The city of Matterhorn— first constructed at the base of the colossal "Mythril Mountains", during the end of the Imperium Era— had become a fairly quiet place, and a cozy one at that. Founded as a mining town to assist with the Imperial Empire's military efforts to weaponize themselves against all enemies in different forms, Matterhorn became a crucial victory for the Pathway resistance during the " Great Civil War" that marked the end of the Imperial Empire's reign. Through Matterhorn's mining campaign, Alexander Pathway— the leader of the revolutionary resistance against the Imperial Empire— was able to rebuild the torn roads and destroyed structures within his new found kingdom; being blessed enough with the Mythril Mountains' seemingly endless bounty yo be able to send foreign aid, to the other newfound kingdoms and countries who were developing in the ruins of their supercontinent: Zemuria.
Matterhorn's history was built by those who worked hard for the good of others, and it carried on its previous generations' honorable legacy by serving as a quiet mountain city that continued to be invaluable to the Pathway Kingdom by providing minerals and precious metals to all of the land. To say that Matterhorn was a merchant haven for those from neighboring and far-off nations would have been an understatement, for that cozy city that resided amongst the snowy-alpine forests below the mountains was a keystone for Zemuria's entire economy.
And just like the merchants who had come to seek their fortune within the towering walls that surrounded the secure economic center of the entire supercontinent, there sat an adventurous teenager with beautiful twin-tails made up of honey-colored strands of hair; her golden eyes daring and confident, as she entered one of the many supply stores that specialized in selling products relating to mountaineering.
Wearing thigh-high black boots with white fur around their top sleeves, similar to her long-sleeved and black gloves that she wore underneath her black blouse that she had underneath her stylish and expensive short-jacket and white-collared cloak, the teenager's extravagant fashion was radiating with a sense of entitlement; in other words, she fit right in with the rest of the young nobles who came to Matterhorn to use their family's inherited to make a name or a brand for themselves.
The shop owner— a large-burly man with bushy blond hair and a beard, who had eyeglasses on his button nose—smiled genuinely at the young teenager while standing behind the artisan-crafted checkout-counter where he had been sitting. "Good afternoon, young lady, welcome to "Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna"! I am Oaken, and how may I be of service to you on this fine day, hmmm~? " The shopkeeper asked with a flamboyant voice and accent that sounded as though he was singing; an exotic and pleasant intonation that was found within the native residents of Matterhorn, who learned to speak in that cadance and voice from the generations who came before them.
Needing to stifle in a chuckle from how amusing she found the seven foot-tall man's soft spoken voice and accent, the blond teenager who wasn't any older than fourteen raised a hand from the golden handle of her elegant and decorative rapier to clear her throat before speaking. "Yes, as a matter of fact I'm in need of your wares. Tell me Oaken: within your store's inventory, do you possess a sled, three stacks of firewood, an axe, keratin oil, a lantern, and an ample supply of provisions in the form of rations?" The slightly demanding teenager asked with an ambitious look on her smiling face, as if her voice alone was meant to rally the shopkeeper to fulfill her needs.
Having expected the honey-blond teenager to have asked him something along the lines of inventing in his business, or simply ordering en masse like the many other well-off entrepreneurs traveling at Matterhorn, the realization that she was coming to him as a paying customer instead of a potential business associate came off as a genuine shock to the burly pale-skinned mountain-man. From there, the shopkeeper called one of his employees over to escort the noble teenager around the large store; compiling the supplies and rations within the further backseat of the six-person sled that the teenager had chosen specifically.
Once the beautiful and somewhat entitled teenager had spent a better-half of an hour bossing the young employee, she returned to the counter to check out with the shopkeeper. Just as the experienced businessman had suspected, instead of pulling out a coin purse to fish out a handful of gold coins, the smug-looking teenager whipped out a leather-bound booklet from the inside of her fashionable black jacket; prompting him to return a knowing smirk to her, as he took out the inkwell and beautifully gold-crafted quill that he used to sign documents with nobles and merchants alike.
"Private checks~? Oooooo , I knew you were a noble the moment I saw you, young lady; you carry yourself like one," the shopkeeper jeered playfully, as he watched the teenager pull out a small dagger to use skillfully to tear one blank check from her booklet.
Uncapping the glass top of the inkwell, the teenager rolled her eyes while scoffing as she began to fill in the blank check with the amount she owed to the man. "Please, I'm so much more than some spoiled brat! You bask in the glory of the next platinum-ranked adventurer to be accepted within the guild; so remember the name "Noble Fencer", for you shall hear songs of praise in my name!" Noble Fencer declared with an ambitious-arrogance written all over her face, before silently cursing after noticing she had accidentally written the title she went by within the Adventurer's Guild, instead of her actual name.
The shopkeeper could feel his heart skipping a beat as he flinched back the moment Noble Fencer showcased her electro-kinesis by vaporizing the void check in her hand, before immediately cutting out another blank note to begin rewriting her information correctly into the dotted lines. "A-An a-adventurer…?! From the g-guild?!" The shopkeeper stammered out while still feeling on edge, as he used his trembling hand to cautiously take the filled check from the smug teenager, who had a mean spirited smirk on her lips as she saw how uneasy he was, knowing that she could vaporize him just as easily as she did to her shoddy paperwork.
"You heard correctly, good sir: my party and I have traveled all the way from Altair City, within the Calvard Republic! We've come to do what Pathway's guild members were unable to accomplish: we seek to annihilate the goblins within the Mythril Mountain stronghold, and begin the domino effect that shall lead to their extinction!" Noble Fencer declared righteously; filled with inspiration from her own words, while the native of Matterhorn gave her a look of worrying dread as he meekly placed the check into the magically warded safe that was within the shelf of his counter.
"… I was under the impression that the guild had suspended that particular quest. Yes… Yes, I even recall receiving a parchmen from Londobell's church about the unfortunate news… Perhaps you were unable to receive word of the recent news, due to traveling through the Eastern Desert? That's the only way to-and-from Calvard and Pathway, yes?" The shopkeeper mused, while trying to politely inform Noble Fencer that the quest was a lost cause, and that she wouldn't be receiving a reward for her efforts from Londobell.
Shaking her head while rolling her golden eyes at him, Noble Fencer proceeded to reach behind her to pull out a folded parchment paper that she had been keeping between her lower back, and the waistband of her burgundy skirt she wore over her black leggings. "The grandiose payment in of itself was never the appeal of the quest to me; my interest relies solely on the glory that'll come to me, when word spreads through Zemuria about how I, Relena Bernkastel, eldest daughter of the Bernkastel House, did what no one else— not even the legendary platinum ranked adventurers themselves— could have accomplished!" Noble Fencer declared self-righteously with an over inflated ego, as she dramatically tossed the folded pamphlet of the aforementioned news of the quest up into the air, before slicing-and-dicing into fine ribboned-shreds. "If nothing else, the quest being canceled due to it being considered too perilously for anything short of an army elevates its infamy; meaning that victory shall be all the more sweeter when my party and I claim it for ourselves!"
The man had a soft spot for theatrics in everyday life, and the teenager's words— no matter how self-indulgent they were— had moved him in a way that got him visibly excited. "Oh, very nice! You and your fellow adventurers must be unsung heroes; so selfless, and of course heroic…! Tell me, Noble Fencer: what rank are you and your companions?! Gold-rank, or perhaps aspiring silver-ranking veterans?!" The shopkeeper asked frantically; feeling too giddy to notice the way Noble Fencer's smile wavered.
With her once proud posture faulting into that of an uncertain poser, Noble Fencer was quick to regain her composure as her smile and stance returned to its normal-prideful appearance. "You have the honor of being the first person within Pathway Kingdom to know my title, Oaken! I'm a legend in the making; the genesis of my legacy begins with this quest! And as for my very, very loyal companions… The gods as my witness, I stand before you to exclaim to the heavens above that they will surely be only MILDLY disappointed when they hear that they will gain NO financial gain from this perilous quest before us! As soon as I get back to the makeshift camp we were forced to erect along the beaten path with these much-needed supplies, we shall continue on with our journey toward glory!"
"… Which brings me to my next request, Oaken of Matterhorn!" Noble Fencer continued; her pre-triumphant voice softening, as her confident smile became slightly embarrassed as she grinned wider with a worried look in her golden eyes. "The gods, uh… T-They must be challenging my resolve today, as I consider myself one of their most powerful warriors… With that being said, uh… Along with the news of my quest no longer being honored by the guild, I've come to discover that there are no reindeer left for immediate purchase today, so… Until tomorrow morning, I won't actually be able to transport these supplies to my companions… C-Can I pick the sled up in the morning? P-Pretty please?!"
Unsure whether or not she had smoozed the shopkeeper up with her charismatic charm, or if it was merely the fact that he was a genuinely good person who wanted to do his best to support her, Noble Fencer was able to walk out of the supply shop with a promise that her purchased goods would be kept safe, and available for her to pick up whenever she was ready to take them.
Keeping up her confident appearance, Noble Fencer made sure to walk with a strutting step as she made her way down the wooden stairs leading up to the front of the shop; keeping her head held up higher than it had any right to be, as she crossed the street before beginning to finally sulk her shoulders slightly, only once she knew she was completely out of the supply ship's immediate vicinity. ' That was… Utterly humiliating… I couldn't even give him a straight answer… Who would have known that having to resort to blabbering in order to avoid sounding pathetic, only makes one more pitiful than they already are? ' Noble Fencer mused cynically to herself, as she dragged her boots behind her while passing through the busy crowds of pediatricians; blending in the hustle and bustle of the late-afternoon foot traffic, as she passed by shopfront-after-shopfront.
' I suppose it doesn't matter now; what's done is done… But my damaged pride is the least of my worries. Most of them only agreed to come along with me because I promised them all that I would finance whatever provisions we would need to see this quest through… I can't imagine that any of them are going to want to continue on toward that stronghold; not when there's no monetary reward waiting for them, ' Noble Fencer thought dreadfully to herself, as she got a sickening feeling writhing in the bottom of her abdomen. ' The obvious answer is to deceive them from the truth, but… How would I be able to live with myself if any of them died chasing after a lie I told them? I… I can't have that. I'll just… I'll just use the sled and its supplies to get us back to Calvard; it's better to take our losses now and live to see another day afterward. '
Although it was demoralizing to come to terms with her decision, it was one that Noble Fencer knew to be the morally right choice to make. Feeling cathartic— since now she had an actual reason to hold her head up high now— Noble Fencer let out a heavy sigh as she continued to make her way through the crowds of friendly pediatricians; the snow lightly falling on top of her honey-colored twin-tails, as she proceed to make her way toward the welcoming doors of the tavern that she had seen earlier.
Having had a nippy nose, flushed ears and cheeks from how cold the brisk mountain air was outside, a sigh of relief almost involuntarily escaped Noble Fencer's cold lips after her body was enveloped in warmth from the multiple fireplaces and hearth that were placed around the two-story tall tavern and inn. True to the reputation of Matterhorn's famous hospitality, the hostess who greeted the fourteen year-old immediately offered to take Noble Fencer's white cloak, so as to hang it up inside the nearby storage-room within the lobby itself.
After the long trip on foot down the mountain, Noble Fencer gratefully handed the hostess her cloak before signing her name on the bottom of the waiting list. Resting her legs and feet, the teenager who was exhausted both physically and mentally crossed her arms over medium-sized breasts while getting cozy up against the back wall; her heavy eyelids fluttering as fires of the hearth that was built in the center of the lobby made her feel relaxed, as the gentle music being played by the band of bards from the first-floor bar room soothe her feeling of restlessness.
As her mind began to drift off into slumber, Noble Fencer light snoring was cut to an sudden halt the moment she was jolted awake by the the shriek of the hostess, followed by the sounds of every able bodied man and woman within the lobby getting up from their seats. "B-BLOODY HELL! I-IT'S HIM: T-THE RED-EYED MAN! H-HE'S FINALLY FUCKIN' BACK!" The hostess screamed out from the top of her lungs; a look of absolute terror filling her widened eyes, as she pointed a shaky finger over at the confused ten year-old who was standing beside an equally bewildered high-elf, and a protective white-haired knight who looked like a child herself.
One seven-foot tall man who Noble Fencer assumed to be a high-ranking adventurer— due to him being dressed from head-to-toe in heavy-steel plated-armor— approached the trio with his full party of companions, and took out a mighty golden claymore that he was wielding with just a single hand. All voices coming from the native residents within the tavern came to a hushed whisper, as everyone else but Noble Fencer watched with bated breath, as the armored man towered over the seemingly unphased child with dusty-rose colored eyes.
"In situations such as this, it is unwise for anyone to lose their composure. While you appear to be nothing more to a child of man, I've had enough encounters with possessions and shapeshifters to know better than to allow myself to be fooled by such disguises," the armored man explained in a deep-foreboding voice; his face through the three downward slits of his metal visor hid his facial features, which in of itself should have unnerved the still confused child who he was addressing.
Blinking a couple times, the boy nodded his head awkwardly at the hulking armored man before finally beginning to speak. "I… I'm sorry you feel that way?" The boy replied with a slightly uneasy smile forming on his lips, before shrugging his shoulders softly. "I'm just as confused as you are about all of this commotion. I don't know who or what the "Red-Eyed Man" is; all I know is that I saw a sign outside that was advertising a special on barbecued turkey legs, and I wanted to get in on that."
Nodded his head slowly, the armored man slightly lowered his weapon back down toward the floorboards as he reached up to rub his plated finger and thumb up against the bottom of his face-plate. "Understandable, for my companions and I have been drawn by the allure of reasonably-priced turkey legs as well… Still, as a paladin of the Supreme God, it is my duty to see to it that there's peace amongst the common… And for that, I require more information before I cast judgment upon you," the armored man declared; much to the annoyance of the white-haired knight standing beside the much more patient-looking boy.
"I mean… If it'll calm everyone's nerves down, then uh… Yeah, I think it would be in everybody's best interests if someone could explained what's going on here," the boy proclaimed cooperatively, which prompted the hostess to meekly volunteer herself to shed light on the situation; ensuring the stand behind her podium, and far away from where the boy was standing.
According to what the woman had to say, the reason behind her and several other people's cries of terror were due to an urban legend that every man and woman who was born in Matterhorn knew from their childhood. "Five-hundred… Five-hundred children, all snatched up from the safety of their own homes… Five-hundred little lives stolen from their grieving families… Many of us are still left with the burden of what that monster's done," the hostess said with a hollow tone in her accented voice; many around the room joined her solace by showing their own ways to mourn their own losses.
"The legend of the "Red-Eyed Man" has been told again, and again around these mountains and woods for generations now. Everyone in Matterhorn's had ancestors taken by him in the dead of night— that fear's lived in our homes for centuries now…"
"Long ago, there came a traveler to Matterhorn— one who supposedly had crimson red-eyes, long jet-black hair, and skin as pale as the moon. According to what's been passed down by those who had seen the Red-Eyed Man— back when he came to Matterhorn, when it was still just a mining town— he dressed like a noble, and carried himself properly, and yet… And yet there was an unexplainable uncanniness to him— it was said that everything about him was out of place, especially the way he always supposedly always smiled…"
"Everyone's ancestors all remember him claiming to be a "salesman", who had come to town looking for business. No one knew where he stayed, where he ate, or anything like that— he was always in the shadows, like a phantom. It wasn't until the first child was found murdered in their own bedroom did people claim that he became even more elusive afterward. Our ancestors weren't dumb, nor were they the kind of folk to sit on their asses and pray for divine intervention— the men began going out in groups to find and kill the Red-Eyed Man, as it was blatantly obvious that he was the one to blame…"
"The harder our families fought to protect themselves and to find him, the more common it became for children to end up dead in their own homes. It got to the point where families began to leave Matterhorn, but because of the war against the Imperium Empire, many of the men had to stay behind— by decree of King Alexander. But it didn't matter— no place was safe for them. Wherever those who left went to escape, death would follow them and spread throughout the land like a plague…"
"Ever since then, the murders have lessened and lessened, but have never gone away. Just when word of him begins to die out— when the fear of having a young child killed in their own home becomes seen as improbable— it's then that he returns… It's been less than a decade since the last killing, and we fear that it's only a matter of time until the Red-Eyed Man comes back— he always comes back."
Silence loomed over the waiting room, with the only audible sound being the combined breathing of the tavern's patrons, and the soft crackling of the fire, as though the flames themselves had been diminished by the suffocating melancholy within the air itself. Noble Fencer, taken aback— just like the half-elf who stood beside the shocked boy— was absolutely mortified at what she had heard, and felt righteously angered for the injustice that had happened to the people of Matterhorn.
' Dear gods… That's terrible. It's horrific that these people have been conditioned to live in constant fear that their child's the next one to be murdered… Just how many people have gotten away with such deplorable acts, all because these people blamed it all on some urban legend? ' Noble Fencer thought to herself with a sickening feeling twisting away at her stomach, as she looked away from the hostess who had been telling the story of the Red-Eyed Man to look toward the direction of where the boy and his high elf companion were standing.
The boy was silent, and had a hollow look in his dusty-rose colored eyes as his minty-green haired companion finally broke the silence with an angered voice. "Enough, is enough! He isn't the "Red-Eyed Man", so quit whispering about it! His name is " Ren Ashta", and he goes by " Goblin Slayer"; " Orcblog", to those of you who speak elvish," the half-elf announced in protective voice, as she tried humanizing the child standing beside her to those around them. "He didn't come here to cause any problems here! In fact, he came here all the way from Londobell to clear out that stronghold on the top of the mountains; just like his name implies, his only interest is in slaying every last one of those green-skinned bastar-!"
"-Londobell? You mean that village that produces dairy products? The same lot who refuse to change their title from that of "village", so as to avoid paying the taxes that come with being classified as a " city"?" The armored paladin interrupted, as his rebuttal alone was enough to begin forming new opinions on the already disliked child. "Ah… That makes sense now. Londobell sent a lamb to the slaughter in the form of this pitiful child— in an attempt to rally up the sympathy of those willing to come along to fight his battles for him— all for the sake of clearing out that stronghold, so that the dairy tycoons could transform that fortress into a cold-storage facility… What an underhanded, and needlessly desperate method to further their business toward the East."
Snapping out of his trance-like thought process, Goblin Slayer narrowed his unique eyes at the armored man who was spinning together a spiteful tale that painted him as a pawn, and Londobell as a village of greed itself. "… That's the most far-fetched thing I've EVERheard someone say! All of you've got to be the dumbest people on the face of this planet to even THINKthat obvious BULLSHITmade a lick of sense!" Goblin Slayer argued back in an outraged voice— accidentally insulting everyone who was native to Matterhorn in the process. "No one's ever cared about my eyes before… So why am I getting crap for it JUSTnow?"
Although she herself was absolutely loyal to him, Fairy Knight couldn't help but to vocalize the answer to Goblin Slayer's question that she figured to be obvious. "It's your thick bangs, Master; unless someone's actually paying attention to your facial features, it's quite hard to see your eyes through all that brown-hair that covers them up," Fairy Knight explained with a voice that sounded indifferent to those listening to her, while Noble Fencer and everyone watched as she nonchalantly lifted Goblin Slayer's bangs out of his eyes; giving everyone who was pouring into the lobby from the tavern itself a better view of his dusty-rose colored irises.
Feeling more self-conscious about his eyes, Goblin Slayer's cheeks were growing a shade of pink as he quickly raised his hands up to gently move Fairy Knight's hand away from his bangs; allowing them to fall back down, only because his servant purposefully moved her hand from his face on her own will. "I… Okay, that's a questionably far point— but still! It's not my fault that my eyes happened to look the way they do! I mean, t-they're not even THATred to begin with!" Goblin Slayer protested, after having gotten a bit riled up.
Giving the seven foot-tall Paladin a dirty glare, High Elf Archer immediately hooked her arm underneath Goblin Slayer's armpit; pulling the surprised child close against the side of her slender body, before giving everyone else around her a defiant stare as well. "I know what it's like to have your home forever tainted from the actions of those who are evil; to have neighbors and family members heartbroken from having those they loved taken away from them… But that doesn't excuse how you treat my friend. I thought Matterhorn was supposed to be home to the most selfless and kind people in all of the Pathway Kingdom… Guess that's just an urban legend too then, huh?" High Elf Archer asked rhetorically with a disapproving tone in her voice; causing the natives of Matterhorn who had rallied up against Goblin Slayer to lower their heads in shame, as guilt for what they had done and said began to eat away at their hearts.
"Whatever… We don't need any of you; we can make our own tavern, and serve ourselves just fine," High Elf Archer declared with a defiant tone, before excitingly shaking Goblin Slayer as she turned her head over her shoulder to smile down at him with a rebellious look on her beautiful face. "How about it, Orcblog? Do you think BB-Sensei can make a copy of this place outside of Matterhorn? I can hunt some wild turkeys for us, and you can make whatever you want using those fancy machines I saw you use at the lake house!" High Elf Archer suggested, while beginning to pull Goblin Slayer out toward the exit of the tavern.
With how softly Goblin Slayer spoke, Noble Fencer was unable to hear what he said in his response to High Elf Archer. What she did see however was Goblin Slayer using his free hand to tap away at the air beside his hip, before nodding at his green-haired companion as she and Fairy Knight left the unwelcoming warmth of the tavern's lobby, so as to embrace the free-chilling air outside. Once the trio had left, murmurs began to erupt amongst the room, with some patrons already beginning to vocalize their own theories about Goblin Slayer being connected to the Red-Eyed Man himself.
That was when all of a sudden Noble Fencer saw the armored paladin turning around to beckon his companions closer to him; the six-man party forming a circle near the dying embers of the hearth they were all crowding near. Unable to keep her mouth shut, Noble Fencer immediately stood up and asked "Where the hell do you think you're all going?!"
Turning his fully covered head over his massive steel pauldron to look over at the fourteen year-old who had put the spotlight on him and his five other companions, the paladin's invisible glare made Noble Fencer feel uncomfortable as the two of them stared at one another. It was then that finally the seven foot-tall man replied to her in his intimidating voice by saying "I have made my judgment," before looking away from Noble Fencer, as he led his companions out into the cold outside.
Standing there frozen to the spot, the honey-blond teenager was absolutely shocked from the implication made by those few words spoken by the paladin. ' Does… Does that mean him and his party are actually going to kill him?! He's just a kid, and over what?! Some paranoid story coming from some middle-aged woman working at a tavern?! In what world does that validate murdering a literal child?! Hell, the six of them wouldn't be any better than the Red-Eyed Man! ' Noble Fencer thought angrily to herself, before turning her gaze to the room full of grown men and women. "Is no one else really going to do anything about that?! It's obvious that those assholes are going to try to kill him! Doesn't that piss anyone else off?!" The teenager demanded with a furious righteousness in her golden eyes.
That's when a man, who was with Noble Fencer could only figure to be his spouse, meekly stood up with an uneasy look on his face. "W-What if… What if that man was right? What if… What if that child really is some sort of second-coming of the Red-Eyed Man? Surely it's no coincidence that someone like him returned to Matterhorn, out of all places to go?" The man reasoned, which only made Noble Fencer arch an eyebrow at him while glaring judgmentally at him and his female partner.
"… Absolutely disgraceful. I can't believe that I actually gave a damn about what anyone in this place thought about me," Noble Fencer muttered spitefully under her breath; just loudly enough for the whole room full of silent patrons to hear. Shaking her head to herself while sporting a methodical expression on her face, Noble Fencer furrowed her thin eyebrows before suddenly raising her head up while approaching the hostess, who was shaken up after having to relive through the trauma she had once thought was all behind her.
Flinching after feeling the honey-blond teenager's hand momentarily clamp down on her shoulder as she passed by, the middle-aged woman immediately felt guilt and self-hatred bubbling inside of her as she tried to maintain eye-contact with the younger female who was now standing right in front of her. "I… I'm sorry…" The woman uttered out with tears trailing down her cheeks, while bracing herself to receive the blame she thought she rightfully deserved.
Instead of casting her judgment onto the woman for having caused the commotion in the first place, Noble Fencer gave her a firm stare before finally patting her comfortingly on the shoulder. "No you're not… None of you are." Leaving the tavern while donning her elegant ivory-white cloak over her petite shoulders, Noble Fencer took to the streets to begin using her hunting tactics to trail after the adventurers who were planning on taking the life of the boy who she needed to speak to for herself.