there are eight other higher realms than us. And the people living there are very strong. That is why sometimes I feel scared when I realize there is someone out there who can wipe us out by snapping their fingers."
Raidan went over and, to her surprise, held her delicate fingers in his palm.
"You do not need to feel scared anymore, Naida. Because there is also someone who is willing to protect you at all costs."
She did not take those words seriously, but her heart felt warm.
"Thank you, Raidan. Your words may not hold truth, but it is the most beautiful thing I have heard."
Raidan did not clear her doubts because he wanted her to stay peaceful in her own little life. He would bear the burden of everything else.
He looked at the darkening sky, imagining a face he once cherished, and now hated the most.
’Emma, you left me. You discarded me like trash. But I have not drowned in sorrow. I have found my new goal. And I will protect it with all my might. I will grow stronger than anyone you can imagine.’
Afterward, as evening fell, the duo started walking back to the western gate, hand in hand.
On the way back, their figures cast long shadows across the plain lands. The glow of the red sun faded into darkness.
They reached the run-down wooden house within an hour.
However, as they approached the familiar run-down wooden house, the peaceful atmosphere of their evening walk was instantly shattered.
The area in front of the apothecary was entirely illuminated by the harsh light of several torches.
And a crowd of dozens curious people formed a tight circle.
In the center of the commotion, a group of four heavily armored city guards was roughly dragging Naida’s grandfather out of the house.
The old man struggled, his fragile hands bound by thick magical ropes.
"Grandpa!"
Naida’s scream tore through the night.
She then dropped the medicinal basket on the dirt road, and rushed forward with tears on her green eyes.
"Stop! Do not approach!"
Before the guards could push the desperate young woman away, a firm hand clamped down on the lead guard’s armored shoulder.
Raidan stood like an immovable mountain between Naida and the guard in golden armours.
"What is the meaning of this? Why are you dragging an old man out of his home like a common criminal?" Raidan asked coldly.
The guard captain scoffed, and easily broke his grip.
Glaring at the young adventurer, he said:
"This old bag of bones is a thief. He went to the Sun God’s Shrine under the guise of receiving a free blessing, but he dared to steal the High Priest’s concentrated holy water. The Shrine demands immediate compensation for the stolen divine grace. He owes the church exactly 100 Gold Coins, or he will be sent to the labor camps in the northern mines!"
.
Gold Coins!
Just hearing the number, the commoner citizens’ head buzzed.
For the poor citizens of the western district, even a single silver coin was hard to come by.
And 100 Gold Coins means 10,000 silver coins.
Ten thousand silver coins was an astronomical fortune that could buy a luxurious mansion in the western district.
All colour drained from Naida’s face.
She covered her mouth in shock.
"One hundred gold!! That is impossible. We do not have anywhere near that amount!"
The old man hung his head in deep shame.
"I am sorry, granddaughter. I just wanted to heal my old lungs so I would not be a burden to you anymore... I did not know it was the High Priest’s personal supply."
Raidan checked his funds in the inventory.
[Total Wealth: 30 Gold Coins, 15 Silver Coins. ]
It was not enough.
Still, he manifested a leather pouch into his hand and tossed it directly at the captain’s chest.
The guard caught it, surprised by the clanking sound of pure gold.
"Guards, there are thirty gold coins in that pouch. Take it as a down payment. Release the old man right now, and I will personally deliver the remaining seventy gold coins to the Sun God’s Shrine within exactly three days."
"No, Raidan... You do not need to do this for us. How will I pay you back?" Naida uttered, looking broken by guilt.
Raidan went toward her and wiped her tears away.
"Naida, please stand up. You are stronger than this. You can pay me back once you establish an apothecary shop in the inner city."
Only then did Naida look a bit burden-free. She could only thank Raidan with her teary eyes.
Meanwhile, the captain looked at Raidan’s confident stance, and then at the angry, murmuring crowd of commoners who held Naida in the highest regard.
Pushing the issue right now, especially against an adventurer who casually tossed around gold, might incite a massive riot in the western district.
"Alright, you have three days, brat. If the rest of the debt is not paid by sundown on the third day, we will come back to burn this shop down and take both the old man and the girl."
The rest of the guards shoved the grandfather forward and quickly marched away, taking the thirty gold coins with them.
As the old man fell to his knees, coughing violently, Naida rushed to support him.
"I have brought you shame, granddaughter. Forgive me!"
Naida held her grandfather in her embrace, crying.
"Please do not say it like that, Grandpa. I know you very well. You are the greatest man alive."
Raidan stood there silently, watching everything with absolute calm.
Soon, an unsettling feeling rose within his heart.
’Something feels out of place... What is it? What exactly am I missing here?’
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