"Seref Silvera," Arthur read out loud, back in the comfort of his home. Since the trial was in a different timeline, his family didn't notice a difference except getting worried over going missing for a day.
"A rising Vetus-ranker from a poor family, married to…" Arthur read the information he already knew about his father. His eyes teared up every few lines, and he had to wipe them away before continuing to read. At last, he reached the part about his disappearance. It was a whole page with detailed information and many theories.
"Disappeared three years ago, on July 13, 2045."
It was the last day he saw his father before he went on another dungeon exploration.
"The guild he worked for, Everlasting Stream, sent him in a mission to explore the other world. No record of what happened there has been found, only the official statement from the guild."
It was the guild his father worked for after they scouted him due to his blooming talent. He was a lot older than most Vetus-rankers, but his ability allowed him to fight higher-tiered monsters. It was called Mana Interference, a rare ability that directly affected mana. When the guild scouted him, he was barely making ends meet. They offered an olive branch that he had no choice but to take.
"Investigations have shown the involvement of the military, as they tried to recruit him for his ability at that time. Before any further negations with the guild, Seref Silvera disappeared and was called a thief by the guild. The official statement is that he stole an artifact scavenged from beyond the gates. The guild issued a lawsuit, taking possession of most of his wealth and properties."
Arthur gritted his teeth, crumbling the paper in a fit of rage. He breathed in and out and resumed reading the report. He still remembered how helpless they were against them, and how the union failed to help. That's why he never trusted the union.
"Our private investigations have uncovered the following."
This was the moment he had been waiting for. He already knew everything he just read, and now he started the real deal.
"The mission wasn't an Artifact Scavenging mission, raising a suspicious point about the official statement. If Seref Silvera truly stole an artifact from one of the team's members, he should have done so before they went beyond the gates. The only possibility is that the artifact was found by chance before Seref Silvera stole it and fled to the other world."
This was the paragraph, revealing something Arthur didn't know. It was a crucial piece of information that would guide him toward the truth. If the official statement had an inconsistency, there was something hidden.
"The second suspicious point is the evidence of military activity at that time. The Temple has been deployed as well, and several information agencies were monitoring Seref Silvera at that time. No mention of these mobilizations in the official statement or why they have been made."
This was something he had no idea of as well, and Arthur felt confused by this information. Why would the military and the Temple be deployed? What did it have to do with his father?
"The third point is the records of high-density mana activity, one similar to a merge happening. However, no new dungeons have appeared."
Arthur kept reading the report, and it kept raising questions. Right now, he had these clues regarding where to look for information. The guild, the military, the Temple, and the location his father disappeared at. He needed to uncover the truth behind each one, and for that, he needed strength and money.
***
The train stopped early the next day, and a tanned young man with golden eyes walked toward the place he lived at for the past month. After taking the day off from the academy, Arthur came to the place he lived at during the trial, mountain range Rovero.
His first destination was the cave as Arthur missed Kira terribly. He walked through the familiar but not so familiar forest, and the trees were a lot shorter and thinner than they were in the trial. He reached the Beras field and traced back toward the cave again, reaching it after a few minutes.
He walked into the cave and found no vegetation or bones, only the leftovers from his earlier stay. Kira wasn't here, however, so he decided to leave the cave and search the surrounding.
He used his detection rune to send mana waves, as thin as lines, to detect the surrounding lifeforms. In a matter of seconds, he felt the presence of two unranked monsters fighting nearby.
With a sprint, Arthur was already able to see the two monsters. One of them was a three-horned boar, an unranked monster, and the other was a wounded and limping wolf.
Even though the wolf was wounded, it still had the advantage with its sharp claws and teeth. However, Arthur doubted it could survive without getting hurt. With a slash from his hand, a wind blade killed the boar, startling the wolf greatly.
The small wolf, Arthur recognized as young Kira, turned around and started growling at him. Arthur was confused, as this wasn't how he imagined it would be. Furthermore, he expected a giant Kira, not the small unranked one. His theory was that young Kira was transported to the trial grounds, and it evolved from there.
Now, that seemed to be untrue as young Kira was still here. Disapproving the earlier theory solved the question of why was Kira attached to him? But now a new question was raised, was this wolf Kira or was Arthur just mistaken?
The wolf seemed to recognize him a bit, as it calmed down after examining Arthur. The latter scratched his head in thought before picking up the boar and heading toward Elise's Eyes pub.
"Hey Joe, mind if I get two meals of roasted rabbit?" Arthur walked in casually like this was his place. He couldn't help it since the place felt so familiar to him.
"Oh, you're back? Sure thing." Joe smiled in recognition before heading toward the kitchen. Arthur took out the money and placed it on the bar as he waited.
"Why are you back here, kid?" The bearded man he saw the other day talked to him and Arthur realized this place was a lot livelier than in his memories.
"I like the area here, feels like home, you know?"
"Hahaha, I agree! Even though this place is a bit remote and having lower-tiered monsters, it's cozy here."
"It is. So, there aren't any high-ranking monsters over here?" Arthur asked, testing the waters. The bearded man gulped from his beer before smacking it to the bar.
"There are! Terrifying ones! This is the periphery of the mountain range, so there are only unranked monsters here. Deeper into the mountain range are intelligent monsters that took comfort in solitude."
"Oh, how come they haven't been killed yet?"
"They tried, the Union, the guilds, but the mountain range is too dangerous. It's not worth the risk, as these monsters have a lower possibility of dropping skills or possessing artifacts in their treasury! Some of the lower ranking monsters even built villages, like goblins' or ogres' villages!"
Arthur listened with fascination to the stories of the bearded man, named Roberto, as he waited for the food. The man kept chatting and told the urban legends of mountain range Rovero. A few minutes later, the meat was brought by Joe and Arthur paid him the money.
He took the meat outside toward the starving Kira and sat next to it and the two ate. Kira was a lot less intelligent than Arthur remembered, acting more like a wild dog than a companion. Even so, Arthur enjoyed the meal, the scenery, and the companionship.
"It seems like you got a new friend," Joe came from inside the pub and laughed. Arthur laughed as well before pointing at the boar.
"Can you use that to make something for it? Oh, and its name is Kira."
"That's a nice name. Sure thing, I'll give Kira something in return."
"Thanks, Joe," Arthur smiled, remembering the time he spent at the pub. He had enough time and boredom to examine the portraits on the walls, and he guessed in his mind about Joe's past. To summarize it, he felt he could strike a deal with him.
"I have a business offer for you, care to listen?" Arthur finished his meal before he stood up and walked toward Joe.
"Ah, is that so? Mana cores, monster parts, or is it about commissions?" Joe nodded with understanding, but Arthur shook his head.
"Let's just say… This deal can be life-changing, for both of us." Smiling with confidence, Arthur was able to pique Joe's interest.
"Okay, want to talk now?"
"Would be even better."
"Let's go to the stable, there are some chairs we can use." Joe led the way as the two walked over, Kira cutely following after Arthur. The young bartender took out some chairs and the two sat down next to each other. After serving some iced juice, Joe sat next to him and waited for his offer.
"I found a way to supply some artifacts, skills, maybe even potions. However, I don't have the time to use the channels necessary to sell them, anonymously, of course. That's why I need someone to act on my behalf." Arthur saw Joe's face turn serious, and he added one more bit to assure him. "I promise they are not stolen, smuggled, or defective. We can even sign a contract to free you of any responsibilities if anything illegal occurs."
