Chapter 80 - A Journey With Acquaintances (1)

"Haven't you heard about Belgard Academy?" asked Marya as she tilted her head quizzically.

"I've heard of Belgard, what I'm asking is why you need help going to a magical academy," replied Arya, becoming more annoyed at Marya by the second.

"Well if you've really heard of Belgard then you also know about the dangerous forest that surrounds it. The forest acts almost as an entrance exam for all students who wish to enroll there. Of course, the forest is so treacherous that a single 3-star mage would find it impossible to cross. That's why people form groups and sometimes secretly ask help from powerful mages to help them get through the forest." said Marya as she moved from behind Calder and approached Arya.

"So will you help us or not? Of course you will be rewarded for your efforts," said Marya with her usual expressionless voice.

"This girl is getting on my nerves. It might be a good idea to-" thought Arya before the dark figure's voice interrupted.

"You know for a human you are rather quick to decide on killing people. Even a demon thinks twice before deciding on such things." said the dark figure calming Arya down.

"First tell me, are you being chased by any lord or nobles of the sort?" asked Arya. He would never again help someone escape from the clutches of a powerful noble. He didn't want a repeat of what happened in the forest.

"N-no," answered Marya as she turned to look at Calder with a confused expression.

"Hmm, if I help them I'll be killing two birds with one stone. I can get help crossing the forest to Belgard while at the same time secure more resources." thought Arya before accepting their proposition.

"I accept your request, however, there are some conditions. Firstly, I will help protect you but we will be sleeping in separate rooms," said Arya.

"O-of course we will, what do you take me for?" said Marya, for the first time a hint of emotion could be heard in her voice.

"Secondly, you will be paying for all costs incurred during travel. That includes my accommodation and meals. And thirdly, I am only protecting the girl, if at any point you happen to be in danger do not expect my help." said Arya looking at Calder as he spoke.

"And the same to you. I will not move a muscle to protect you as well," replied Calder. There seemed to be a bit of tension between the two.

"So when do we head out?" asked Arya as he calmed down a notch but still kept his guard up.

"Before the sun rises. We still have a lot of ground to cover before we reach the forest of Belgard," replied Calder opening the door for Arya to leave.

"Where do I meet you?" asked Arya as he was leaving.

"In front of the tavern you were at earlier," replied Calder.

That night Arya couldn't sleep as he kept on thinking about the fight against the thugs. "How did I cast a spell with a single chant? Do you know?" asked Arya, hoping that the dark figure could explain it.

However there was no answer. "Fine then, be that way," said Arya as he closed his eyes to fall asleep.

The next morning the group went to the stables to buy two horses and set off on their journey. Marya was riding with Calder and Arya alone. As they were riding it began to get chilly, Marya and Calder put on their hoods to protect themselves from the cold, while Arya pulled out his Ryen pelt.

"Is that a Ryen pelt?" asked Marya as she looked at Arya cover himself in shock.

"Yes it is," replied Arya like it was nothing.

"He's powerful enough to hunt down Ryens at his age? Maybe Calder was right, maybe he really isn't a kid." thought Marya as she stared at Arya in awe for several minutes before going back to her usual emotionless expression.

After traveling for several hours they finally made it to the next town. They decided they would rest here for a while before continuing.

Marya and Calder also heard rumors about the demon attacks and weren't willing to risk traveling at night just to cover a bit more ground.

As Arya was in his room he sat on his bed replaying the fight he had against the demon. If he ever faced a strong opponent again he had to be ready. He replayed the battle in his mind countless times, looking at the different things he could've done better.

At the end of it all he came to the conclusion that no matter what he did, the outcome would've been the same. The problem was that the beast seemed to stand up each time it was killed, and what made matters worse was that it came back several times stronger than it was before.

"Well that's enough for today." thought Arya as he lay down on his bed to sleep.

"Don't worry about fighting strong opponents like those. At your current stage even if every move you did was perfect, there's no way you can win. You're simply too weak, so in moments like those just borrow my power, it's as easy as that." said the dark figure as Arya was closing his eyes.

"I'm never asking for your help again," replied Arya sleepily.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that kid. If you really want to get revenge against the people that killed your parents I'm the only one who can help you." replied the dark figure.

Arya knew that if he accepted the dark figure's power he could probably get revenge right now. The problem was that Arya didn't trust that the dark figure would not just do whatever it wanted once he let it have control of his body.. So for now, he would just rely on getting stronger and enacting his revenge all on his own.