Chapter 12: A Mysterious Stranger

"What a long day..." A middle-aged man with greying hair and beard, complete with eye bags and wrinkles on his face, sighed as he pushed open the door to what he believed to be a tavern.

His body was covered by a thick cloak, but if someone were to pay attention, they could tell underneath that cloak sits not the body of a frail old man, but one of a grizzled veteran.

The rowdy noise of the tavern immediately hit him, making him nostalgic for the days long gone.

Surveying the crowd, he found himself at a relatively quiet table in the far corner that was mostly unoccupied. 

Making his way over, he went up to the other occupant there. "Do you mind if this old man sits here?" He gave a small wave and the friendliest smile he could muster, waiting for the hooded person's response.

Just as it seemed that the hooded person was fast asleep, a girl's voice rang out. "Go ahead."

"Thanks." He sat down opposite her. 

"Heya mister! Anything you would like?" A barmaid came up to him, balancing several emptied wooden jugs on a wooden plate.

"A hot meal, and a bottle of your finest wine-"

Across the table, he heard the girl's stomach growl. 

"-and another one for this young lady here. Switch out her wine for juice, please." Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out a gold coin. "A room too—for myself—if you don't mind Keep the change."

The barmaid's eyes lit up, as she quickly swiped the gold coin before anyone else could see it. "Comin right up sir!" The man watched as she practically tripped over herself trying to get to the kitchen. It was a wonder how none of her stacked plates or jugs fell.

Ha... Youth these days. So much life within them, such a marvelous thing.

"Now." He turned his attention to the girl. It wasn't obvious before, but he could tell that she was only a small girl. Maybe only 12 or so.

The age of his granddaughter.

"If you think that I'll thank you for that, you're dead wrong." She spoke, the hood covering everything as she shifted her head on the table.

"No kid accidentally wanders into a tavern. Especially when you're hungry." He laid his gloved hands on the table.

"Tch." 

"Do confer with this old man on your woes." He said as the barmaid returned back, this time with their meals. "Enjoy!"

Typical roast meat of wild boar, some bread, stew, and salted vegetables to tie it all together. "As a little payment for this old man."

He watched as the girl stirred, her mind fighting against her stomach. Eventually, her stomach won.

"Fine. Promise me you won't tell anyone." From underneath her hood, he could feel her glare. 

He chuckled. "Sure, sure." 

The girl looked around before she began cutting up the boar meat with a fork and knife. Nobility manners, that's for sure.

"Let me guess. Fallen noble? Runaway noble? Exiled noble?" He grinned. The girl shook, and her hands froze where they were.

"You don't have to worry. If you are being chased by assassins, I'm not one of them." 

Still not fully trusting him, she sighed. "Only because you are paying for the food."  

The man inspected the bottle that the barmaid gave him. [Charlotte 278 Grape Wine] it read.

"As you have guessed, I'm a noble. Or was. My family was killed in the purges." 

"Oh, the Southwestern kingdom of Arden?"

She sighed. "Yes." 

The man touched his beard as he began thinking. "If you don't mind asking, which noble family did you belong to? I may have connections."

"Really?!" She shot out of her seat. She had never expected to meet someone who knew of her family, even more so as the kingdom of Arden was a kingdom that just... existed.

"Settle down lass." He waved for her to sit down. 

"Rayne family." She said. "Do you know any surviving members of my Rayne family?!" Her hood was coming off now, showing him her blonde hair and flashes of green eyes.

"To my knowledge, none has survived the massacres. Even you, Charlotte Rayne." He poured himself a cup of the wine, before downing it.

"How-" 

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"My connections." He smiled. 

"Then again, you are here, in front of me, blood and flesh." He cut up a piece of the pork and put it in his mouth. Juicy.

"So there is a non-zero chance that some of your family members are alive." He downed it with another glass of Wine. He did have to congratulate the barmaid, she knew how to best pair food with wine. A truly admirable skill to have.

"Do you know anything that once belonged to my family?" She asked.

"Of course. The purge may have rid many of the First prince's supporters and their fortunes, but your Rayne family has many investments in outlier kingdoms. Many of which, the kingdoms have taken already because your family was thought to be purged." He paused. "Of course, you could try digging around your family's estate, for any safes that they kept hidden from the rest of the world."

Charlottes face fell. "Bastards..."

"But-" The old man said. "since you've graciously given me your identity, it's only fair I give you mine." He reached into a cloak and pulled out a medallion.

The medallion was etched with the unforgettable Golden Dragon Midas, perched over a massive castle lined with spears. The crest of twin swords, a shield, and a spear was at the forefront of the medallion, with the Runic initials of "W. S" adorning the shield.

"Former High Commander of Ascania." The girl tensed up, and her grip tightened on the cutlery. He could tell that her mind was racing through hundreds of possible solutions to get out of there.

Unfortunately, his reputation proceeded him, and she likely knew that even if the entire town turned on him, he would still walk out unscathed.

"As I reiterated, I am not here to capture you."

"Then how did you find me?!" She hissed, the cutler raised in a threatening pose.

The man sighed. "Maybe that wasn't the best entrance..." he murmured. He needed to get his civilian life back in order. His old military self of introducing with his rank and occupation wasn't exactly the best for a retired man like him.

"By chance. I was traveling to my old farm town, but I decided to rest here after a... incident." 

"How can I trust you?" She growled. 

"The fact that I haven't just grabbed you and walked out yet is enough proof that I'm not with your pursuers, no?" 

Charlotte stayed silent. 

"Fine, what do you want, Butcher of Tavenside?" Her eyes were warier now. 

"Brings back memories..." He zoned off, before quickly recomposing himself. 

Right, since he was here already, he might as well get rid of what he picked up outside the town. It was no use to him, he was recently retired and really didn't want to reminded of his past life. 

"Tell me, Charlotte Rayne. Do you want revenge?" This was the least he could do for him. Even if the Rayne family and he rarely interacted, he still felt bad about leaving such a young girl the same age as his granddaughter wandering around this bloody world. 

A long silence passed before she spoke up. "Yes...There's a catch, right?" She spoke slowly. 

"Of course, there's a catch. Nothing in life doesn't have strings attached." He paused. "My only condition is that-" the girl swallowed.

"-you leave me alone." He ended with a smile. "Easy, right?"

"Too good to be true." She quickly said. But she couldn't deny that she was interested. 

"Indeed, but I am being serious here. As the former High Commander of Ascania." He reached into his coat and brought out a thin sword, complete with a snow-white scabbard lined with runes and beautiful designs. 

"This sword can help you achieve the revenge you desire." He currently felt like one of those fortune tellers or conmen that plagued the capital streets, using honeyed words that promise the world to anyone who would listen...

"Simply put your hands on the hilt, and unsheathe the scabbard." 

The girl cautiously took the sword from his gloved hands. 

As she touched the hilt, a shock of electricity coursed through her veins. She could feel it... it was... alive...?

"Unsheathe it. I am curious as well." He mused. When he found this sword in a crater outside the town, his inspection told him everything about the mysterious sword, including its alignment with the [Blood] element. 

But he hasn't unsheathed it yet, since he wanted to retire in peace. 

Charlotte unsheathed the blade, the magnificent steel glinting in the light. 

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