Around us were broken walls and shattered pillars—evidence of the atrocity that had once unfolded here.
In the center of the room stood a statue of a goddess, once destroyed, now restored to its original form.
A man stood silently in front of the statue, flabbergasted.
He stared at the statue of the Goddess.
"H-How did you do that?" the man asked.
I just looked at him and smiled, keeping a poker face.
"Ah! I should at least pray." The man spoke and knelt into a prayer position.
He bent down, bowing on one knee, and began to speak.
"I don't remember exactly what he used to say—I think it was something like..." The man struggled to recall the words.
He joined both hands together and said,
"Goddess Anessa, She who asks nothing,
Guide my hands to help the weak,"
As he spoke, I heard soft murmuring from my side. I turned my head to look.
Liora was holding both hands together, eyes closed, head bowed.
She continued a bit louder after the man's second line.
"Guide Liora's heawrt to love the lost," she said in her usual cute manner, but this time with genuine sincerity.
"Awnd ask for nothwing in return." She spoke and slowly opened her eyes.
Both the man and I were shocked by what we had just seen and heard.
"How do you know the prayer, child?" the man asked.
'She remembers so much? She's a genius. She can be a mage in the future. Maybe she likes to read. I should find someone to teach her how to read—or at least read stories to her myself.' My heart and mind filled with joy.
"How does she know this prayer?" the man asked me politely but with curiosity.
I looked at Liora, concerned, but before I could say anything—
[ I've cut the sound of you both from Little Miss Master ]
Seeing that brought me relief.
"She… she was raised here for some time, it seems. We met a few days ago." I told him our story, hiding the fact I'm a hero and rolling with my magician tale who coincidentally found her.
'I'm talking a lot today. I wonder why?' I thought, confused, but this all felt good.
After hearing my story, the man looked sad but eventually smiled and spoke,
"You said you wanted to know about John, right? Let me tell you a long story. Take a seat." We sat down again.
"He was a normal kid from the city of Elarion. His father was a great Knight who fought on the borders between the Demon and Human Kingdoms, serving for many years. Everyone respected him." The man continued.
"John respected his father deeply. He always helped others without asking for anything in return. You could say this habit of giving without expecting anything back was something he practiced long before he saw or met the goddess." The man paused, as if remembering the past.
"His father bought a house in the city, and John went to the knight academy to train and learn. What he learned there was more than he expected. He also learned about the cruelty of the world." The man sighed, his voice tinged with sadness.
"John didn't ask his father for money after joining the academy; he wanted to do everything on his own, just like his father. Even when he had no money, he cooked meals and invited all his friends to eat together." The man smiled, happy talking about him.
"…Then! He graduated. He became an adventurer because the restrictions on becoming a knight weren't to his liking. He started as a solo adventurer, helping people and making money. He was happy. Then one day, a popular adventurer group invited him to join them—the Non Standard League (NSL)—made up of unusual and powerful adventurers, as I mentioned popular. But to join, he had to participate in a dungeon raid, which costs a lot. Gear, multiple weapons, potions and lot more. At that time, he wasn't wealthy enough, so he took a loan from the adventurer's guild. Later, The raid was a success, and he was the best performer. This continued with future raids; he became one of the most valuable and intelligent members. Not that the others were bad or average, but even in the big league, he proved himself." The man giggled, but the joy faded quickly to sadness.
"I didn't tell you, but when he wasn't raiding with the big group, he still did solo work and lived with a friend he made during his adventurer days. One day, he had a fight with another adventurer who didn't like him. That person was close with the vice leader of the adventurer's guild. To do what you want in the guild, you had to be on good terms with him. But John didn't like what that guy did and tried to warn others. However, that goblin like guy's influence was so strong, he twisted people's words and made John look like a criminal in front of everyone. John's friend tried to clear his name but… that goblin struck again. Since John was part of NSL, people still spoke badly, but the guild couldn't act against it. It wasn't the same for his friend, though. He endured bullying and suffering. Not wanting John to feel bad, he left him." The man took a long, deep sigh.
"…John was broken, sad, and angry, but that was only the beginning of the terrible things that goblin did. Because of him, John's public image was shattered—branded a bad person. People wouldn't even try to know him, and false rumors spread like wildfire, painting him as a villain in everyone's eyes. But not everyone believed the lies. The common folk John had helped—and was still helping—knew the truth. They always supported him. The cunning goblin tried everything to manipulate them, even attempting to turn them against John, but they refused to listen. Their loyalty never wavered." The man's voice deepened with weight as he continued the story.
"Things seemed to improve until John decided to learn magic. He found the process enjoyable and quickly excelled in theory. But one day, the people around him started acting differently. Later, he discovered a witch spreading rumors about his fabricated past—rumors the goblin had crafted to destroy his reputation. She was jealous. John tried to clear his name, but it was useless. Because she was a woman, and the goblins in heat took her side despite no evidence. It was so bad he was shunned by the entire Azure Magic Tower and had no choice but to leave."
"John made many friends throughout his life, but people kept abandoning him, stabbing him in the back repeatedly. Yet, 'This too shall pass' he would say. He never lost hope, believing karma would catch up to those who wronged him. And so it did." A small smile crept onto the man's face.
"After a few years, a beloved and kind adventurer joined the guild—one that no one hated. The goblin hated it. He tried to push the adventurer out of every place he went. The kind adventurer couldn't understand why this was happening. One day, he came to the guild and shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear, demanding to know why the goblin was tormenting him. He recounted every incident, and because people liked him, they began to recall what happened, and suddenly the pieces fit. Even members of the NSL questioned the goblin. The interrogation lasted for hours as crowds gathered; soon, the whole city knew the truth. The goblin was found guilty and fled, but people slowly began to understand John's situation—except for those loyal to the Azure Magi Tower." The man chuckled softly.
"Later, John then found an adventurer with great potential. He helped him, showing others his talents and urging them to give the boy a chance. The boy worked hard. John told him about his painful past—how people stabbed him in the back—and pleaded, 'Please don't be like those people.' But fate had other plans. Later, the nobles tried to leech off the commoners, and John and others fought against it.But That boy, He sided with the nobles. John cut ties with him but never stopped helping others. He continued supporting new adventurers who never betrayed him. And I met him as an adventurer for the first time." the man said. "He always said I'm so kind to him that it feels strange."
The man paused, glancing around the ruined church before continuing.
"Later, John left the NSL and the adventurer's guild after buying a house here. He helped people as always, occasionally venturing to nearby cities for work—but not daily. Mostly, he hunted and aided villagers, living peacefully among them. One day, he left to buy supplies for the villagers, taking on a large commission that kept him away for a month. Upon his return, he found multiple children wandering the streets. He soon learned an orc attack had struck a nearby village, and these kids were rescued and sent here while the orcs were cleared out—but the rescuers never returned. The children were abandoned. The villagers tried to care for them but couldn't adopt them all. John took them in and founded an orphanage. And you know the rest of the story." The man stopped.
"What happened to John's father? And if you met him so late, how do you know all this?" I asked, curious.
"John told me all his stories whenever we met. His father spent his life in their hometown, and John visited him often. He died peacefully of old age." the man replied.
'I knew this person was good. I never felt any negative emotions around him,' I thought, studying the man before me.
"He used to send me letters about the kids in the orphanage. He told me about a child with black hair and eyes. When I first saw her, I thought it was her—but everyone was killed by those church people" the man said, looking at Liora.
"But why did the church kill them?" I asked, still confused.
"I haven't found out for sure, but I have some theories. The bishop in the nearby city wanted to rise in rank, or perhaps the goddess Anessa's beliefs were becoming so popular that people began questioning the other church. They wanted to stop this... But, I lean more toward the first theory because after it all happened, the current bishop of Nolvarra received his rank and took control of the city's church." The man's voice wavered with doubt at first but ended with firm confidence.
'I still wonder how Liora survived. Did someone help her, or what?' I thought but pushed it aside, focusing on the present.
"He sounds like a truly good man" I said, sharing my thoughts.
"I'm glad Liora was in his care" I thought happily.
"During his old age, yes, he was grumpy and yelled a lot when he was younger, but those people still loved him because his rage was justified" the man said, his face looking lighter, as if some burden had lifted.
I stood up.
"I forgot to ask your name. I'm Zero. This is my daughter, Liora." I stepped forward gracefully, placing my right hand over my chest. With a slight bow, my eyes met his with calm dignity.
The man laughed heartily.
"That's quite a formal and nice introduction. I didn't tell you much about myself, but I was known as the Crimson Hunter. I'm Nux. Nux Kavu." The man spoke with dignity, not arrogance.
to be continued…