Volume 1: Village Story Chapter 1: The Small Hill Outside the Village

  I lay on a small hill outside the village, the thick green grass as soft as a mattress at home. The scattered purple flowers around me were in full bloom, and the faint fragrance mixed with the smell of grass made me feel that this world was all fragrant. I stared blankly at the azure sky, white clouds changing into various shapes, like countless galloping horses, like snow-white sheep, like towering mountains, like roaring waves... The sunlight wasn't dazzling at all, it just sprinkled warm light gently on my body, making me feel warm and cozy as if I was soaking in warm water.

  I stared blankly at the ever-changing white clouds, smelling the warm and soothing fragrance, feeling the warmth of the sun. Gradually, gradually, a thick sleepiness crept in, my eyelids becoming incredibly heavy. What wonderful weather! Is there anything more blissful than sleeping beautifully on a day like this?

  "Alex, I knew you were slacking off! I couldn't find you at Mr. Allen's place, so I figured you'd be here sleeping!" A piercingly loud female voice cut through the rare tranquility of this noon, directly stabbing into my ears and pulling me back from the brink of a beautiful dream. My extremely stable and rhythmic heartbeat went wild with excitement under the stimulation of this sound, scaring me into jumping up from my languid state in an instant.

  No need to look at who it is, I will never mistake this girl's voice. She is my childhood playmate and neighbor, and the most beautiful girl in my heart - Celine. She has an angelic face, blue eyes as clear as lake water, brown long hair as dense as the grass under my feet. With age, her figure becomes more and more curvaceous. In short, she is the acknowledged number one beauty in our village.

  To get a more authentic view of her figure, I spent an entire week digging a small hole in the wall of her bedroom, which was also a spare room in my house. Just as I was about to implement my research plan with great joy, I suddenly found my strict father standing behind me. The result can be imagined, and my hero, who had been worshiped by me since childhood, a great swordsman, my father, exerted all his power on me. If it weren't for my mother's strong support, I absolutely believe that my father would have ended me directly. In his words, "I will treat you as if you were never born," and even so, I was bedridden for almost a month.

  The harm my father caused me not only gave my young heart a huge blow, but also delayed my learning of swordsmanship, so that among the six thirteen-year-old children taught by Master Allen, I was the only one who did not pass the primary swordsman assessment. For a long time, this matter became a laughing stock for everyone. Although I barely passed the assessment at the age of 14, it was a huge blow to me, who had always dreamed of becoming a great swordsman like my father since childhood. In fact, I also know that blaming this on my father's beating is a bit forced. Master Allen once said in front of me that I am not suitable for being a swordsman, and even if I practice hard, I will not achieve much in the future, at most becoming an ordinary mid-level swordsman.

  My enthusiasm for learning swordsmanship has gradually waned, and I've lost my passion. In the past, apart from going to my mother's place every afternoon and evening to learn about the languages, histories, cultures, and arts of various countries on the mainland, including those of other ethnic groups like elves and dwarves, and spending time in our home library reading books, all my time was spent practicing swordsmanship. But now, it seems I'm not as gifted at learning swordsmanship as others, and the frustration of failure has made me feel disheartened during practice these past few days, so I've been sneaking away to this hillside to take a nap.

  When I heard Celine calling me, I hurriedly got up, patted the green grass on my body, and stood facing the other side of the mountain, as if leisurely standing in the wind. When Celine climbed up the slope, she happened to see my contemplative figure.

  "Alyric, what's wrong with you again? You're already clumsy at learning swordsmanship, so shouldn't you be working harder? I have no idea what's going through your mind. Didn't you always want to become a great swordsman like your father?" Serin, who had just climbed up the slope and was still panting heavily, started scolding me without even letting me stand properly, completely ignoring my attempt at looking nonchalant.

  I slumped down to the ground with a thud, plucking a small blade of grass and chewing on it absent-mindedly. Seeing that I didn't respond, Serene sat down beside me, patted my shoulder and said, "It's Mr. Allen who asked me to find you, he says he has something to talk to you about and wants me to bring you back." The unique fragrance on Serene's body pierced straight into my nostrils, making my heart beat a few times faster.

  "Oh, I see. I'll go later." I spat out the grass root in my mouth with a worried expression. Teacher Allen will definitely tell my father about me slacking off. He's my father's comrade-in-arms. According to my mother, back then, my father fought for the empire and earned many merits. Tired of war, he and Teacher Allen, along with several other comrades, pooled their money to buy this place and relocated the families of fallen brothers here to build a small village together. It's not far from the imperial capital city of Arte, only three days' journey. However, it's very quiet here, with few visitors. Everyone left behind their bloody past and lived peaceful lives.

  My father and Mr. Allen are the best of brothers, they have no secrets between them, often gathering together to drink, my lazy things were discovered by Mr. Allen, it was as if I had been discovered by my father, a beating was inevitable. Thinking of this, I let out a long sigh, my father is an object of my admiration, he can split open the giant stone in front of the door with one sword. But my father is also the person I fear most, his ruthlessness sometimes makes me even doubt whether I am his own flesh and blood. I once asked my mother about this question, as a result, I was driven out of her room by my mother with a broom.

  "Cerine, will you marry me in the future?" I suddenly asked this sentence while looking at the floating clouds on the horizon. Cerine stared at me for a long time after hearing my words and then burst out laughing loudly. I turned my head to see that she was laughing so hard that tears were about to come out of her eyes, and I grumbled discontentedly: "What's so funny?" Then I ignored her and continued to chew on a blade of grass in my mouth, the root of which had a slightly sweet taste but mostly a bitter one.

  "I say, Alick, how can you like to play such jokes on me? Really, can't you be more serious in front of a girl?" Serene finally stopped her hearty laughter and wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve while giving my back a forceful slap, almost knocking the wind out of me.

  "I'm not joking, I'm serious!" I said with a sulk. Celine heard my words and burst out laughing again. I stood up in defeat, no longer continuing the conversation with her, and tossed out "I'm leaving!" before turning around and walking down the mountain slope.

  "Alec, wait for me!" Celine came running from behind and walked alongside me. I didn't say a word, the two of us just kept walking forward in silence.

  "Alyck, were you serious about what you just said?" Serene finally asked after a long silence.

  "Hmm..." I hummed a response from my nose.

  "Alec, you're my best friend, but we've grown up together since childhood, and I just don't have those feelings for you. Besides... besides, you're not even my type." Celine said softly, as if speaking in a softer tone could reduce my anger.

  "What kind of man do you like?" I asked.

  "I like it bigger, more solid, and more powerful. That's what a hero should be." Serene's face showed a silly expression.

  "You're pretty good, it's just that you're a bit shorter, your body is a bit thinner, and your face is a bit more delicate." Serena said to me with an apologetic expression.

  "Alright, alright, tomorrow I'll go to the forest and catch a big gorilla for you, haha. You actually believed me when I was just joking, haha." I rubbed Serene's head vigorously, messing up her beautiful hair, then laughed loudly and ran away quickly.

  "Ah-ha! You scoundrel, I knew you were deceiving me! And to think you messed up someone's hair too! You're really a pest! Stop right there, don't run!" Serene, now awake, was chasing after me with all her might.

  Alas, a beautiful and vague love has come to an end like this. I was running hard in front, trying to vent the depression in my heart in this way.

  Before I knew it, I had run to the front of Mr. Allen's house, and Mr. Allen's door was slightly ajar. Seeing that door, my heart suddenly became tense. Is Father behind this door? He must know about my truancy today! Thinking of Father's furious face, my hand hesitated as I reached out to push the door open.

  "Alyric, why aren't you going in?" Serene asked from behind me as she ran over, noticing my hesitant expression.

  "Is Alex here? Come in quickly!" The voice of Mr. Allen came from the courtyard, and it seemed that there was no anger in his tone. It seems that my father still doesn't know about my truancy, otherwise he would have scolded me long ago.

  I let out a sigh of relief and gently pushed open the large gate, slipping inside just in time to see my father and Teacher Allen sitting across from each other drinking! I was so shocked that I wanted to turn around and run away, but it was already too late.

  My father saw me and immediately shouted: "Don't you hurry over here! Where else are you going to run wild?"