Agares stepped out of Nadia's family home and walked toward the village center. Fortunately for him, Faircallen Village had two blacksmith shops—one located in the center, and the other on the outskirts.
He paused when he saw a crowd gathered in front of the blacksmith in the village center. Agares didn't recognize who they were.
Still, it wouldn't be wise to approach that place and ask about saber equipment. Those people might grow suspicious of him.
He asked one of the villagers about the other blacksmith in the village, and the man gladly told him. Apparently, the shop wasn't too far from the center. Agares just hoped there wouldn't be a crowd at the other location.
After learning the exact location, Agares took an alternate route and left the village center behind. The farther he walked, the more distant the central hub became.
From a distance, Agares saw a quiet blacksmith shop—just the kind he preferred. The entire outskirts area was peaceful and rarely visited, frequented only by local residents.
Standing in front of the shop, he saw suits of armor, spears, shields, bows, and swords on display. Despite the low number of customers, the equipment appeared well-maintained.
"Welcome," greeted the shopkeeper, a middle-aged man.
"Looking for something?" he asked, glancing at Agares without suspicion.
Agares pulled out his coin pouch and took out five gold coins. He had no idea how much armor and a sword would cost; he simply asked the man to provide him with the best equipment available.
"Alright. Do you want heavy or light armor?" the man asked to clarify his preference.
"Give me light armor."
"Will do."
The shopkeeper went inside and retrieved several well-kept, sheathed swords. He also brought out light armor that matched Agares's request.
After a 10-minute wait, the man returned carrying the armor and three swords.
"This is your light armor. Though it's lightweight, I guarantee it will protect you from slashes or stabs of any kind," the man assured him.
But Agares's attention was drawn to the swords—three longswords placed on a wooden table. They had different ornamentation but shared the same weapon type.
"Go ahead, choose whichever sword you like," the man said.
Of the three, the first and third felt too light, making Agares doubt their blade quality. But the second sword was different—heavier, with purple flame ornaments and a black sheath.
When Agares drew it, he saw the blade was pitch black with a sturdy hilt. It felt like the perfect sword for him.
"I'll take this one," Agares said firmly. The man smiled broadly and nodded.
"Are you an adventurer?" he asked. Agares nodded to maintain the ruse.
"In that case, would you mind if I spent the remaining money on HP potions?" the man offered.
"Go ahead," Agares replied.
The man nodded and brought out 10 level-1 HP Potions, each capable of restoring 20 HP.
"Let me help you put the armor on," the man offered.
He took the armor and carefully fitted it onto Agares's body. Agares allowed him to help, though he refused to wear the helmet, as it would limit his field of vision.
In appearance, Agares now looked completely different. He hadn't expected this turn of events—living in a medieval era, hunted by an empire, dressed in armor, and wielding a sword.
"You look impressive, sir," the man said.
The sword now rested at Agares's waist, ready for a quick draw. He also purchased a magic pouch to store his belongings and a map of the continent.
Fortunately, the shopkeeper had one. Now, Agares was ready to head toward the Red Line and carry out the mission given to him by Priestess Ara.
"Are you going on an important mission, buying all this gear?" the man asked.
"Yes," Agares answered curtly.
"Not many adventurers choose swords as their weapon. Be careful out there, sir."
"I know what I'm doing," Agares said sharply.
The man gave him a long cloak as a bonus. With it draped over him, Agares headed west from the shop.
According to the map, the Red Line lay westward. He would have to pass through three towns to reach the border and enter the dangerous region.
'A horse-drawn carriage would get me there, but if I'm not mistaken, I'll have to stop at several towns along the way, like transit points,' Agares thought.
'That's exhausting. It's better if I just buy a horse,' he reasoned.
He checked the map again and saw a few horse ranches marked. Hopefully, one of them had a horse strong and fast enough for him.
Agares changed his path and entered the village outskirts. From afar, he could already hear the neighing of multiple horses.
His arrival—marked by the clinking of his armor—caught the attention of the stable owner, who bowed respectfully.
"Are you here to buy one of my horses, sir?" the man asked.
"Do you have a horse that's strong and agile?" Agares inquired.
"I do. Please wait a moment."
Soon, the man returned, leading two large horses—one brown and the other black. Agares was drawn to the black one. It looked calm as he reached to touch its head.
"How much?" he asked.
"For that horse, one gold coin," the man replied.
Agares pulled out another coin and bought the horse. As a bonus, the man added a saddle to ensure a comfortable ride.
"Are you an adventurer?" he asked while fitting the saddle.
"Yes."
"You use a sword. Be careful out there, sir."
"Enough with the warnings. Just finish the preparations," Agares snapped, tired of hearing the same advice.
His proud black horse was ready. Agares climbed into the saddle and rode off without saying goodbye.
Before leaving for good, he needed to visit Nadia's family one last time—to bid them farewell. After all, they had helped him when he was at his lowest.
It didn't take long. Riding swiftly through the village's main road, he arrived at Nadia's home. Nadia's mother looked shocked—the injured man from earlier now stood proud in armor and sword, atop a black horse.
"You… you're not fully recovered yet," she said in surprise.
"I can't stay here long. There's something I need to do," Agares replied.
Nadia stepped out and gasped in awe. The man before her now looked noble and formidable on horseback.
"Well then… I don't know who you really are, but please be careful."
"Thank you for taking care of me. I promise I'll return someday to repay your kindness," said Agares firmly.
"Don't mention it. We only did what we had to do."
Agares gave Nadia a quick glance—she looked uneasy seeing him like this, so different from before. After his brief farewell, Agares spurred his horse and rode away from their home.
In no time, he had left Faircallen Village behind. Though he had a physical map, he still needed real-time navigation to reach the next town.
"Nyx," he called.
[System Call!]
[System Activated]
[Nyx here. How can I assist you, master?]
"Do you have a navigation feature?" asked Agares, still riding along the dirt road.
[Of course. I have a digital map feature.]
Agares slowed his horse as a digital map panel appeared before him. In his mind, he probably didn't need to buy that paper map from the blacksmith.
[What is your destination, master?]
He tapped one of the regions on the Red Line, just outside the borders of Caer Vireth Kingdom. Nyx scanned the location and immediately activated smart navigation to guide him on the fastest route.
[Initiating smart navigation]
[Destination: Morgor Mountains]
[1%] [100%]
[Route found]
[I've found two fastest routes to your destination. Which one will you choose, master?]
Agares examined the map. A green line showed two paths—one requiring stops at multiple cities, the other cutting through forests and hills as an alternate route.
"Activate the second route!"
[Understood, master.]
With his gear ready and his skills prepared, Agares's dangerous journey in pursuit of justice had officially begun.