The Guardians' Throne - The First Magic Swordsman

              After checking the armor, Zaos bought a set of the dark knives as well, he wanted to test those, but he couldn't do it at such a place since he had no experience.

"I guess I will get a long steel bow as well," Zaos said once he found one that seemed pretty powerful.

              It was also time to find a bow that will stay with him for several years. It was a pain to get used to the new ones, after all. But then Zaos recalled, would it be better a bow or a crossbow?

"Can you make bolts like this using the same material of this armor?" Zaos asked.

"I can, but why do you need such expensive bolts since you will end up losing them?" The tanned man asked.

"I can always recover after using them," Zaos replied. "Anyway, I want three sets of thirty. Please make them exactly like this one."

                Zaos had bought one bolt of his rapid-fire crossbow. Although it would be troublesome to recover them, it will be more convenient since they will cause more damage at close quarters.

"Each will cost you 2 gold coins," the shop owner said.

"How much discount can I obtain if I pay for all of this right now?" Zaos asked.

"The armor costs 200, but I can sell for 180. The knives are forty, but I can sell them for thirty-five," The man replied. "As for the bolts… I can sell all of them for 150 gold coins."

"Here are your 365 gold coins. When can I have my bolts?" Zaos asked.

"In one week," the tanned man replied. "Take this belt. It will be easier to store the knives on them."

            That whole appearance with the knives, the dark armor, and the crossbow seemed familiar to Zaos for some reason. Yet, he couldn't imagine why… Regardless, he took his things home and stored everything in his room without wasting any more time. The place was getting quite cramped. So, Zaos considered buying or renting a place in the city to 

store his things, it would be better than leaving it at home.

                The rest of the day passed really fast, and then the following day, while he was training, Zaos suddenly saw Nyana approaching… he had forgotten about her day off because of the armor.

"Zaos!" Nyana said and ran to approach him.

"Hey, here is the number one student of the magic school," Zaos smiled and then patted Nyana's head. "It has been a while."

"Who told you that I am the number one student of the magic school?" Nyana asked, slightly puzzled. 

"No one, I came up with that just now, but I heard that you were one of the bests," Zaos said and then patted Nyana again. "I am proud of you."

"Geez, stop patting me all the time," Nyana said. "I am a kid anymore."

"Right, right," Zaos said.

"You look well," Nyana said. "Everyone heard about your tales in the country in the East."

"The heroic tales of Zaos Sielders, that almost died three times in a row and then had to spend more than a month unconscious thanks to that," Zaos said, showing a self-mocking smile. "I am sure a book with that title would sell well."

"Putting that part aside, I am sure that everything else would be great in a book," Nyana said. "When the people at school heard the whole story, they talked about it for two weeks straight. By the way, is it true that you taught the princess some magic and that she was the one who killed the enemy that caused all of you so much trouble?"

"That is right," Zaos replied.

"Heh… I guess she isn't just some sheltered princess," Nyana furrowed her eyebrows.

"It seems her adventurers also made someone around here seek adventure," Zaos said. "Why do you want to join the military? These are difficult times for our kingdom, and while I think that you will succeed in no matter what you do, there are other parts in the life of a member of the army that even you will find difficult."

"I am ready for that. I want to make a name for myself as well," Nyana said.

"Well, that is your life, and you can do whatever you want it with it," Zaos said. "Just remember, if I see you in the army, I will pat you in the head every single time."

"That would be too much…" Nyana said and then dropped her shoulders.

                  Nyana really grows up in the last months. She was even easier to talk to if compared to the last time. Probably because that stuff about being one of the bests of magic school boosted her ego a little bit. Zaos will worry once she is sent to help any part of the kingdom, but in the end, that was the only thing he could do.

                  In the end, Zaos and Nyana spent the rest of the day talking in detail about his adventures in Vezar. While Zaos's version was very different since it wasn't glamourized by rumors, Nyana couldn't help but wonder if he was being overly humble or something else.

"The graduation will be in six months. Once that is done, you can teach me magic just like back in the day," Nyana said before leaving. 

"I am sure I am the one who has more to learn than anything," Zaos said and then wavered his hand. "See you next time."

                  Nyana did the same and then left the mansion as well. It seemed that she also has some vacations of the magic school every year, but he missed all of those because of work. Nevertheless, Zaos was sure that they will be able to catch up with the lost time in the future. There was no reason to hurry since Zaos wasn't going anywhere.

                  After eating his dinner, Zaos saw himself in his room without knowing what to do with his free time. He needed to start thinking seriously about what to focus on for now…