I'm a Immortal Tavernkeeper, But My S-Rank Daughter Doesn't Know That!

In the world to which Victor and the others have been teleported, magic doesn’t follow simple patterns. It manifests itself in ways as varied as the stars in the night sky.

Some people are born with it as an ancestral inheritance, a legacy that can be both a blessing and a curse. Others are genetic aberrations, bearers of gifts that defy the laws of nature. And there are those who, without any family or divine ties, discover in themselves an innate talent for manipulating the Den, that subtle energy that permeates all things, in an unconscious and limited, but almost innate way.

Over the centuries, sages and scholars have pondered questions without definitive answers, trying to decipher the mysteries of magic.

Some sages have looked to the heavens for explanations, while others have plumbed the depths of the human soul in search of explanations.

However, a consensus on magic was never reached, and people’s extraordinary powers remained shrouded in mystery.

However, like a silent current that shapes the land over time, popular wisdom has spread. The belief that magic is intrinsically woven into all things became an almost unquestionable axiom. Thus, the ancient customs of the Celts, who revered the forests as guardians of magic, have resurfaced in many places around the world.

For hunters in particular, this belief became an indisputable truth. So they came to see trees as monuments of power, beacons for supernatural creatures and various races of monsters, as well as being powerful receptacles of magic.

Therefore, that ancient oak in the center of that clearing in the Evergreen Forest was no ordinary tree; on the contrary, precisely because it was so old, it was so special and accumulated an enormous amount of magic, which fed the Blights and served as a nest for them.

The Pyaxu warrior raised his sword, concentrating to perform a special technique, and the tip of his sword blade began to glow a light blue. In the next instant, he swung his sword and a trail of light followed the path the sword took.

His sword cut through the air with impressive speed, and when the blade hit the trunk of the oak tree, a wave of magical energy spread out.

The energy inside the oak was dense, but Pyaxu roared and used all the strength he had. In the next moment, the trunk of the oak was finally pierced through and all the evil energy inside leaked into the sky like a chimney, causing all the Blights, including the Aberrant, to stop moving.

Victor, in the midst of his struggle, saw the Aberrant falter when the source of magic that sustained it was cut off, and then the monster fell completely to the ground, which caused a crash that spread throughout the forest, shaking the trees and scaring the crows.

Around the clearing, all the Blights began to fall to their knees and then to crumble, drying up as if they had been burnt.

The ancient oak began to wither quickly too, and its majestic size became a mere memory as it adopted the shape of a thin, dry and twisted tree, like a raisin.

Pyaxu and Riggilo observed the result of their work, breathing heavily and relieved, and the sacred barrier around them fell shortly afterwards.

"That’s it!" Orie shouted, raising his bow as he approached his companions. "We did it!"

Victor approached Riggilo and Pyaxu. "You’ve managed to do what I asked. Congratulations." He said.

Pyaxu lowered his sword, still panting, but with a smile of accomplishment. "It was great teamwork. We wouldn’t have made it if we hadn’t worked together."

Riggilo agreed, finally looking a little more relaxed. "Ah! What a relief that we made it, that Aberrant was quite a surprise."

"Before we rest, let’s clean up and get the spoils," suggested Victor, pointing to the bodies of the Blights. "The cores inside those monsters could be worth a lot of money, it would be a shame to let them disintegrate along with the bodies. Let’s not miss this opportunity."

"That’s true, and we also need to make sure that no trace of evil energy remains here. Even the smallest sprout could trigger another problem for the local community." Riggilo said.

"Let’s split up to do this faster," suggested Orie, already starting to inspect the remains of a Blight for its core.

As Blights were rare creatures, the energy in their distorted cores could be worth a fortune on the black market, so it wasn’t safe to leave them there for anyone to pick up either.

"These cores are dangerous if misused," warned Victor as he stuck his hand into the corpse of a Blight. "But if treated correctly, they can be a powerful tool in the hands of good craftsmen. From these cores can be extracted some nutrient-rich substances that are used in the treatments of diseases and curses."

Riggilo’s eyebrows arched when Victor explained.

"Victor, you’re very different from what I imagined about you when you came to us in the Association building."

Victor then took out the core from inside the Blight that he was rummaging through, a core that looked more like a rose. He put it in his bag, stood up and asked the cleric:

"Why? Did you think I was some kind of profiteering hunter who would let you do all the work by yourself?"

Riggilo nodded. "Actually, to be honest, I thought you were weak. You know, it’s not common to see hunters at such an advanced age still in the workforce. Usually, we either get jobs that take us off the road or we die trying."

The white-haired hunter laughed bitterly. "HA! That’s true... I think I am, or at least was, the case with the first option. I used to run a small tavern in the far north, but now I have to travel to... treat an illness."

Hearing Victor’s story, Pyaxu was surprised, but luckily he was crouching down with his back to the hunter he admired so much.

’He’s a retired hunter, he’s sick and he’s fighting like that? Incredible!’ Pyaxu thought and his face flushed slightly.

"Now enough about me, let’s get the spoils and build a fire to burn these bodies. There’s still an evil spirit in this forest." Victor said to the boys.

Riggilo and the others laughed at the way Victor spoke, and felt at that moment that, in a way, working with Victor was like working with their parents.

Seconds later, as they struggled to extract the Blights’ cores, Orie suddenly caught the sound of footsteps in the low grass of the clearing with his pointed ears. With his keen hunter’s instinct alerting him to the approach of something or someone, he raised his eyes and his bow simultaneously, it was then that he saw a mulatto-skinned man standing in front of him suddenly, as if he had emerged from the shadows.

When Orie’s eyes met this man, he immediately recognized the striking resemblance to the hero Elban, the legendary warrior who had a statue in the central square of Agocester Village. He had been in Agocester for a few weeks and had obviously seen that statue and therefore that face dozens of times.

However, unlike the statue, the man in front of them had mulatto skin, hair as dark as night and smooth skin.

Orie was speechless, motionless and unsure how to react, but Elban also appeared in Pyaxu’s field of vision, who without hesitation stood up and pointed at the man.

"Who are you?"

Elban smiled, revealing white teeth that contrasted with his dark skin, and raised both hands to show that he posed no danger.

"Hello, hunters. I’d say it’s an honor to meet you, but the circumstances and reasons that bring me to you are... alarming. Can you listen to me for a minute?"