Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 620: Sparring Partner

Behal Town, Cormier Kingdom.

This small town was situated in the eastern region of the Southern Federation. It was encircled by a low wooden fence for protection against the handful of beasts or goblins that managed to slip through the forest in the north.

A single dirt road winded through the town, serving as its main road. Smaller footpaths branched off, leading to modest homes, workshops, and fields on the outskirts.

Adam walked on one such footpath as he passed through the gates of the town. His destination was the new tavern that had recently opened. It was called Boarʼs Ale.

He absentmindedly walked to the tavern, his heart filled with apprehension. ”Itʼs going to be fine… itʼs going to be fine,” he kept reassuring himself. ”They promised it would only be for a week… yes, they promised…”

A few days ago, Adam had run out of money. He wasnʼt able to find work for a while, causing him to be unable to buy food for himself and Anna. Moreover, it was also becoming more and more difficult to hunt animals because of the approaching winter.

It was fine if he starved for a day or two, he was used to it. But Anna was in a state of recovery and she had to have at least one meal a day to stay healthy.

In his moment of desperation, Adam decided to do something that he had never done before - theft.

Alas, he was caught red-handed trying to steal a loaf of bread. It had to be known that this was a piece of bread that was left over by a customer. Yet, he was caught nonetheless and made to pay for his so-called crime.

Needless to say, the people running the tavern werenʼt exactly the righteous bunch.

Adam arrived before the entrance of the tavern. It was early in the morning, so it was empty. Besides, the population of Behal wasnʼt big to begin with.

He loudly gulped, gazing at the wooden doors of the tavern in fear. ”Only two more days… then theyʼll let me go.” He encouraged himself.

The boy took a deep breath and forced a smile. He then entered the tavern, meekly looking at the people inside. There werenʼt any customers, only a few staff and the owner.

He walked up to the burly bald man sitting behind the counter and drinking a mug of ale, and sheepishly said, ”B-Boss, Iʼm here.”

The bald man, in his drunken stupor, looked down at the raven-haired boy. ”Oh? If it isnʼt our little practice dummy.”

Adam lowered his head, hiding the nervousness in his eyes.

The bald man gazed at him with ominous intentions and said, ”Go clean the kitchen and the lavatories first. Then, clean the main hall. After that come look for me.”

Adam mustered the courage to look at the owner and speak, ”B-Boss, my body hurts from last time… Can we skip today?”

The man glared at him. ”Did you forget the deal we had? Seven days! If I go easy on you, everyone in town will think lightly of Boarʼs Ale. Theyʼll think they can get away with anything they do here!”

His grin turned diabolical and he added, ”I canʼt let that happen now, can I? So I must make an example out of you. Be grateful that youʼre still in one piece. Back in my village, they would cut the hands of a thief if they were caught.”

Adamʼs body began to uncontrollably tremble. He feared what would happen to him. He feared that he would be unable to take it. Despite it all, he still had to do it.

”Youʼll still give me food… right, Boss?” He asked with hopeful eyes.

The bald man looked at his pitiful and miserable appearance and felt that the ale in his cup had turned bitter. He spat on Adamʼs face and roared, ”Get outta my sight, ya filthy animal! One more question and Iʼll beat you myself!”

Adam hurriedly bowed, not even bothering to wipe the spit on his face. ”Y-Yes, Boss!” He then ran to the kitchen and began his work.

While all of this was happening, a tiny bird with orange feathers was sitting on a window sill and silently observing everything.

The bird watched as Adam cleaned the kitchen. It watched as the staff in the tavern ridiculed him. It watched as Adam endured all the insults with a forced smile on his face.

After having worked the entire morning and afternoon, he was finally done. But what awaited him next made him afraid. Truly afraid.

The boy stood inside the tavern, looking at the door leading to the entrance of the back alley. He saw how all the staff were heading out as if they were about to witness something entertaining.

I donʼt wanna go! I donʼt wanna go! He screamed inwardly.

BAM!

Suddenly, he was hit in the back of the head. He fell to his knees, clutching his head in agony. He saw the perpetrator walk from behind him with a snicker.

”Whatʼre you waiting for, thief?” Said a boy who appeared to be the same age as Adam. He greatly resembled the owner of the tavern, except he had a head full of brown hair.

Adam got to his feet and bowed. ”Y-Yes, sir…” He then followed behind the ownerʼs son.

The orange bird silently watched it all. It then flapped its wings and flew around the building. Then, it landed in an inconspicuous spot that overlooked the back alley.

A small group of people—all of them tavern staff—stood in the alley. The bald owner of the tavern crouched beside his son and laughed, ”Son, if you want to be the Baronʼs knight, you must first become a squire. For that, you need to learn how to fight.”

”Yes, father!” The boy grinned, maliciously gazing at Adam who was standing in front of him with a stick in hand.

”Good lad!” The bald man patted his back. ”Now, go spar with him.”

The boy looked at Adam who was shivering in fear and mocked, ”Come at me, farm boy!”

Adam lowered his head in a panic, ”S-Sir, I dare not! I dare not!”

”I said come at me!” The boy roared angrily. ”If you donʼt take this seriously, you wonʼt be getting any food today!”

Adamʼs eyes reddened. His grip around the stick tightened as he gritted his teeth in fury. He screamed at the top of his lungs and dashed toward his opponent.

Of course, the result of the spar was completely one-sided.

The orange bird watched as Adam was ruthlessly beaten by the other boy. Meanwhile, the tavern owner laughed out loud while enjoying ale. At the same time, the other staff made bets as to how much longer Adam would be able to last.

After about thirty minutes, Adam finally fell to the ground, completely bruised, battered, and exhausted. His opponent was heavily sweating at this point. He couldnʼt help but exclaim, ”Heʼs quite sturdy, I must say.”

”Haha, thatʼs why heʼs the perfect sparring partner for you, son.” The bald owner laughed out loud. He then looked at his staff and instructed, ”Alright, everyone, back to work. Hopefully, we get a few customers in the evening.”

Once everyone started to head back inside the tavern, Adam weakly called out, ”Wait… my food… You promised me!”

”Ah, almost forgot!” The tavern owner chuckled lightly. He then looked at another staff and ordered, ”Get him some leftover food from the kitchen.”

”Yes, boss!” The man quickly went inside and came out with a small bag of vegetables and a half-eaten loaf of bread. He threw it at Adamʼs face before heading back into the tavern, shutting the door behind him.

A faint smile crept up on Adamʼs bruised face as he tightly grabbed onto the bag of food like it was the most precious treasure in the world. ”Great… I can rest a little now…” Then, he slowly closed his eyes.

The orange bird secretly watched everything unfold.

And so did two other figures…