The Moonlight Swordsman

Aizel and Soren walked out of the headmaster's room, but Aizel's mind was filled with profound thoughts. He went along the corridors, lost in concentration, his face solemn as he pondered everything that had happened.

"Damn it, they didn't say anything about magic artifacts; even though we didn't do anything, the mission was cleared.

"Now they are sending us off to do a free-roam mission. What the fuck is this? An open-world RPG???

"At least I can work alone and test my abilities and learn new things." Aizel thought as he made his way to the potion shop.

Aizel entered the shop, the bell signaling his arrival. People wandered about, scanning the shelves and looking for Daisy, who was busy assisting them with their purchases.

He made his way to the stairs going up to the second floor, where he knew Vespara could be found working on her potions.

As he stepped inside the room, he noticed Vespara standing by a large cauldron, slowly stirring with a big spoon in it.

"I have been assigned to do a free-roam mission. Do you think I can go to Fangspire Mountain to gather the last four ingredients?"

"No, you will die," Vespara replied without looking at him.

"Why? I and Soren easily beat one of the Grade III monsters."

"Yes, but the one in the Fangspire mountain is at the last stage. Close to reaching Grade IV. You won't be able to handle it now."

Aizel let out a sigh after hearing that.

Vespara's eyes briefly flicked over to him before she paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. Then she spoke, "Do you want a magic artifact?"

Aizel's eyes lit up with excitement upon hearing Vespara's words. He nodded eagerly in agreement.

"There is an armor that only a few people know about, and it's an artifact. If you can bring that back to me, I might be able to make it a little more powerful for you."

"Why would you give that to me? Don't you want it for yourself?" He asked. He knew nothing was free in the world, and this was Xelgar.

"I don't like armor; how would I be able to show off my sexy body then?" A sly grin spread across Vespara's face as she struck a provocative pose to emphasize her words.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"And besides," She approached Aizel as he stood in the room with Vespara, her fingers softly stroking across his chest. As he felt her touch, Aizel's heart raced, and his gaze riveted on her face as she stepped closer to him.

"You will help me in the future, won't you, pretty boy?"

"Yeah, if it isn't anything evil." He replied, slowly stepping back from her.

*Tsk*

"You are really hard to get; I might as well use force someday to get you,"

"Oi oi oi hag, sometimes I feel you are more of a succubus than a human."

"Succubus? What are those?"

"Fuck" He said. "Nothing, just ignore it."

"Now where is that armor?"

"There is a deep valley on the northwestern side of the kingdom. The armor is somewhere in the depths of that valley. You will have to find it on your own.

"Remember, that place is dangerous; you might meet some beast kin from the beast kingdom or some mythical monster."

"Okay, I will be careful." He replied.

"Don't die, Aizel,"

Aizel felt a little happy inside after hearing that from Vespara.

"Daisy and I still haven't had a taste of you; try to come back as soon as possible for us."

Aizel's demeanor changed again as soon as those words fell on his ears. He quickly turned around and left Vespara's presence without saying anything.

"An armor artifact--how strong can it be? I have seen how strong armor can be in games.

"Is it similar to that? If it is, then it would be fucking awesome."

Aizel's mind was preoccupied with thoughts as he made his way out of the store and towards the stables to rent a horse for his journey.

"I think this will be my first solo adventure in this world."

When Aizel arrived at the stables, he inspected the various horses and chose a robust one for his voyage. He galloped back to his inn on the horse to tell the kids about his planned adventure.

He was confident that Vespara would inform Daisy and ensure their safety. After saying his goodbyes to the kids, Aizel moved on to the region's northwestern outskirts.

The headmaster had given him a crystal ball before he left, which he could use to obtain mission information or seek assistance in times of need.

The crystal ball given to Aizel by the headmaster brought back memories of the many fantasy novels he had read as he rode his horse toward the northwestern portion.

He was aware that the crystal ball had the same characteristics as those described in the stories and that he could use his mana to contact someone else who held a crystal ball.

As Aizel made his way towards the adventure, Seraphine and Hazel found themselves struggling to manage the chaos among the commoners in Ashford Town.

Seraphine and Hazel were presented with an unexpected predicament as they attempted to retake control of Ashford Town. Commoners and hunters had emerged seemingly out of nowhere, outnumbering everyone else in town.

They were demanding that potions and weapons be made available to everyone, and they had halted all trade and transportation relating to the Rosewell family. Seraphine and Hazel understood they needed to move fast to diffuse the situation.

Hazel paced back and forth in the vast hall of a Rosewell family house, muttering to herself.

Meanwhile, Seraphine sat quietly on a plush sofa, savoring the taste of the tea she was sipping, seemingly unfazed by the chaos around them.

"When is the representative from your family going to come, Alisha? The situation is already getting out of hand." Hazel said.

"I know, I know. They should be here in two days. It seems they might also be facing some problems," Alisha said massaging her forehead.