Mr. John and I walked through a purple-moss swamp. We were lucky—there were no swamp monsters here. According to Mr. John, maybe this swamp was no longer inhabited. But we couldn't relax yet; many dangers still awaited us along the journey. Maybe bandits, or even orc soldiers loyal to the Dark Destroyer.
I realized something—why were people still so afraid of the Dark Destroyer? He had been gone for a long time, yet people still feared someone who had long been dead. As we walked through a forest with silver leaves, we saw a child being kidnapped by bandits. Mr. John told me to ignore it.
"These things are common. We should just focus on the journey," he whispered.
"I can't just stand by and watch this happen. Remember when you came to my village? If my people thought like you do now, you might've died back then," I argued.
Mr. John fell silent. He agreed with me in the end—we had to help. But we didn't attack recklessly. Instead, we quietly followed the bandits from a distance. I noticed the child had slightly pointed ears—maybe they were an Elf.
We trailed the bandits for four hours until nightfall. They eventually entered a cabin. Mr. John and I discussed a plan. Once it was ready, I crept closer and hid near the cabin, while Mr. John prepared something else.
When I heard his signal, I rushed into the cabin to rescue the children.
There was a loud explosion outside—some of the bandits ran out toward the noise. I entered and knocked out four of them, but saw no sign of any children. I checked every room inside, sure that they had to be hidden here.
Mr. John entered the cabin. "Well? Are the kids safe?" he asked.
"No. I haven't found where they're being kept," I replied.
He went silent, then began searching the cabin himself. Eventually, he discovered a door to a basement, hidden under a red carpet. He told me to go check it out. Holding a torch, I slowly descended into the darkness.
I found the children there, frozen in fear at the sight of me. I reached out a hand and said, "It's okay. You're safe now."
There were six children. Not just elves, but also humans, demons, dwarves, and one race I had never seen before—fairies. Back in the village, Mr. Rebor once said fairies were nearly extinct because their white magic had made them a threat to the Dark Destroyer.
After rescuing the children, we tied up the bandits and locked them in the same basement where they had imprisoned the kids.
"Why didn't you just kill them, Snekers?" Mr. John asked.
I fell silent. I knew he was a soldier and killing was normal for him. But not for me. I had never killed anyone before. I only wanted to knock them unconscious.
That night, everyone slept—except for me and the fairy girl. I kept watching her, as she seemed to be the oldest among the kidnapped children.
"How old are you?" I asked her.
She hugged the other sleeping kids and answered coldly, "I'm 18."
"Oh, not too far from me. I'm probably 19 or 20. What's your name?"
"Indrawati."
"Where are you from?"
"From a village west of here. But it's gone now."
"And your parents?"
"I don't know. My village was attacked when I was four. I've forgotten their faces. What about you—who are your parents?"
"I'm Snekers. I don't know anything about my past. Not even my parents."
That night, we bonded through our stories. I told her a little about Mr. Rebor and my village. She shared her life story. One thing puzzled her—though she was a fairy, she couldn't use white magic, their race's signature power. She could only use basic spells.
The next morning, we brought the bandits and the children to the nearest village. Mr. John took care of the bandits, while I brought the children to the orphanage.
We decided to stay in the village for a day while gathering information about Mount Marveland. I slept at the inn all day—I had stayed up the previous night watching over the children. When Mr. John returned, he gave me 200 gold coins as a bounty for the bandits, who had been wanted by nearby villages.
I went to the weapons shop to buy a chainmail armor since I didn't have any battle gear yet. On the way back, I ran into Indrawati at the food market.
"Doing some shopping?" I asked.
"Oh, Snekers! Yeah, the orphanage matron sent me to buy groceries."
"Let me help."
"Won't it be a bother? You're carrying armor—it must be heavy."
"It's fine. I'm used to carrying heavy things."
"Well, if you're sure, then okay."
We walked together to the orphanage, chatting along the way about our favorite foods and little things. Since that day, we had grown closer.
When we arrived, the children ran to me, shouting and hugging me. I was surprised—but also happy. They invited me to play pretend battles with them. I spent the evening playing with the kids.
That night, Mr. John and the orphanage matron joined us for dinner.
During the meal, Mr. John asked which route was the fastest to reach Mount Marveland. The matron gave us a map—written in Sanskrit.
Mr. John and I exchanged looks. Neither of us could read Kawi, let alone Sanskrit. I remembered from the villagers back home that there were levels of language: the common tongue used daily, the intermediate Kawi language, spoken only by mages and certain races like elves, dwarves, demons, and even orcs. Then, there was the nearly extinct Sanskrit language, once used 200,000 years ago and found only in ancient spellbooks possessed by great sorcerers.
"No need, ma'am. We'll just take the usual roads. We're not in a rush," Mr. John said as he handed the scroll back. I knew he couldn't read it—that's why he returned it.
"Excuse me, sir, may I join your journey?" Indrawati suddenly spoke up.
"Why do you want to come with us?" Mr. John asked.
"I want to search for my parents. They went missing when our village was attacked 14 years ago."
"Isn't that a long shot?"
"I know. I don't even remember their faces. But they left me a necklace with a three-leaf pendant. I believe it'll lead me to them."
"Can you fight?"
"I'm skilled in basic magic and have some sword training. I won't be a burden."
"What do you think, Snekers? Should she come with us?"
I was surprised when Mr. John asked me. I had been quietly listening to their conversation. I nodded.
"Alright," Mr. John said. "Tomorrow, go help Indrawati buy supplies. The day after, we continue the journey."
"Yes, sir."