Book 5: Chapter 15 (2/2)

Helden’s face paled, and his hands clenched into fists. “Who told you that?” he asked while standing. “Was it Sherman? I told him we’d have issues if he slandered me again.”

Stella’s eyes lit up, and she flew over to the Recordkeeper’s shoulder. “Who’s this guy? What’s the Generis Squad?”

The Recordkeeper ignored the trembling man and turned her head towards the fairy queen. “He’s an interesting person,” she said. “He could read and write before he was even a year old. Mathematics and literature came naturally to him. People called him a prodigy; it was almost as if he was an adult in the body of a child. As a young adult, he became an adventurer and quickly advanced in ranks. His companions are all people he saved in one way or another, and his ultimate goal is to find the miracle herb that can solve the problems where the sun doesn’t shine.”

Helden took in a deep breath and stared at the Recordkeeper with narrowed eyes. He gripped the hilt of his sword which was hanging on his belt. “Who are you?”

The Recordkeeper smiled. “You’re not qualified to know of my existence.”

“And he is?” Helden asked, gesturing towards Vur with his head. “If I defeat him in a duel, will I be qualified to know your name?”

Vur frowned. “Go away,” he said, waving a half-eaten drumstick at the blond man.

Helden sneered and shook his head. His expression returned back to normal, and he turned around, flashing a smile at his companions before returning to them.

Stella raised an eyebrow. “What a weirdo,” she said before flying down to the table. She picked up a grape and peeled away a portion of its skin before biting into its flesh.

Vur grunted and finished the remainder of his drumstick. Then, he ripped away a piece of roasted boar and munched away at it. When he was halfway done with the boar, there was a loud thumping sound. Vur raised his head to see Helden standing at the entrance of the restaurant with his fist pressed against the door frame. When the blond man saw Vur was looking, Helden smirked and walked out, followed by his three companions. Vur blinked and grabbed the other half of the roasted boar.

“Vur, he was provoking you!” Stella said. “Why didn’t you attack him?”

Vur blinked again. “He was? I thought he was just clumsy and crashed into the doorway.”

“You should be careful,” a feminine voice said from the side. It belonged to Amy, the waiter. “I’ve heard bad rumors about Helden Generisch. They say he can take the skills of the people he kills. There was a famous swordsman who went missing, and later on, Helden appeared with techniques remarkably similar to that swordsman’s.”

Despite speaking so much, the only reply Amy received was the crunching sound of Vur eating the bones of the roast boar. It was almost as if he hadn’t heard her. Amy sighed and shook her head. Why did she even bother trying to be a nice person?