"You don't seem to be from around here… who are you?" A certain tanned woman with yellow hair said.
There was no mistake… that was Clanire. Around twenty centimeters taller, their hair color was a bit darker, and she was carrying two swords on her waist… was that really Clanire? The similarities were too big… maybe she was a cousin… but Clanire was supposed to be alive more than two thousand years before that period of time. Aion wondered what was going on, but he didn't have enough time to come up with some plausible explanations.
"My name is Arc… and I am a traveling mercenary," Aion replied after he tried to recover his composure. "I am aware that it might be suspicious, but I am just here to make some money while fighting your enemies."
"If your goal is truly money, then joining the other side might be more profitable," the woman said.
"Even if I am a mercenary, I have my own morals," Aion explained. "Invading and pillaging aren't my style."
"... You don't have a weapon with you," the woman said.
"I have," Aion said and then changed his class to Demonic Berserker. "I just prefer not to show my weapon all the time."
The bloody axe was as big as Aion, and it looked more than a little bit fearsome… so everyone around suddenly raised their guards, until Aion made the weapon disappear again.
"That is a neat trick that you have there," The woman said. "Still, if you are really a mercenary that is on our side, certainly you won't mind if I ask you to work right now, right?"
"Almost everything you can order… for a price," Aion nodded.
"Some monsters might come from the volcano south of there once they see the campfires," The woman said. "Protect the camp by slaying all of them at night, and then you will have your money."
"Yes, ma'am," Aion said, and then he left his tent.
Although he disliked following orders from most people, it was necessary for the time being. Besides, Aion needed some time to think about what was going on.
Once night fell, Aion soon saw some fires in the distance climbing down the volcano. It seemed that the fire scorpions also liked to bathe in magma now and then.
"I feel some stares… so I better do this the old-fashioned way," Aion thought while summoning his bloody ax.
Demonic Berserker Lv 08
Health: 164/164
Mana: 08/08
Stamina: 12/12
Strength: 36 +02
Dexterity: 01
Magic: 01
Endurance: 01 + 02
Resistance: 01
Speed: 01 +01
Status: 00
Bloody Axe Refinement Lv 01
Bonuses: Strength +02, Endurance +02, Speed +01
Skills: Wrath Lv 01
Passive: Pain Immunity Lv 01
Improvement Points: 24
Accumulated Experience: 0
Coins: 00
Inventory:
Absorption: 0/1000
Processing: 0/1000
Reset
"I need to level up this a bit and get materials as well… but I can't refine it while those guys at looking at me," Aion furrowed his eyebrows. "I will have to use some trash from my inventory to do that."
Aion still has a shit ton of armor and swords that he got from that country that he took over, so that wasn't a problem. Time was… still, when the first enemies arrived, he basically crushed them with the weight of his weapon.
"If she were a descendant of the shrimp grandma… she wouldn't be here… unless some of my ancestors moved to other parts of the world," Aion rubbed his chin thoughtfully once he killed the first few fire scorpions. "Her magic presence didn't seem that strong, so maybe we don't have any blood relation."
The woman also had an aura of a powerful warrior… no wonder she came to Aion like she was the leader of the camp, and that was something considering the number of soldiers around.
"Come to think of it… that grandma said that we would meet again and that she might not recognize me…" Aion thought. "What the hell is going on? Did she reincarnate herself in the future?"
If Malon could become a demi-god and leave the planet, maybe Clanire was able to do that… instead of living forever, she decided to use that kind of technique to deal with those who use time magic. Then again, the relics were supposed to exist in that era, so… Aion didn't know what was going on anymore.
"Well, this is what happens when time magic is involved. All this bullshit happens…" Aion shrugged.
Aion thought about that during the whole night, but he eventually got tired of it. He might eventually understand the situation, but for the time being, it will be better if he focuses on the mission.
In any case, when morning came, some soldiers approached to check Aion's progress, and then they paid him one silver coin for the monster that he killed, and they also began to carry the bodies of the monsters… the tanned woman was probably too busy to deal with him directly, and she had reports about Aion during the whole night.
"Since they are building wells here, it is very likely that we won't move further south since we are close to the border," Aion thought while he was heading to his tent. "It is hard to imagine how they will fight without having natural defenses or a fortress nearby… I guess this is the first time they had to deal with this situation since this place is filled with volcanoes."
"You are right about, according to history, this is the only time the Hotaria country was ever invaded," Annalee said.
"What do you know about the draconic wanderer, grandmother?" Aion asked.
"Not much. I only read that he tried to kill the primordial firebird and failed. There were no other things in history that he tried to do since he died here," Annalee said.
"Why do you call me grandpa, and you call her grandmother?" Arc asked.
"Because you are foolish enough to get irked by stupid jokes," Annalee replied.
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