“Ugh...”
I woke up to the morning sunlight streaming through the stable window. Even after sleeping through the night, my exhaustion hadn’t faded. That wasn’t really surprising, because Waine had worked me until I’d literally dropped. I really didn’t feel like moving. Slowly, I reached up and placed a hand on my forehead. It stung from being hit so many times, even though I’d had that browplate on.
Where had I even collapsed last night? My memory of the end was hazy, but one thing was clear: I had been put through hell. What had started as a mock battle supposedly in my favor ended up being a brutal endurance drill. It’d been a training session designed to keep my eyes open while an opponent hit me over and over again.
Basically, I had just stood there and let myself get smacked endlessly. Unbelievable.
Being a warrior is tough. Being a vanguard fighter is even tougher. No matter what, it’s impossible not to flinch and shut your eyes.
“How did I even get back here?” I asked myself, and I let out a heavy sigh. I couldn’t remember coming back to the stable at all. I was exhausted, my entire body ached, and my muscles were sore in places I didn’t even know could be sore. But morning had come, which meant I had to get up.
Waking up early had been my routine since my days in the village. The moment I woke up, I would fetch water. That had been my daily chore. I pushed myself upright. Despite the fatigue, nothing hurt too much aside from the lingering sting on my forehead.
After a brief stretch, I picked up the leather armor Chikka had given me and slipped it over my head. I tightened the leather straps on the sides to make sure it wouldn’t shift around. By now, I was so used to wearing the armor that I could put it on even while still half asleep. Next, I grabbed my spear, its tip covered with a leather pouch, and slung it over my back. Then I picked up the basket I used for gathering herbs and strapped that on too.
“Hmm.”
Normally, I’d be ready to go at this point. But there was one more thing today. After a moment of hesitation, I reached for the browplate lying on the straw-covered floor. I dusted off a few stray pieces of hay, then wrapped it around my forehead. I fumbled twice while tying it behind my head, but on the third try, I got it right. I gave my head a small shake to check the fit.
Not bad. I had been worried about a headache after last night’s training, but surprisingly, I was feeling better by the moment.
“All right, I’m off,” I told the occupant of the neighboring stall. But, as always, the thick-skinned horse was still fast asleep. After it had eaten my valenwort the other day, I had secretly started calling it Valenwort in my head.
✦ ✦ ✦
As I stepped into the adventurer’s guild, I immediately sensed a buzz of activity. A loud voice rang out from the center of the commotion, with a group of onlookers gathered around.
This feels different from usual, I thought. But then I reconsidered. No, this is how it normally is.
Things had just been unusually quiet lately because of Old Badger’s passing. He had been the oldest veteran among the adventurers, and his absence had left the place feeling somber. But the guild was usually loud and lively like this.
Scanning the room, I spotted the source of the argument near the space between the reception desk and the dining area. There were three people, including the warrior who had put me through hell last night with that brutal combat training.
“Waine and... Who are those two?” I wondered out loud.
One stood out with her loose, flowing white robe and an oversized hat. The other was small in stature, dressed in an elegant springtime outfit that looked breezy and high-quality too. I thought the smaller one might be a halfling at first, but since she didn’t have pointed ears, they were probably both human women.
“Why do I have to listen to some total stranger tell me what to do?!” The small one—the girl who was only slightly taller than me—snapped at Waine.
Meanwhile, the girl in the big hat just stood behind her, looking flustered.
The smaller girl reminded me of fire. Was this color called cherry red? Her wavy hair was so vivid, so strikingly beautiful, that it was almost mesmerizing. It swayed with every sharp movement she made, almost like it reflected the intensity of her emotions. But what stood out even more were her eyes. They were deep jade green and filled with an unmistakable strength of will.