Chương 33: Homecoming

Damion blinked a few times after hearing the Justiciar give him advice. The way Damion used the attack on his sword had always felt right, slashing and sending out a thin wave of fire. But if the experienced knight in front of him was giving him a hint that the glyph could do more, Damion was certainly going to follow the advice.

"Please continue," the Justiciar told Damion. Continuing from where he left off, Damion recounted the rest of the battle and when he reached the end, where Ethan removed Barnes' mask, Damion told the Justiciar what he knew.

"Are you sure the bandit was this man Barnes from the Falks Guild?"

"Yes. I had never met anyone from the Falks Guild before yesterday at the Adventurer Association, but the people there called him Barnes and said he was a member of the Falks Guild. Neither of which the man tried to refute. I'm sure the clerk at the Association can confirm the incident, as Barnes was teasing me when I bought a basic survival kit from the Association."

"Thank you for providing the information you have," the Justiciar said.

"It would be in your best interest not to spread details of the bandit attack. If people ask, just answer in general terms, don't offer specifics."

"Mr. Hoyt gave me the same advice. To not mention that the Falks Guild was involved."

"Allegedly involved," the Justiciar gently reprimanded.

"Though I will grant you that their involvement is likely certain. Revealing deep secrets is a dangerous business, especially when people don't want those secrets revealed."

"I understand," Damion said.

"I have no intention of putting a target on my back. I have faith the Justiciar Order will thoroughly investigate and bring the correct parties to justice."

"You may go," the Justiciar dismissed Damion with a wave of his hand. Damion was more than happy to get out of there. Despite what Damion said, he was not confident the Justiciar Order would bring the Falks Guild to justice. He had seen too many people and organizations in his past life avoid justice through lack of evidence, technicalities or just paying off the right people.

This would be his first interaction with the justice system of Nerotath and how the Justiciar handle the case would likely tell him a lot about the integrity of this world's law and order. After making his way to the Adventurer Association and collecting his pay for the escort mission, Damion headed home. At first he had considered checking for new missions, but Damion decided against it. He had a lot of questions for Ms. Teft, those needed to be answered before he went on another mission.

More importantly though, Damion knew his mother was anxiously waiting for him to return home. As soon as Damion opened the door to his house he was enveloped into a hug. The warmth of his mother's touch was welcoming and helped him forget the last few hours. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"Look at you," his mother said as she released him from her hug and gripped him by the shoulders. Damion was already passing his mother in height, but he felt like a small child again as she looked at him.

"Your first mission done. We are proud of you son," Damion's father chimed in.

"Let me go get cleaned up," Damion told his mother. He was in need of a good wash. Luckily, he was not covered in blood and did not have any physical wounds or he was sure his mother would want to rush him to the healers.

"Of course. Of course. Go get cleaned up. Dinner will be ready at the usual time and then you can tell us all about your first mission as an adventurer." Released by his mother, Damion headed to his room to deposit his bag and sword. Once free of his belongings, Damion headed to the bathroom and eagerly stripped off his dirty clothes. A short time later he was clean and dressed in a casual shirt and shorts at the dinner table recounting the three missions he completed.

His mother was quite shocked that the trade caravan had been attacked by bandits on the way to Bufort, but she could see her son was sitting in front of her, safe and sound, so she did not fret over it too much. When Damion narrated his mission to kill Fire Scorpions, his mother was beside herself with worry, wondering how dangerous a Fire Scorpion was. Once she heard they were usually only the size of a person's hand, she relaxed.

"It is so wonderful of you to help that older farmer out. I'm sure he appreciates you and your friend getting rid of those pests on his farm. But who knew that not all Ferocious Beasts are big scary monsters." Damion did not have the heart to tell his mother that the Fire Scorpions he and Ethan killed were only a small portion of the ones plaguing Mr. Galen's farm. However, Damion figured the mission would be worth doing again, should he be in Bufort and need a mission to do.

It was pretty easy money for a few hours of work and Damion did like knowing he was actually helping someone.

"How was the trip back," Damion's father asked curiously.

"It was a bit more exciting," Damion replied.

"The trade caravan was attacked by bandits again, but this time they were stronger. We managed to drive them off and we reported everything we knew to the Justiciar Order when we got back in town." Damion did not feel his parents needed to know he had killed one of the bandits himself. Or that Mr. Hoyt was injured during the fight. If his mother knew a C Rank knight was injured during the mission, she would surely panic the next time Damion set out on a mission.

Even if the mission is supposed to be an easy one, like a trade escort.

"The beast wave that hit Bufort must have been quite strong," Damion's father commented.

"You said there were a number of destroyed or damaged buildings?"

"Don't even think about it dear," Sharon said to her husband.

"You have plenty of work here in Saung. There is no reason for you to go to Bufort." As an architect, Damion's father would be in high demand in Bufort. Damion was sure his father would have a grand time redesigning buildings and neighborhoods damaged or destroyed in the beast wave.

"I'm just curious why our office hasn't received any requests from Bufort. I wouldn't have to travel there, just to design a new store to replace an old one."

"You can inquire at the office and take all the work you think you can handle. But you have to be home every night for dinner."

"Of course, honey," Caleb said meekly. Damion was not sure if his father's sudden interest in projects in Bufort was simply his natural desire for the opportunity to design something new and fresh, or if somehow Damion's telling of his recent adventures had awakened a desire for an adventure of his own. Whatever the case might have been, the trio enjoyed each other's company into the night. Damion happy to be home and his parents grateful their son had returned unharmed.