A blond-haired boy, who seemed to be about the same age as Adam, slowly walked toward the clearing in the woods. He wore silk clothes and fancy ornaments and had an arrogant smile on his youthful face.
"Indeed, it is the farm boy."
"Haha, look at his damn rusty sword. I'm afraid it'll break if the wind blows."
The two boys walking behind the blond youth also chimed in as they mocked Adam.
Ever since the beginning of the journey, the three of them had constantly picked on Adam. After all, he was the only commoner in the traveling party. They despised the fact that a mere commoner would even try to become a Magus!
One had to know that it was almost always children of noble birth who had the chance of becoming a Magus. It was a costly pursuit.
Adam had been fortunate to receive the grace of a wandering Magus in the past. She had confirmed that he had an aptitude for spell-casting and even taught him how to read and write.
It was very rare for commoners to embark on the path of a Magus. Not only was talent a crucial factor, but more importantly, one needed large amounts of resources.
Adam looked at the blond youth walking toward him and gritted his teeth. This boy, Jeffrey Palmer, was the son of a Duke from the Cormier Kingdom. Being a noble of high birth, he naturally looked down on everyone else, most of all commoners like him.
Until now, Adam would always silently endure all the insults thrown at him by this group because he didn't want any unnecessary trouble.
But after watching the black-armored Magus fighting off thousands of Magi single-handedly, he felt a little hot-blooded. For once, he decided to stand up for himself.
Besides, they were far away from the Cormier Kingdom now. Adam was certain Jeffrey's influence wouldn't reach so far away from the kingdom. So he looked at the boy dead in the eye and asked in an even voice, "What is it?"
Jeffrey was startled. "Oh? So you do know how to talk."
"Oi, what's with that look?"
"You dare talk back to Jeffrey?"
The two lackeys stared daggers at Adam. Clearly, they wanted to be in Jeffrey's good books. Adam despised leeches like them. So he ignored them and looked at Jeffrey.
"If there's nothing, then get lost. Don't bother me from now on."
Jeffrey was stunned. He couldn't help but wonder just what had gotten into this peasant to have suddenly grown a pair of balls. But soon he was furious, and he growled.
"You lowlife! Who do you think you're talking to?"
"Jeffrey, leave this bastard to us. We'll show him his place." The two lackeys walked toward Adam with unkind intentions.
One of them suddenly rushed toward Adam and swung his fist.
Adam's eyes gleamed with a flicker of panic. But he remembered his training and side-stepped, easily dodging the punch.
He then raised his fist and counterattacked, striking the boy in the face. His movements caught the boy off-guard. The boy never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that Adam would have the courage to retaliate.
The fist landed squarely on the boy's nose, and he fell to the ground, screaming in pain. "Aghh!! My nose… I-It's broken!"
He looked at Adam with hateful eyes. "You bast—"
Bam!
Adam kicked the boy's face and knocked him out. The other lackey, who was approaching him, suddenly froze in his footsteps, shock etched all over his face. Even Jeffrey was dumbstruck.
"Come, what're you waiting for?" Adam looked at the other boy and sneered. It felt good beating a bully.
"Huh? Uh…uh… Ahhhh!" The boy nearly peed his pants as he struggled to even answer. In the end, he simply turned around and ran back to the campsite with his tail tucked between his legs.
"You coward, come back here!" Jeffrey roared. But the boy fled even faster.
"Son of a bitch!" Jeffrey couldn't help but curse. He turned around and saw Adam crouching and picking up a leather pouch from the unconscious boy lying on the ground.
"You thief!" he screamed. "Stop what you're doing!"
Adam grabbed the pouch and looked inside. Upon seeing so many gold coins, he whistled in surprise. This was more money than he had managed to save back in his hometown in Cormier Kingdom.
He then turned to Jeffrey and demanded, "Hand over your money."
"You!" Jeffrey was dumbfounded.
This peasant dared to extort him, a noble son of a Duke? The audacity!
Overcome by anger, Jeffrey ran toward Adam while screaming, "You bastard, I'll fight you! How dare you—"
Bam!
Adam easily knocked him out with a punch to the jaw. He crouched down and grabbed the money pouch from Jeffrey. This pouch was made of fine silk and was twice as heavy as the previous one.
Feeling the weight, Adam smiled in satisfaction. "Consider this the fine for bullying me."
He got to his feet and walked toward the campfire, laughing heartily. The monetary problems that he had been worrying about for so long had been fixed so easily. Naturally, he was in a happy mood.
Of course, he wasn't afraid of any retaliation from Jeffrey. After all, the Cormier Kingdom was far from where they currently were. Moreover, the mercenaries guarding the traveling party wouldn't intervene in a mere scuffle between children.
Adam walked to the place where the mercenaries were distributing food. He got in line and patiently waited. A few minutes later, he grabbed his dinner — black bread and meat stew — and sat on a patch of grass a little further away from the camp.
While eating dinner, he thought back to the scene of the grand battle he had witnessed earlier, as well as that mysterious space he had visited. The lotus was full of mysteries.
Just what was that place? He thought to himself as he recalled the countless orbs of bright light in that mysterious space. He wondered how he could access that place again.
He absentmindedly finished his dinner and then lay down on the grass, gazing at the myriad stars in the night sky. He recalled the scene of the black-armored Magus fighting against his enemies, and had a look of yearning in his eyes.
I wonder if I'll ever be able to fight like that man…
I want to be like him.
The scene of the spectacular battle kept repeating in his mind, and slowly, Adam fell into a deep slumber.
In one of the carriages by the campfire, a man wearing an olive cloak sat by the window and read a thick book. Suddenly, he raised his head and his bright blue eyes found Adam.
The man's gaze fell on the bulging pouches fastened tightly to Adam's belt. He noticed the youth clutching the pouches even as he snored.
A moment later, his gaze swept through the clearing inside the woods and fell on two unconscious boys. The man's eyes narrowed as he scanned their injuries.
But in the end, he sighed and shook his head.
Kids, he thought in amusement as he went back to reading.
And as for Adam...
In his sleep, he dreamed of becoming a splendid Magus.