The Moonlight Swordsman

Mages from various noble families rushed to Vespara's potion shop to assess and possibly address the strange occurrence in the city.

When they arrived, however, they were met with a disturbing sight. Three men were seen hurrying out of the shop, carrying a lifeless body with only a thin layer of skin covering the skeleton. It appeared as if the victim's soul had been sucked from his body.

After the three men had long fled the vicinity with the corpse, the atmosphere, and sky abruptly returned to normal, allowing the gathered mages to breathe a sigh of relief. A disaster had been averted.

The mages knew better than to provoke the War Goddess, and they were glad to have avoided any confrontation with her for the time being.

Inside the shop...

"Don't mind them; people used to talk to me like that too; you just need to speak up sometimes. Take a stand for yourself" Vespara let out a light giggle.

"But I am not strong like you," Daisy replied.

"Don't worry, darling, I will teach you how to be strong; you are my best friend now, and we will share the same man."

Daisy sighed.

*****

As the day progressed, Aizel, Soren, and Kaley found themselves with nothing to do but wait for the mage, who was supposed to arrive the next day.

The next morning, the trio was enjoying their breakfast when they were interrupted by a loud knock.

Kaley leaped from her seat and dashed to get the door. Aizel and Soren tensed, ready to react if an unexpected visitor had arrived.

Kaley cautiously approached the door and peered through the crack, recognizing the mage from the family.

Kaley's eyes lit up when she saw the mage. She quickly opened the door and grabbed the mage's hand, urging him to come in. She shut the door tightly behind them soon after.

The mage noticed Aizel and Soren looking at him. He quickly introduced himself and presented them with a token of his family.

"My name is Kyle, and I am Kaley's brother."

"Hmm... Good Kyle, but you made me wait for a whole day." Soren said.

"Ahh... that... there was some problem with the information, so it took time."

"What problem?" Aizel asked.

"It's just that suddenly the riot group has started acting strange."

"Are the peasants scared now that I am on the mission?" Soren asked.

Kyle cast a glance over at his sister, who only shrugged. As he pondered over how to respond, he felt a wave of confusion wash over him.

"The thing is, they have abandoned what they were doing and are in retreat.

"I think they are planning something big."

"What about the situation here?" Aizel asked again.

"I went to Damaris' household here in the town, and they informed me that after your fight at the bar, many of them have left town."

"So, what about the mission? What do we need to do now?"

"Right now, they have instructed me to let you know that you have to stay here for a week to make sure nothing happens in that time. You are permitted to visit nearby places but can't go far away."

Aizel's expression changed as he nodded in response to the mage's response, but then he had an epiphany. He summoned the ingredient list for the mind potion that Vespara had given him.

"Hey, do you know if I can find any of these ingredients here or nearby?"

Aizel handed Kyle the ingredient list, which both siblings evaluated.

He was hopeful that obtaining the necessary ingredients would be simple because he was from the renowned Damaris family, which was known for its skill in potion-making.

"This... these are the ingredients for the mind potion; how do you know?" Kyle suddenly said.

"Ahhh... hmm... my master gave it to me and told me to find these ingredients; it's like a test for me to collect it." Aizel lied.

Kyle realized as he calmed down, that Aizel was a student of the War Goddess.

"Oh yes, I nearly forgot you were Miss Vespara's student. I always admired her from childhood, and those bo… Ahem... she is so beautiful."

Aizel and her sister both looked at him in disdain.

"Nevermind, there are 7 ingredients on this list, of which 4 can be found in Fangspire Mountain.

"Two of them can be provided by the family easily; if you want, I can help you with that anytime.

"This last one called the blue spring grass, can be found here nearby, not far from the river that is flowing."

"Oh, nice. It seems like I can grab some blue spring grass now," Aizel said.

"Yeah, but the thing is, I have heard that some of the hunters have noticed a grade III monster's presence by the river."

"Oh, nice, I can kill some Grade III monster to pass time," Soren replied.

"I said Grade III." Kyle reminded him again.

"Yes, I heard it clearly; it's only a Grade III monster. Let's go sparring partner, you collect your little grass while I take care of the monster."

As they left the house, Aizel let out a deep sigh.

"Is this guy always like that?" Kyle asked her sister.

"Just leave him be; let's visit the household while they take care of their business."

After that, both siblings made their way to their family household.

…

Colen panted heavily as he reached for a towel to wipe the sweat from his brow. He had spent the previous day working tirelessly on a weapon for David, and he had finally finished it.

He was astounded by his own ability to create such a remarkable weapon in just one day. The blacksmith shop was now quiet, and he paused to catch his breath and admire his work.

It was a one-of-a-kind creation, resembling a staff on the outside but concealing a sharp katana blade that could be drawn out in an instant.

The staff functioned as a sheath for the blade. A small purple crystal was embedded in the center of the staff, and it radiated a brilliant light, as if infused with magic.

Despite his reservations, he had managed to create the weapon without using any mana.

"You should name it David." He said, handing it over.

"DoomStaff."