Ambrose leaned sideways against a wall, gazing outside through a small gap between curtains. He watched as the sun set over the horizon, casting a warm orange glow over the cityscape.
The door then opened, and a pigtailed little girl rushed inside, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She immediately ran over to Ambrose, hugging his waist.
“You’re back!” Emma shouted excitedly.
Ambrose smiled and patted her on the head. “I heard from Bella that you chose this place. It’s nice.”
“Nn!” Emma nodded her head like a bobblehead.
Bella soon walked up the stairs, closing the door behind her after entering the room. She had just finished closing the bookstore.
Ambrose closed the curtains, and only the gentle light from the gas lamp illuminated the room. It was still more than enough.
“Brother, can you tell me more about Dark Waters?” Emma asked curiously. “Did you see the Ghosts of the Wild Hunt?!”
Ambrose took a seat on the bed and chuckled. “Dark Waters is a place of mystery and wonder, full of secrets and magic.”
Emma sat down beside him, sitting cross-legged while excitedly listening.
Bella sat down on the same bed, sitting more ladylike and looking towards him with a curious expression.
“Where should I begin…” Ambrose wondered out loud, but then smiled. “Right. Let’s start with Seafare, and the people I met there.”
…
Weary Town, Bar of the Hand.
Inside a bar with a dimly lit atmosphere, a guitarist played a melancholic tune on the stage while patrons sat at the bar, sipping their drinks and laughing with their friends.
After a short while, the guitarist rose from the stool, bowed, and left the stage amid weak applause from the few patrons.
In the backstage area, a round-headed man with sunglasses on his face looked at the scene with a nervous expression.
“The crowd doesn’t seem to be very warmed up!” He shouted.
A neat-bearded man looked away from his guitar and smiled. “Jasper, relax. Of course, a sad song won’t warm up the crowd. It’s a bar, not some funeral house.”
“You’re feeling confident, huh, Wolcott?” Jasper nervously chuckled. “I wish I could feel the same.”
“We are bards.” Wolcott rose from the chair with a guitar in hand. “We talk about stories via singing; that’s what we agreed on.”
“Mm…” Jasper nodded, and at the same moment, they heard a knock on the door. They turned to the door, and once it opened, they saw the bar’s owner.
“Your turn.” The bar owner said while nudging his glasses. “The crowd needs some warming up, but do your best, aight?”
Jasper and Wolcott nodded, then turned to each other with a determined look on their faces. They then left the room and walked to the center of the stage amid a sound of laughter and chatting.
Wolcott sat down on the stool with a guitar on his lap, while Jasper stood behind him with a violin in hand.
“Hello, and welcome to the Bar of the Hand.” Wolcott said with his powerful and pleasant voice. “Today, we’ll sing a tale about the forgotten hero of Yatagarasu, Ambrose.”
These two were captured and destined to be eaten by goblins in Yatagarasu. However, after getting rescued, they decided to spend their lives singing tales about the heroics of the forgotten hero, Ambrose.
Wolcott started playing the guitar, filling the air with a powerful tempo, which immediately captivated the audience and teleported them to a world of war and danger.
…
The darkness covered the sky, with a crimson moon appearing high above, shining eerily across the world.
On the top floor of Whispering Page, the shadows danced and twirled, creating a special atmosphere. The gas lamp was already in danger of going out.
“Mmh…” Emma rubbed her eyes. “I am feeling sleepy…”
“It’s already late.” Ambrose rubbed her head and said, “You should go out for now.”
“Mm, okay…” Emma lazily hugged her brother and then disappeared from pixels.
“Very interesting story.” Bella said with a smile. “However, was it all?”
“Perhaps, maybe not.” Ambrose chuckled.
He kept the forced slavery and stuff with Mars a secret. He didn’t want to scare his little sister.
‘He wouldn’t have had an explosive increase in his bounty if something big didn’t happen.’ Bella thought curiously. ‘However, from what he said, Dark Waters seem very special…
‘However, it is also dangerous, but I kind of wish to travel across this world and see what it has to offer.’
“I’ll be staying in the Immortal Dojo; you can find me there most days.” Ambrose said and stood up to leave.
“Ah, wait a moment.” Bella grabbed him by the sleeve and asked. “Can I come with you on your journey outside the walls?”
Ambrose turned to look at her and said firmly. “Absolutely not. It is incredibly dangerous.”
“I already stepped out of the walls once, and I know it’s scary.” Bella insisted, her determination evident in her voice. “I’m willing to take the risk. I need strength!”
“A stubborn one, huh?” Ambrose stepped towards her and leaned close enough to touch noses with her. “I have another idea.”
“Which is?” Bella asked with ragged breathing while feeling Ambrose’s breath on her lips.
“We’ll enter a party.” Ambrose said, staring at her bright red eyes. “You’ll get half of the XP that I earn with every kill. With this, you don’t have to leave the city.”
“No.” Bella pouted and touched foreheads with Ambrose, their lips brushing together. She then whispered. “I am not a coward…”
“Very well…” Ambrose whispered back, and with each movement of his lips, they brushed against Bella’s soft lips. “You’ve won. However, I’ll teach you some skills that will help you to survive…”
“Mm, that is the deal.” Bella smiled and leaned in closer to Ambrose. Their lips eventually touched, and they shared a soft, gentle kiss.
Ambrose moved his hands down Bella’s body, caressing her skin with a gentle touch. Her body jolted as she felt a shiver run down her spine.
After separating from the kiss, Bella rested her head against Ambrose’s chest, her cheeks flushed with a blush. She felt a sense of comfort and safety in his embrace.
Ambrose took a deep breath, as it was hard to keep himself calm after seeing Bella blushing and looking incredibly adorable.
He eventually stopped embracing her, coughed against his fist, and walked over to the window.
“If you have the time… visit the dojo, all right?” Ambrose opened the window, letting in a cool breeze and a glimpse of the night sky.
“A-all right.” Bella smiled and fidgeted with her fingers. “Good night!”
“Mm, sleep well.” Ambrose leaned out of the window, acting as if he were falling, but then he closed the window and used Formlessness to shoot straight towards the sky.
Ambrose hovered in the air, gazing at the crimson moon and the brilliant stars that surrounded it. He took a deep breath and let out a sigh of contentment.
He looked at his hands, which still had the warmth of her skin, and formed a gentle fist.
‘My life sure feels like a surreal dream. It wasn’t long ago that I was living a very grayish life. Now, I just need to make sure that I won’t lose this.’
Ambrose gently dropped down from the sky and landed in the yard of a dojo. All the decorations had been changed to reflect the new era of the dojo. They only needed the sigil of a sword piercing through their hearts, but it was a job for a tailor.
“Welcome back, master!” A few students who were stargazing in the yard stood up from the ground and bowed respectfully.
“Mm…” Ambrose nodded and stepped inside the dojo. He was immediately greeted by the students, who had finished today’s training and were simply spending time with their friends or, in some rare cases, with their lovers.
As he saw their gazes, a feeling finally dawned on him.
He was now a master, and it was his responsibility to keep his students safe. It was a very heavy responsibility that he had to carry on his shoulders.
However, Ambrose wasn’t afraid of the responsibility.
‘Are you ready for the responsibility of the master?’ The Wisdom King’s ancient voice sounded inside his mind.
‘I am ready.’ Ambrose smiled.