บท 14: A Worthy Heart

Four hours later.

The journey was uneventful so far, leaving only the scenery as an interesting topic to focus on because the group didn't speak much.

The three soldiers? Out of respect for their new friend who didn't speak the same language so as not to make him feel isolated.

Daniel? Because he didn't feel like drawing, as the only way to effectively communicate with them, stopping every few minutes for small talk would only slow them down.

'You know... Compared to the usual chaos that ensues at every turn, this is kind of nice. Hopefully, nothing else happens along the journey.' Daniel thought to himself.

Jinx.

*Rumble*

Rich stopped suddenly while holding his fist in the air, just above the shoulder. Carl, Saya, and Daniel were behind him standing in a line.

Saya and Carl stopped when they saw his signal. Daniel got the hint and also stopped, slightly crouching.

"What's wrong, Rich? Is it what I think it is?" Carl asked with a hint of concern.

"Indeed, it's trouble. We have to run back to the village quickly. I'm not too sure, but that earthquake was probably a beast wave signal. One of three." Rich spoke gravely.

"Let's go; we are in a hurry." Rich signaled, and they started sprinting.

'Why are they running? Ugh. I hope I can keep up.' Daniel grumbled to himself before chasing after them.

Surprisingly, their sprinting was equal to his jogging.

'Hmm... Am I stronger than I think?'

The three soldiers were surprised at how easily he was keeping up.

'I know he's exhausted, but he's still keeping up so easily? Damn.' Rich thought to himself. Soon, thoughts of recruiting him surfaced.

As they sprinted for an hour, another Rumble ensued.

*RUMBLE*

The earthquake now was many times more aggressive. Their balance was almost thrown off.

As they ran, a small diffused light caught their eye, followed by many more.

Daniel heard distant yelling and movement, but to his immediate relief, it was a village of humans preparing for the incoming beast wave.

After twenty minutes of running, they finally arrived.

Villagers were running to their homes, and the woman and the children had already huddled up inside.

There were at a glance, about fifty armed personnel and seventy villagers who were reinforcing the mud wall with wood or small boulders.

"You guys stay with him. I need to talk with the commanding officer and see how we can help." Rich spoke hurriedly as he started jogging to a grass-green tent with a flickering light inside at the center of the village.

The green tent had piles of wooden spears and iron swords. A few shields here and there.

"Let's find the Mystic; there's always one following every platoon," Saya suggested. Carl concurred.

Daniel was distracted, looking around at everything everyone was doing, so Saya gently tapped his right shoulder and made the universal sign for "Come with us."

They lightly jogged around the village while searching for the Mystic, quickly getting the lay of the land.

As Daniel looked around, he realized the wall was shaped like an octagon, two meters thick with a height of about three meters. Some parts of the wall had wooden planks or boulders in bedded, whereas other parts were just mud.

The village huts were made of mud, too, with a straw door. The roof also had straw but with giant leaves over the top, tied down by twine.

The roads were just frequently walked pathways of about four meters wide. The houses were put together in fours, forming a square. There were ten such squares in the village, with a slightly bigger square in the middle. Most likely for the village chief.

Saya soon spotted an old man with a yellow robe.

As they approached, Carl was the first to speak.

"Excuse me, Sir, I'm Carl, Knight Cadet 1st class, I have a small request." The slight quiver in his voice gave way to the nervousness of speaking with a member of a highly regarded occupation.

"Nice to meet you. What is your request?" The old man spoke slowly & gently with a slight smile on his face.

The Old Mystic had silvery-white hair, a modest hunch, and wrinkly light skin that exposed his long years of life.

Relieved by the old Mystics' friendly temperament, he continued.

"My friend here doesn't speak any of our known languages. I am seeking your aid in the hopes of you having the blessing of Boundless Communication." Carl spoke softly with a bit of anticipation.

"Hehe, I do indeed have that specific blessing, just recently acquiring it, actually. Impeccable timing young one. " The old man chuckled at such a small request. As he looked at the group, it wasn't hard to tell which of them was the foreigner.

The two soldiers were wearing the specific attire of The Sworn Knights, which was an astounding contrast to the almost blacked-out armor of the foreign individual.

The old man then walked over to Daniel with a slight limp. His age is apparent in his every step, yet his eyes contained the brightness of a newborn and the wisdom of a lifetime.

The two bodyguards tasked with taking care of the old Mystic were slightly startled.

"Sir, he is an unknown variable. Please do not approach so closely." One of them spoke politely.

"Pah! He is no threat, nor does he have any ill intentions. Are you questioning my judgment, old guard?" The old man spoke up with a bit of mischievousness, slowly hinting at his trouble-making past.

"No, no, sir! Just a friendly reminder is all." The bodyguard stepped aside.

"Hmph," the old man snorted through his nose, smirking a bit while he was at it.

After stepping in front of Daniel, he gently raised his hand to his chest.

At that moment, in the eyes of Daniel, everything froze.

Gentle.

He closed his eyes and experienced a serene moment of gentle solace. As if the world itself welcomed and embraced him.

The Mystic felt the man's heart, as was necessary in order to connect a blessing, a heart to heart, so to speak.

Pure. Lonely. Determined. Broken.

'It seems this young one has been through a lot but has endured it all.' The old man sighed gently, not with exasperation but with gentle warmth.

"Benedico tibi immensa communicatione, but for tuum accurate a expeditum importet," the old man spoke softly, his voice carrying a charismatic weight.

In Daniel's mind, a voice echoed. Much like the other time, he could understand the context this time.

"I bless you with Boundless Communication, that your heart may convey your being accurately and unimpeded."

Afterward, his vocal cords, tongue, and lip muscles relaxed and gained a sort of flexible maneuverability that was previously absent, as if his muscles were incredibly stiff just a minute before.

'Woah. This is crazy.' Daniel thought to himself in mild shock.

"How are you feeling young one? Can you understand me without confusion?" The old man spoke again after removing his hand and taking a step back.

Daniel was 16 years old, yet he was more mature for his age; the woes of life do that to you.

Daniel's eyes went a bit wide in surprise. It seemed the blessing worked just fine.

"I do, Elder. Thank you for the blessing." Daniel bowed slightly with a hand over his chest.

"Oh, it seems you are an intelligent young lad. Good. Very good. My name is Adora Corvinus of the Mystic Tower." The old man returned the gesture with even more grace.

Afterward, he slowly walked towards the green tent after one of his bodyguards whispered into his ear. A slight nod toward Daniel was all he left behind.

Saya and Carl were gobsmacked by the exchange.

As Daniel waved off the old man, he turned towards the duo. Only now realizing how wide open their mouths were.

"Are you guys alright? Although you guys would make an excellent fly trap, I wouldn't suggest it." Daniel chuckled with a smile at their exaggerated expressions.

Saya blushed while shifting her head down. Carl only turned his head to the side with a "Hmph."

After realizing their breach of conduct, they stood ramrod straight, with Carl explaining their reactions.

"Mystics are very important; they are of a highly sophisticated occupation; thus, their temperaments tend to be arrogant if not, outright overbearing." He explained cautiously.

Taking a deep breath, he continued.

"Very few are capable of holding on to humility. Therefore, for such an aged Mystic to greet you, it signifies that you are a Worthy Heart." At this point, his eyes were sparkling with a bit of envy but with a lot of admiration.

Saya wasn't any different, except for the slight blush on her cheeks.

"A Worthy Heart is someone with huge potential in this world. I don't know if your village taught you all of this, but it's similar to being a genius, except the potential is strictly for the Trifecta, the perfect three occupations." Carl ended his explanation with excitement.

Daniel thought about what he said.

'Looks like I have some talent then?' Daniel zoned for a moment.

'I have zero clue as to why I'm in this world, nor its history. My next step should be a place where I can learn. Its history, current status, battle tactics, etc. I wonder if they have an academy. Maybe I'll just go along with the flow and only take the wheel when the opportunity presents itself.'

"Hey, are you okay? Your eyes were glazed over." Carl spoke, his hand cocked all the way back.

Only God knew the strength he was accumulating to wake him up.

'Alright! So no more spacing out around this Psycho.' Daniel shook his head.

"I was only zoning out while thinking about what I should do next." He smiled wryly.

"Oh good point, we also have to go to that green tent to make our report. Since you were an eyewitness, you'll also need to join us. After that, who knows? We'll probably be knees-deep in beast guts. Haha." Carl slapped Daniel's back in a friendly manner while speaking jovially.

The trio headed for the green tent, occasionally having to stop or sidestep as villagers and soldiers bolstered their defenses and carried weapons to the front line.

The beast wave was set after the third earthquake. With the second only receding thirty minutes ago, they had at most an hour.

After arriving in front of the tent, they were met with guards.

The guards had grey and white armor. With helmets that covered most of their face. Holding two Spears, they flanked the door.

"State your business." The taller guard on the right spoke.

"Carl, Knight Cadet 1st class accompanied by Saya, Knight Cadet 2nd class & Daniel. We are here to report on the situation of the outward village." Carl had straightened his back & saluted as he announced his company & purpose.

"Confirmed. Wait a moment." The left guard walked into the tent.

After a few passing moments, a voice called out from inside the tent.

"The three of you may come in."