Wyrm Village
It was a spring morning. The temperature was just right for basking in the sun, and villagers were going about their work. At the foot of a hill in the northwest region of the village stood a house from which the sound of a baby's cry could be heard.
Almost a month had passed since the birth of Amoris, and everything was still new to the couple, as they were first-time parents. Though life in the village had made them tough and resilient, raising a baby came not only with the constant need for care but also with the anxiety of ensuring the baby was healthy. After all, it was not unheard of for a baby to die within the first month of life.
In the village, there had even been a case of a baby dying a year after birth from a simple cold. So, people usually took extra care, for who knew what illness could make a baby sick?
The constant need to care for the baby was one of the most challenging times for the new couple. But although they were struggling, they were also learning to love the baby and each other more as they witnessed each other's efforts in caring for their child.
Knight could be seen constantly moving around the house. He had to take care of the child while also ensuring his wife, who was still recovering from childbirth, did not become overtired. He had to make sure their home had enough food for at least a month and also repair any holes in the house that might let in a draft, as even a minor cold could be deadly for the child.
Most of the time, he went hunting, as that was his regular work. Though hunting was dangerous, it had its own perks. For one, the meat was free—after all, you can't tax a hunt if it was not sold, can you ?
Though hunting was his regular job, he never ventured deep into the forest, as it was common knowledge that the woods were home to magical beasts. Furthermore, his hunting wasn't done with a bow and arrow, but with traps. After all, even a skilled hunter can have a day when he becomes the hunted.
But Knight had been setting traps for a month now, and he could say this month had been unusually great. The traps he made always caught something. One time, they even snared a wild boar nearly two feet tall.
That wasn't all. As a hunter, he had a little knowledge of herbs. Before the birth of his son, he could gather a few from the forest's outer edge, but never this much. If one were to compare the amount of herbs he collected before and after his son's birth, they would say the boy had brought him incredible luck.
Knight was thinking the same thing. He'd even had the luck of finding a single silver Jewel. One had to think: this was a remote village. Where would a silver Jewel even come from?
One had to understand—a single silver Jewel was enough to support a family of four for at least three months, covering expenses for food, clothing, and other necessities.
If that were the only incident, one could dismiss it as a mere coincidence. But his wife, Lydia, had also had her own share of incredible luck since their son was born. She had encountered a poisonous snake that slithered through a gap in the house. Yet, before it could reach anyone, they found it dead, having apparently eaten a poisoned rat.
How could they not see it now? Their son had brought a great deal of luck to their family.
The road to the forest was in the northeast of the village, so Knight had to travel from the center to his home in the northwest. As he was returning, villagers stopped to ask after the health of Lydia and the baby.
Wyrm Village was a place where the majority of people shared the Wyrm surname, so one could say they were all distant relatives.
"Hey, Knight! Back from hunting?" a voice called out. "Heard you caught a huge boar! When will the feast be held?"
Knight saw it was Cobal who had spoken. "The boar's been sold to Uncle Kaelan," Knight replied. "But I'm going to hold a feast for my newborn in three days. You can have all the ale you want then."
Cobal laughed heartily at the mention of ale. "Hey, that's a great deal! Okay, then. I have to see my new nephew, after all. His cries shook the whole village! Hahaha!"
Knight laughed with pride. "As they say, a tiger doesn't give birth to a dog!"
Cobal, hearing the boastful words, shot back, "More like a dog father and a tiger son!"
Hearing this, Knight didn't take it to heart. Whether a dog or a tiger, the boy was his son. He laughed even harder. "Okay, okay. Lydia is waiting for me at home. Come to my house in three days—you'll be helping me with the cooking, since you're the best cook in the village."
Cobal was a bit stunned, but thinking of the boar that had been sold to Uncle Kaelan, he felt a surge of anticipation. "Fine," he said, "but you have to reserve at least five bottles of ale for me!"
"Two bottles," Knight countered, still laughing.
"No! At least three!" Cobal insisted. "I'm drinking to celebrate my nephew's birth, after all!"
Knight laughed and finally conceded. "Okay, okay. Three bottles."
After talking to Cobal, Knight walked to his home. Opening the door, he was greeted by a warm atmosphere, as wood was burning in the stove. He took off his shoes, put them on the rack, and entered the living room, where Lydia could be seen cuddling their son.
Lydia turned towards the door and said, "Welcome home, honey. How was the hunting?"
Knight replied with a warm smile, "It was great. I gathered a huge amount of herbs. Combined with what I collected before, it must be at least five kilograms."
Lydia was happy to hear the hunt went well, but she was also growing concerned about their incredible streak of luck. "Honey," she said, "what do you think? Is this much luck truly good for us? Is something wrong?"
Hearing Lydia's question, Knight realized he had been thinking the same thing. But he also thought about how the luck had started after their son's birth. And what could they do about it, even if that was the case? They didn't possess magical power like the mages in the guilds. How could they possibly stop a conceptual thing like luck itself?
Knight thought about it for a while and said, "Let's not dwell on these things. What about the items for Amoris's one-month feast? Are they ready?"
Lydia, seeing that Knight wanted to avoid the topic, reluctantly agreed. After all, they couldn't stop something as abstract as luck. "I've given the list of items to Uncle Kaelan," she said. "He said he would bring them the day after tomorrow."
Talking with Lydia had calmed Knight down, as he had been worried too. But then a new thought came to his mind. "Lydia," he said, "I'll talk to Uncle Kaelan tomorrow. And hey, how about we go to a Magic Guild after Amoris's month feast?"
Hearing Knight's suggestion, Lydia felt a spark of hope. She couldn't think of any other solution. "Okay," she said, thinking for a moment. "But do we even have that much money? It would cost a huge amount just to travel to the city, and even more to ask a Magic Guild to examine Amoris."
Knight did the math in his head. 'The boar sold to Uncle Kaelan for 10 silver Jewel. And with the silver I found , so we have at least 20 silver. The 5 kg of herbs should sell for at least 50 to 70 silver Jewel. And with the 50 silver Jewel we've saved from before, we would have at least 1 gold Jewel and 20 silver Jewel.'
"We can at least take our son to the city," Knight said aloud. "And after that, we can take it slow and earn a bit more. Even if we can't afford the guild's help right away, we could at least give our son a life in the city. The city has education, safety, and so much more. We wouldn't be wasting the money."
Lydia also felt the city was a good idea. Though the village had its own perks, the thought of her son being able to go to school and the safety a city could provide brought her a great deal of comfort. Even if they couldn't get help from a guild, their son would have a better future.
"Okay, let's do that," she said. "But we have to think about where to go. There are many guilds in Fiore, after all."
Knight looked out the window, seeing it was getting late. He still had to prepare for the hunt tomorrow, get ready for the feast, and invite people. He sighed and said, "I'll ask Uncle Kaelan tomorrow when I get the items for the feast. He's the one who usually goes to town to buy and sell things for the village; he ought to know about the magical guilds. For now, how about you try to get Amoris to sleep?"
Lydia, also noticing how late it had gotten, nodded. "Okay, you go to bed. I'll come after I get Amoris to fall asleep."