Moonlight Blue

Back to the present.

Zeke now understands the level of security that is put in place. He looks at the healing potion with glistening eyes. It can restore a lost limb. What else can it do?

“This healing potion.” Zeke points at it.

“Huh.”

“Sell it to me.” Says Zeke as he places a storage bag on the table.

Naomi is surprised by Zeke’s action. His face is filled with an emotion Naomi has never seen on Zeke’s face. Sorrow.

“This bag has 70 thousand gold coins. That’s all I have on me at the moment. I promise to pay the rest of the money when I get back to the capital. Please, sell it to me, Naomi.” He says once more with a sorrowful gaze.

He continues, “I know you could probably sell it for a lot of money at an auction. Probably more than that 200 thousand.”

He pauses, not finishing his words. Zeke could probably take the potions by force and Naomi wouldn’t have the right to object since her life wouldn’t exist without him, but Zeke isn’t that shameless of a person. Naomi looks at Zeke and asks.

“Who do you need it for Zeke?”

Zeke hesitates to speak. Sweat rolls down his forehead as he grits his teeth.

“We’ve known each other for so long yet I know nothing about you. So, tell me who’s it for and I’ll give it to you free of charge. Aren’t we friends?”

Even though Naomi acts like she didn’t like Zeke, she actually considers him as a friend. The only problem is how secretive he is. Making sure to not spill anything about his personal life.

“Fine, I’ll tell you.”

***

Zeke and Maeve are walking down the streets of Waham.

“Was it okay to tell her the truth?” asks Maeve.

“It’s fine. I think it’s time I actually trusted someone aside from you guys.”

Zeke told Naomi everything. The reason why he needed the potion so bad.

“We’ll be leaving using the eagle. Have it prepared.”

“Yes. What about the commotion we’ve caused? Even though we’ve erased anything that had anything to do with the Society, the Law Enforcement’s investigation won’t stop.”

“I know that. Which is why I already prepared a scapegoat.”

“And who is it?”

“Someone... No, something that shouldn’t be in this city.” Zeke says as he smirks.

***

The next day.

A few kilometres away from Waham. A battle is ensuing. A group of about 60 men are by the side of the road, watching the battle of 2 high orcs and 7 ordinary orcs against one of their commanders, the King Cobra Slayer, Garrin.

It is a one-sided massacre. With every swing from his crimson-black scythe, the orcs would be mutilated. Now, only one high orc remains, and it is bleeding profusely. It has one of its eyes slashed off, its left arm has long been sliced off its body and it is filled with countless injuries all throughout its body.

Its green blood flows endlessly, but the high orc didn’t yield. It kept swinging its enormous club at its foe. Garrin dodges its huge swings one after the other and a look of dissatisfaction appears on his face.

“Tsk. You’re just flailing your club at this point. Filthy, disgusting thing. Sigh, this is getting boring.”

After saying those words, his scythe emanates a darkish sinister hue. It isn’t mana nor bloodlust. It’s the energy of resentment. The high orc, sensing the sinister energy throws a last-ditch attack using all its power. But it is too late. With a single swing from his scythe, the high orc is cut not only once, but three times.

“Parallel slash.”

The high orc’s body thuds the ground with its lower body, torso and head separated. Twenty or so people who are watching started clapping their hands and cheer. The other half or so didn’t and only glared at him and the others didn’t show any emotion.

“Shut up.”

He glares at the people under him who fell quiet immediately. Sweat starts to slowly drip as they feel a sudden chill on their backs.

“To think you’d clap for someone who can slay a King Cobra on his own after slaying mere orcs who aren’t even good for a warm-up.”

The other half who aren’t under Garrin grit their teeth as they glare at Garrin with bloodshot eyes. They knew full well what he was doing. He was, in a way, belittling their commander, the other slayer that accompanied Garrin on this mission. The High-orc slayer, Barion.

Barion is sitting inside the carriage with his greatsword clasped between his arms as if he is cuddling a baby. He has his eyes closed. Barion is an old man in his eighties. He has white hair and beard, wrinkles on his face and a muscular physique. Although he is old, he is still a Slayer, and his body is still in working condition. Even though it has diminished from its prime.

Garrin enters the carriage as they resume their journey. It is only the two in the carriage as the other soldiers ride on their horses and wagons.

“Are you taking your afternoon nap old man? Tsk, I still don’t get it how a person so old and weak remained as a Slayer after all this time. Even after people like me who beat orcs like they were goblins came to be.”

Slayer. It is a title given to people who are able to take down an S-ranked monster or an upper A-rank monster by themselves. Throughout history, there’s only been five Slayers on the Slavia Kingdom and this generation of Slayers is said to be the most powerful throughout history.

The strongest of the Slayers, one who is said to be the strongest Slayer to ever exist in the history of the kingdom. William, the Dragon Slayer. He once saved a city from an ordinary dragon, ranked as a mid S-rank monster. It was a tough fight but Willian managed to defeat the dragon and was appointed the title of the Dragon Slayer.

Rika, the Wyvern Slayer. She was appointed that title after defeating a wyvern, ranked as a low S-rank monster. She was an S-rank adventurer but after defeating a wyvern, she was offered the title and she gladly accepted it.

Garrin, the King Cobra Slayer. He was a soldier in the kingdom’s army. After being traumatized by a mission he was in here in Waham, he sought out strength. He trained and by a chance encounter, he discovered his scythe which made him stronger than he was. He went out to seek fame and decided to duel with the king cobra, a low-S ranked monster, and won. He was granted the King Cobra Slayer title.

Ben, the Flame Tiger Slayer. He managed to go to a mountain range which a flame tiger occupied. Since the flame tiger would usually destroy nearby villages, he decided to hunt it down and after a week, he brought back the head of the upper A-rank monster.

And finally, Barion, the High-Orc Slayer. In his prime, it was said he once exterminated a colony of orcs and 5 high-orcs all by himself. The colony was nearby an influential city and if not destroyed, it would have destroyed that city no problem. High-orcs are B-ranked monsters but coupled that with other high orcs and dozens of ordinary orcs, then it could be ranked as an upper A-rank to low S-rank incident.

Of course, it’s been years since then and the old man’s strength has dwindled from its prime. Still, he remained as a Slayer due to his contributions and experience over the last decades of being a Slayer. And plus, nobody has been recognised who can take up his position as a Slayer yet.

Garrin clicks his tongue. He is frustrated that he was given this mission with the old man. Since Waham is the city that left a bad taste in his mouth, he wants redemption by volunteering for this mission. As if they didn’t trust, they assigned the old geezer to look after him. To make sure he doesn’t cause trouble.

Barion remains quiet as his eyes remain closed.