章 2: A Mercenary Team

After Henry fell unconscious, he started dreaming again.

He floated high up in the sky with the world below his feet. Vigorous wind currents struck his body and made his clothing flap loudly.

"Second, do you see the world below?" Henry mysteriously asked, keeping his gaze focused below.

"Yes, Master. I can see my hometown, which is far from here."

"Remember, you have to look at the bigger picture before doing anything. For example, a Simple-class magus can light a simple fire, make a bright flash of light, etc., but they are unable to conjure a Low-class Spell…" Henry's voice trailed off.

The other person was silent for a few minutes while trying to make sense of his words.

"What are you trying to say, Master?"

"Magic is not about classes. It's about convincing mana to take the form you want. So, do you think it's possible for a Simple-class magus to conjure a Low-class spell?" Henry calmly asked.

Throughout this conversation, he didn't look nor glance at his second disciple.

"Are you saying they can if they look at the bigger picture!?" the second disciple shouted with doubt.

"Yes. If a magus tries their best, they can conjure a spell of a higher class too…"

Those words became fainter and fainter.

"Mother!" Henry screamed and sat up.

He woke up from his dream. He looked around him and realized that he was still by the doorway.

All of a sudden, a sharp ache spread from his head, and his body was painful all over.

There were bruises and bleeding in some parts of his body. Apparently, the goblins attacked him before they left.

He was also hot because the sun had been blasting it with heat for a while now.

"Ughhh…" Henry moaned in pain as he carefully stood up.

He held his head, and the memories of last night slowly came back to him.

"Ah! Mother!"

The pain that surged earlier clouded Henry's mind, causing him to forget about his mother. He remembered now and rushed out of the doorway.

Adrenaline filled his veins as he swiveled his head around their property. Countless little footprints spread out and headed to the woods. They were from the goblins.

"I— I have to report this to the authorities! Mother is in danger!" Henry screamed in panic. He had already put his dream earlier to the back of his mind.

He ran along the mud road and headed to the city center. Their house was situated far away because of their low commoner status.

The city was called Poppy. It was a historic name that had long lost meaning.

Only nobles could live in the heart of the city. Commoners like Henry and Felicia had no right to live there. It also meant that commoners were more vulnerable to monster attacks.

"Henry! What's wrong?"

Someone recognized Henry and shouted at him. She was a young woman in her mid-twenties.

When Henry saw her, it was like seeing an oasis after wandering the dry desert for days. It was someone he recognized!

"Auntie, Help! Mother was kidnapped by goblins last night! I-it hurts to run! Please run to the City Guild for me!" Henry pleaded in desperation.

The bruises and wounds on his body ached as he ran. There was also a pounding headache in his head.

He sat down on the street and panted.

The woman was at first confused, but she quickly realized that it was an emergency. She ran as fast as she could, horrified at the heartbreaking news.

She screamed while running desperately.

Henry was delighted to see her run for him. He was sweaty, aching head and body, tired, and thirsty. He could feel he would collapse as soon as he reached the City Guild.

"I hope… I hope that Mother is still alive…"

A sense of urgency suffocated Henry's heart. He was powerless. He was a simple human.

The goblin invasion last night happened so quickly, and they were treacherous enough to wait for him to open the front door and launch a surprise attack.

Henry rested and stood up after thinking about it. He ran again. He was too anxious to passively sit there while waiting for good news.

Very soon, he saw a group of people running toward him. The auntie was falling behind them, struggling to keep up due to her fatigue.

The group consisted of five burly men. They carried various weapons with them.

"It's him! He's the son of my friend! Please help him!" the woman shouted and fell to the ground.

The group arrived before Henry and didn't slow down.

"Wanner, carry the kid! Let's go!" the leader spoke.

The short one in the group nodded his head and leisurely picked Henry up without stopping. He put him on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Kid, what happened? Tell us everything," Wanner calmly asked as he ran.

Henry was still anxious about his mother. He slightly calmed down upon hearing Wanner's calmness.

He quickly told them what happened last night.

After they listened, the faces of the five darkened. The chance of his mother still living was minimal. Too much time had passed, and the goblins could have done many things to her in a single night.

Henry couldn't help but cry a little after speaking.

This was the first time he had cried ever since his father died. His mother was his only family member left. For him, losing her was as good as losing the only light in this world.

The cries made the five men silent. They didn't offer any baseless comfort. Instead, they became more determined. Even if they didn't receive a reward from the City Mayor, they would still volunteer to save Henry's mother after hearing his words and seeing him cry.

The group ran without stopping. Henry slowly calmed down and guided them to his house. And with nothing else to do, he sized them up.

These five were not part of the government but were mercenaries. The government would offer them rewards for doing odd jobs like killing monsters, saving people, escorting valuable goods, etc.

Sometimes, they would get leisure quests. On rare occasions, a rescue mission like this one.

The city government would pay for the rescue mission even though they were more expensive, and mostly, commoners were the ones that needed rescuing. It was a way for the mayor to gather their support.

After all, a great portion of the city was the commoners. He needed them to back his rule over the city.

The five men and Henry arrived at their house. Henry pointed at the goblin footprints.

They looked over, and their faces sank into solemnity.

"Kid, from now on, you stay here!" the leader seriously warned.

"Can I help?" Henry asked and stared into his eyes.

The man hesitated and glanced at the others for their opinions. They knew how hard it was to protect while invading a monster den, so they all shook their heads.

Henry was just a commoner kid. He had no battle experience, and he would only burden them.

"My name is Jager. We will retrieve your mother!"

Jager didn't give Henry a promise, but he gave him hope! Although he didn't say they would rescue her, and his words even suggested that he already believed her to be dead, those words still calmed Henry's anxiety by a bit.

Henry nodded his head. Perhaps, deep down, he already believed that his mother was gone.

Jager looked at his sworn brothers. They were all brave and powerful men, but the scene at the moment still made their emotions rock like a ship in a stormy sea.

They briefly nodded their head at Henry and ran into the woods. Their silhouettes vanished through the thick vegetation and shrubbery.

"…"

Henry walked back inside the house, feeling down. The chickens were gone as the goblins took them.

He looked around and saw scratch marks, poop, and various damage to the interior.

The sharp contrast between yesterday's peacefulness and the current abandoned and damaged house stabbed deep into Henry's heart. He felt a heartwrenching pain that wouldn't halt.

"Mother…"

Henry was mentally and physically tired.

He couldn't help but reminiscence his mother's kind and loving gaze. They repeated within his head and made him feel bitter.

The way she supported him to pursue the path of a Magus the other day warmed his heart like a fireplace in the middle of winter.

"Ah… it's so cold…"

It was summer, and the sun was high above with clear clouds, but Henry could only feel the coldness of reality. His gaze slowly changed.

Determination welled up in his heart. No matter what, he needed to become a magus to prevent this from happening again!