141 Roberta and Gerald
“Wait!” Arad gasped, “Are you saying that Fortkeen got erased?”
Alcott nodded, “Yeah, the dragon burned it to the ground, and there was nothing we could do about it,” He scratched his head, “I told them messing with the dragon was a bad idea,”
“What about that silver dragon? Couldn’t he have come faster?” Arad asked.
“He came as fast as he could after hearing that a dragon is attacking Fortkeen,” Ginger replied, “For now, I smell more power in you,”
Arad smiled, “Let’s talk about it later. I did get stronger,” He looked forward, and the driver is listening.
Arad then waited till the carriage reached Alina, “I will have to drop here,” He said with a smile, “I need to visit the sawmill,”
“You find us in the guild,” Alcott said, smiling as Ginger waved her hand.
***
Arad reached the sawmill after walking for a bit. He could a familiar face there.
“Yeah, three planks for a carriage wall. Do you know where I can get a wheel fixed?” The white-haired old man asked, and Arad recognized him as the one from yesterday.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Arad walked closer and waved his hand to the mill owner, “Arad’s building in the forest. I assume Bob the build made his first order here.” The sawmill owner stared at Arad, “Bob? Was the last shipment, not enough? Want a bit more wood?”
Arad nodded, “Yeah, we only got about three-fourths of the way,”
“I will have it sent. For the payment, I would deal with Bob, as I assume he’s following the contract,” The sawmill owner marked Arad’s order in his ledger and then approached Gerald.
“Everything should be ready for you as well,” The owner nodded, “I will have sent to the carriage part in a few minutes, and I suggest Mira for fixing your wheels,” He smiled, looking at Arad, “For now, she’s working for this guy,” He pointed.
Gerald looked at Arad, approaching with an extended hand, “My name is Gerald. Nice to meet you,”
Arad shook Gerald’s hand, “Arad, nice to meet you as well,”
Gerald smiled, tightening his grip with a smile, “Rough hands and large muscles. Are you a knight?”
Arad shook his head with a smile, “No, I’m just an adventurer,” He replied, smiling.
The sawmill owner laughed, “The man who brawled with werewolves with his bare hands and even hunted a dragon. You aren’t a normal adventurer,”
“You killed a dragon?” Gerald stared at Arad, surprised.
“It isn’t like that, it was a very young red dragon, and we did it with my party members.” Arad shook his head, smiling.
Gerald smiled, “Even so, a very young red dragon isn’t something that a battalion of knights can beat without suffering losses. I hope you didn’t lose anyone,”
“No, we all survived,” Arad replied, letting go of Gerald’s hand.
“What about the werewolves? You brawled with those monsters?” Gerald asked, “You’re a pugilist or a monk?”
“I’m a sorcerer, red draconic bloodline,” Arad opened his palm, igniting a small flame.
“Hoi! Don’t use fire magic around here! It’s all wood and sawdust!” The sawmill owner cried, and Arad and Gerald left.
Arad was heading to the guild, and Gerald stuck with him. On their way, he asked.
“Say, can I have Mira fix my wheel? I know she’s in a contract with you,”
Arad looked at Gerald, smiling, “I need to pass by the guild first. We can go to Mira after,”
Gerald nodded.
***
Arad and Gerald arrived at the guild, and Nina was waiting.
“Arad, you came back!” She waved her hand, and Arad approached her, “Yeah, is the rank-up ready?” Arad asked.
“Of course, here is your B-rank guild card,” She replied.
Arad took the card and looked at it, smiling, “Is this silver?” He gasped.
Nina smiled, “That’s right. B-rank cards are made of silver, A-rank from gold, and S-rank from platinum.”
“Congratulation, young man,” Gerald patted Arad’s back, “But even so, just B-rank for a dragon? Aren’t you a bit stingy young lady,” He looked at Nina.
“He joined a few days ago. There is a limit to how much we can raise him in a short time.” Nina replied, “And who you might be? Calling an almost forty-year-old woman a young lady?”
“The name Gerald, a retired knight.” Gerald smiled, “I’m almost seventy years old. You’re still a little girl to me,”
As Nina and Gerald talked, Arad remembered something, “Did you see Alcott and Ginger? I forgot to show them something,” He pulled the exploding nipple knife.
Thud! Nina backed away, and so did some adventurers, “Where did you get that thing?” She gasped.
“Found,” Arad replied, flailing the knife with an emotionless face.
“Put that thing down! Or hide it!” One of the adventurers growled, hiding behind a table, “Do you know how dangerous it is?”
“That’s the exploding nipple knife,” Nina gasped.
Arad looked at the adventurer, “I know, taken from a bandit who tried robbing me in the forest. I got hit, and it was painful,”
“Sadly, Alcott and Gigner just left. They said they need some time to rest,” Nina shook her head, “We can hold into the knife for you, but it’s better for you to keep it,”
Arad put the knife back in his pocket and looked at Gerald. “Let’s head out then. We have nothing else to do here,”
***
After exiting the guild, Arad and Gerald headed to the carriage part where the caravan rested. They needed to pick the wheel that Gerald needs to be fixed.
“How did you damage the wheel?” Arad asked.
“Wheel-cracking steel chains, bandits used them to stop my caravan of five carriages,” Gerald replied.
“Five carriages? Those bandits must have received a beating,” Arad smiled.
“It was the opposite,” Gerald scratched his head, “I might have had a lot of people, but none could fight beside me and the adventurer party that I hired,” He sighed.
“Father!” The black-haired, golden-eyed woman rushed at them, “Did you get someone to fix the wheel?” She looked at Arad, “He?” She stared at Arad for a moment. Thinking he looked a bit too strong for a carpenter.
Arad waved his hand, “No, not me,” He smiled, “The carpenter is working at my house. We will take the wheels to her,”
“Let me introduce you.” Gerald smiled, “This is my daughter, Roberta,”
Arad looked at Gerald and then at Roberta, “Isn’t she a bit too young to be your daughter? You said you were seventy years old,”
Roberta looked at Arad, “Well, I was born when he was fifty years old. My mother was fairly young,” She smiled.
“You don’t need to tell me. I don’t need to know,” Arad shook his head. He won’t get into their family business.
Roberta smiled, “It isn’t a secret though. The whole capital knows the story. It made waves twenty years ago,”
“Fine, tell me. But keep it short. We need to get the wheels,” Arad sighed.
***
Roberta told Arad the story, shortening it. “So, there was this twenty-five-year-old woman. She seduced a fifty-year-old knight and used that connection to enter the palace as a cook maid. After about a year of service, she poisoned the king.” She smiled, looking at Arad, “The king survived, but the assassin maid got killed by the knight she seduced,”
“Are you saying?”
“I’m her daughter, and the knight she seduced was my father,” She pointed with her thumb toward Gerald taking the wheel out.
“He retired after that, and the king granted him enough money to start working as a merchant and even the right to raise me,” She smiled.
“That’s a sad story,” Arad sighed, looking at Gerald, “He didn’t have a choice,”
“I got the wheel,” Gerald stood, carrying a wooden carriage wheel in his hand, “Let’s go,” He said.
“Can I go with you? The caravan is secured here,” Roberta said with a smile, staring at Arad.．
“Why are you looking at me?” Arad replied, “You ask him,” He pointed at Gerald.
“Sir Arad lives in the forest, it’s going to be a long walk,” Gerald said.
“You’re going to walk there?” She looked to the other side of the part, “We can hire a carriage for a couple of coppers,” She called a carriage.
Arad, Roberta, and Gerald rode all the way back to Arad’s house in the middle of the forest.
“You live alone?” Roberta asked.
“No, I have a partner. You will see her when we arrive,” Arad replied.
Roberta looked at the forest. She then smiled, “Say, did you hear of any black dragon around here?”
Arad froze, “No, there are no dragons in this forest,” He replied, remembering that he saved them in his draconic form.
“Are you sure?” Roberta scratched her head, looking at the mountains in the distance, “He might be nestled there,” She sighed.
“You’re looking for a black dragon?” Arad asked.
“Yeah,” Roberta replied with a smile, “To tell you the truth, he’s the one who saved us from the bandits,” She looked at the mountains, “I might go there to look for him,”
