Zack used to dive straight into battles, barging right through his enemies, while his companions followed along as backup. Now, though, he knew his limits. After his defeat at the hands of Luke, Zack’s party began to fight together as a team and had improved to a shocking extent.
“Understand your situation, then give precise orders to move your men.”
That was what Zack excelled at—the tactic that he had relied upon for years—but one day, he realized that maybe that’s not actually what he wanted to be good at doing. He found that he had reached a dead end, and so he smashed down the wall to find a clear path waiting for him on the other side.
“Huh? Where are you off to, Zack?”
“Just hittin’ up the tavern. Got some people to see too.”
“Wahey! Sounds great! You’re buyin’ the first round. I’ll see you there a bit later.”
“Sure.”
The party had recently arrived at the capital, so Zack left his bags in his room at the inn, changed clothes, and then headed straight out to get a drink. Experience had taught him that the tavern was always the best place to make friends in a new city. His group had been operating out of Gilbadia for so long, it had actually been quite a while since he’d visited the capital.
Zack walked the streets, only half remembering where he was going, until he came upon the little tavern. The wooden door was old and worn down, but it made him feel much more at ease than any of the fancier places ever could. Zack decided that this would be his spot for the night and went inside.
“Ha ha ha! I jus’ can’t wait fer the next one!”
“Me neither!”
There were only three patrons in the entire place—was it just too early for most folks to start drinking, or was this a reflection of the tavern’s waning popularity? In any case, one person sat at the bar counter, drinking and chatting with the owner, while two others were sitting a little further away and snacking on some appetizer dishes.
“Man, what do we even do…?” One sighed.
“Been saying the same thing for hours. Get it together.”
“Yeah, but…I just can’t forget what happened that night…”
“Sissy. Coward. Chicken.”
The two in the corner who were eating and sipping at their drinks wore some sort of cloth wrapped around their heads.
Don’t see those that often, Zack mused to himself. Turbans, I think they’re called?
There was also an intimidating atmosphere of melancholy around the pair that made them a bit hard to approach.
“Hey, welcome! A new face, eh?”
The master of the house conveniently chose that moment to call out to him, so Zack began to gravitate toward the counter.
“Well met, master! I just got into the city, yeah! The name’s Zack, and I’m an adventurer. Nice t’meet you. I’ll have an ale, if you wouldn’t mind!”
“Comin’ right up!”
With practiced ease, the man poured out an ale from the wooden barrel behind him and somewhat roughly clonked the ale stein down on the counter.
“I’m Butch, and this is Korko,” he said, gesturing to the other customer at the counter. “He’s got a shop out on the market. Nice t’meet you!”
“Nice to meet you, Zack,” said Korko.
“Yeah, same.”
Zack took a long swig of his ale.
“Ahh! That’s good stuff!”
“Sure looked like you enjoyed it! What are you doin’ here in the capital, then, Zack? Just say if you don’t want to answer, I guess.”
“Nah, I’ll tell ya. Got called here by Aslan Magic Academy. I’m gonna be a special instructor there, startin’ this summer.”
“Wh-what?! That’s friggin’ incredible!!”
“Eh, it ain’t all that big a deal,” Zack shrugged. “The guy they wanted to come couldn’t make it, so I’m just fillin’ in.”
“But still, that’s amazin’! I’m sure I’ve just not heard of you because I don’t follow adventuring, but you’re famous, right?”
“Nah, I mean it, I’m really a nobody. I’m just your average adventurer. Used to work out of Gilbadia.”
Zack’s continued protestation wasn’t a matter of modesty. He genuinely believed in his heart that what he was saying was true—he wasn’t a hero or a villain, he was simply some guy who happened to be an adventurer. He knew that there were true monsters in the world. With that thought, the image of a young boy floated into the back of his mind—a boy who looked down on everything.
“Gilbadia… Then you must know Luke, right?”
The second that name hit Zack’s ears, he spat out the mouthful of ale he’d just drunk.
“H-how do you know that name?” he spluttered. “I guess…yeah, I know who he is…”
“Oh! You do know him then! I gotta ask, has he always been such a great magic user?!”
“Huh…? What the heck are you talkin’ about? Luke’s a swordsman.”
“What the heck are you talking about? Luke’s an awesome magic user.”
“Hm?”
“Eh?”
Are we really talking about the same person?
Just as Zack’s doubts began to form, he felt a little tug at his sleeve.
“I want to hear about him too.”
Zack turned to see a girl wearing a turban standing next to him. Before he could respond, a tall man—also wearing a turban—rushed over and bowed his head in apology.
“Ahh, sorry about that. She’s not much for manners, y’see. She’s always gettin’ in people’s way like this.”
“Huh? S-sure…don’t worry about it. I mean, I was a bit surprised, but I don’t mind. You two want to drink with us?”
“Oh, thanks a bunch! I appreciate it!”
The little tavern was bustling, despite the few patrons inside—and many of the things that Zack learned from his new friends came as a great surprise.