The Unbreakable Bow

Chapter 21: A future raider



Aefrine was staring at the long journey awaiting him and started looking for an alternative. He didn't want to waste any unnecessary time travelling, nor did he want to get lost in a completely foreign country.

"What about this island? What if I go here instead?"

"Eh? You know what an island is ?"

"Yes, thanks to the Knight of Zarmadin.."

He was talking about the big island on the far northwest of the map. It was closer than Hamilton.

"Of course, you can go! Actually, that is the best option. "

"Wait, really? "

"If you want to pay Ryuji a visit... That is Hirohasm. It used to be an island that was busy with its own civil war. But when Ryuji came out on top, did he decide to care for his domain and make up for the times of terror on the island? Of course not, he decides to invade his neighbours. I remember like six months ago when we heard of a Hirohasm invasion, we were like, didn't they just come out of a war? And then we thought that they just wanted to control the Odalu straits..you know the water between the Nabilean peninsula and Hirohasm, but no, he has conquered the entire peninsula except for the Republic. Who knows where they will stop ..."

After this unpleasant information, Aefrine looked in the opposite direction, thus the east. He found a place with lots of light blue lines crossing each other. It was full of rivers. The location was east of the Kingdom of Thacsia and south of the swamp lands of Kasrine.

"What about this ?"

"Oh, that is the Ural Khaganate. I would not recommend going there because firstly you will need to pass big mountains and secondly you have a lower chance of finding what you need . As I told you, the Kingdom of Thacsia is the best logical option. It is a human kingdom that speaks Robein, which is almost like Nabilean in a certain way. But with Carthagonien, you will be able to get what you want because it has almost become a worldwide language . You don't need to worry. But... I am absolutely sure that there is something that you didn't even consider."

"Wha ? "

"Do you have an identity card?"

"A what ?"

"Do you have a card that tells you who you are ?"

"I know who I am. Why would I need a card to do so?"

"Wel ,if you want to travel nowadays, you need at the very least anidentifyy card ."

"And how do you get one ?"

"Well,you're supposed to get it from your own hometown, but... since most of Nabile is occupied, I suppose my dad can get you one from here . Will you be fine being a citizen of Tabollba? "

"Eh? Yes , of course, why wouldn't I ?"

"Good, then you will need to work more on your Celtonic . Other than that, you will need a reason to travel like for trading or hunting a job..."

"Well, I need to know more about the keys , that is why!"

"Aefrine, I know, but you can't just say that , trust me . You could simply go as a tourist, but I honestly have a better idea ."

"What ?"

"Do you know what a raider is ?"

"Eh, no , are they the ones who raid ?"

"Well , almost...After the establishment of C.O.T.U.R, they made a new non-government international organisation : the league of raiders . Before ,there were a lot of people who had good knowledge of magic or strong enchanted tools that they might use for crime . So, the C.O.T.U.R. decided to organise these people in the league . They are tasked with quests of various fields to complete, and they are paid handsomely. "

"And what does that do with me ?"

"Well, you could say that you wish to become a raider and that you are travelling in search of a guild to join. "

"A guild?"

"A guild is a group of raiders . A raider's life is vastly improved when he joins a guild, so it will be very understandable when you say that you are searching for one . "

"Well, aren't there any ones here ?"

"We currently, ..don't have any guilds in Tabollba. We have just recently joined the C.O.T.U.R, but soon enough, we will have one at least. "

"But why? Can't I just say that I need to go to the library or something like that ?"

"Well, listen, I am sure that there are many guilds that might need new members, and they will do a lot for a unique one like you."

"Am I unique?"

"Your bow alone is. Plus, I am sure you are at least a B rank ."

"B what ?"

"There are ranks for raiders . The higher the rank is , the more dangerous their quests can be and the more money they can make . The ranks are from the lower to the top D,C,B,A,S, and finally S+. Quests and enchanted tools also have ranks . They are all connected to each other, like to do an S rank mission. You need at least two S rank raiders or one of a higher rank."

"So, if I am a B rank , what are you? "

"Well, I don't plan to become a raider, but if I was, I would definitely be a S rank ."

"Is it that easy to become an S rank?"

"What do you mean easy?!"

"Eh! Nothing, nothing. "

"Anyway, what I am trying to say is that they are more familiar with these types of things. You know..ancient keys that change fate . They can give you knowledge that you won't find in any book . And you can leave at any time . "

"I guess so ...eh you told me that enchanted tools also have a ranks . I get why raiders and quests have one, but why tools."

"They do have a role in determining the rank of its owner like someone who has an A rank tool can't be a C rank . Also , anyone who has a private enchanted tool that exceeds rank D, who isn't a raider, needs permission from the government to own it. "

"Ok... And how do you determine the ranks ?"

"For quests, it is the difficulty and for raiders many things are considered, there is a test that determines your ranks and finally for tools , it is the quality and its mana consumption. If it uses a lot of mana, then it must be something very strong. Thus, it needs a high rank. "

"So,if I get a high-ranking enchanted tool , I will become a higher ranked raider ? "

"Yes, I suppose..."

"What is the best way to obtain one ? "

"Well,you can simply pay our blacksmith some money. But keep in mind that it is expensive. But for you , I think my dad can forge you one for free. "

"What really? Wait, does he know how to make enchanted tools?"

"Well, he used to be a blacksmith before becoming the local lord of his village, and then you know, king . He loves blacksmithing, but since he is too busy being a ruler of a country , he only bothers me to tell me about his hilarious stories with his customers . I am sure he will do it for free. Plus, he seems to have taken a good liking of you."

"Er.. I wish I could repay him the favour, but if I indeed get a good enchanted tool, do you think I will be an A rank ?"

"Well,if I am generous , I would say a B rank. You need to know how to use your enchanted tools. Experience, knowledge, and natural magic all can help you to become a high rank. There is a test where you can get your raider certificate. They will put all those things into the test to determine your rank . You can also do an extra test once a year to try to increase your rank ."

"Is the test easy? I mean, I don't suppose it will be harder than Rudolf's training?"

"Haha, yeah, exactly! ...But seriously, I suppose each rank has an objectively fair test for it. You can only get a test in a capital. This means you can do a test in Hamilton while you search for some information. Plus, raiders get paid quite well . Even if you somehow don't have money, you can get a good paying job easily. "

"Oh... Yes, money.."

Aefrine knows the importance of money in people's lives despite him not using it in his life. He did steal money, but he never kept it for himself. His pockets were empty as Larry's stomach, and he knew for sure that he was going to need a lot of money on his upcoming trip.

"Luckily for you,my dad will probably be paying you a lot of money before you leave because in case you didn't know ,my dad made an announcement saying that whoever finds his daughter will be awarded with three million marks . I am not sure if your stay in the castle is paid by that reward or not, but knowing my dad, it probably isn't..."

"Then ...Once I become a raider, I will repay him."

"Oh, shut up. My dad is a king. That in itself is a disrespect to him and the whole kingdom. "

"I am really sorry . I didn't mean it like that ."

"Yeah,yeah , I know. Just don't think about it, it is after all your reward for saving me. You were lucky that dad was the first one to find you . It looked rather suspicious how you stumbled into the king's scouting party right after dealing with the kidnappers . I heard that you didn't tell us any details about them. Tell me, why did you let such people get away with what they did ? I don't want to say that it looks like both you and those criminals can benefit from all of this in some way or another, but it does in case you didn't know. So tell me, why did you let them go without a just trial? "

"I swear I don't know them, and I definitely don't work with them, I just...."

"Ahem?"

"I just thought that they didn't have bad intentions..."

"Bad intentions??? Aefrine, they didn't trip me over. They kidnapped me. Just the thought of kidnapping someone is enough to prove that the person doesn't have good intentions. "

Aefrine couldn't raise his eyes off the floor now. He would rather be chased by Stephen for a week than make eye contact with Alma right now.

"No, what I meant is that if they weren't in a different situation, they wouldn't have done it . It felt like they were misguided, and they were forced to do it."

"Really? So,if I am a poor person, I have the right to steal something from someone who had worked hard for it ?"

"No,no... it is just that I wanted to give them a second chance , I thought that they might realise their fault and ..."

"And what? They will come to me and say 'Oh sorry dear princess, we apologise for trying to kidnap you and almost putting the entire kingdom at stake' I definitely won't do that if I was in their place ."

"No, I just believed that if they hadn't corrected their ways, God would have made them get caught and face justice ."

"Aefrine,...what if they killed me ?"

"I wouldn't let them do it,"

"Aefrine,you found me dead, OK? What would have done? Just let them go ? God will deal with them ?"

"They wouldn't have done such a thing unless something similar happened to them.."

"Oh,so killing is justifiable if you are in a bad mood ?"

"No.. I mean, when it is in a court, it becomes just.."

"Aefrine, courts have fair laws that society follows ,anyone who endangers other's rights in an illegal way should be punished as long as the evidence is clear and he is guilty. "

"But the trial in 'The borderline' was unfair ,wasn't it ?"

"Aefrine, that was one scenario in a million. Stop avoiding the question! What would you have done if you found me dead."

"I would...take them to face trial , so they understand the severity of what they have done and return your body to your family..."

"But if they kidnapped me , it is OK because I am still alive, right? Well, what if they were planning to kill me in a far place ? Kidnapping is still a crime, just like murder. So,why don't they deserve to face justice?"

"It is just that they seemed hopeless to me. There was one who was afraid of almost everything . He must have witnessed something horrific . There was another one who felt like everything that he was supposed to take care of was taken away before his eyes . He always feels regret and shame that made him lose his morals . And there was one that lost the only thing he loved in life . He fell in deep despair. He feels like nothing in the world was worth it anymore, not even his own self... It is like he wished like he was never born. If they did it , just because they hated you or liked harming people, I would never let them get away but ....still...If they regretted what they did and tried to repent and became better people then I would help them definitely...because people can change for the better and God loves people who regret their sins and fix their mistakes..."

"Aefrine....I...know you don't know these people. Rudolf told me about your conversation with him. How do you know for sure that what you are saying is right?"

"I..."

"..."

"I heard them talking before I realised they kidnapped you, and it was very clear ..."

"Was your father an Ishop ?"

"Eh? No,I never knew my parents ..."

"Were you raised by one?"

"I guess... you could say so..."

"Oh...I see..... I apologise for bringing it up . Just take Celtonic seriously and train well, and you get what you want. God will serve you well."

She stood up . Aefrine finally looked at her .

"Berta , please take care of him, focus on his pronunciation in Celtonic. "

"Eh,what ? "Replied a half-woken, Berta.

"Wait!"

She had left the room. Aefrine knew that it was no use following her. He slammed his forehead into the table.

Why did she need to bring it up now?


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