Lumberjack Louis Gerald left on a long journey for the first time in his life with his wife Merelda and son Johnny. Merelda was worried until the last moment about whether their neighbor would remember to feed the chickens, whether someone would steal their household items, and whether this big decision was a waste of effort.
Despite her worries, Louis reassured her confidently.
“Don’t worry. The mage must have given us the travel money for a reason, right? It’s four gold coins, after all.”
“But I can’t help but worry. I’m afraid we might be wasting money. We could use that money to buy more chickens and sheep…”
“It’ll be fine. Just trust me, dear.”
Louis tried to sound confident, but he too felt a bit scared. However, if the head of the family showed fear, then who would his wife and son believe in?
Six-year-old Johnny was excited, not knowing what his parents were feeling. He had only lived in a small rural village with thirty households and was going to a city for the first time, so it was natural for him to feel excited.
“Dad, Mom, are we really going to the city? There will be so many people there, right? And there will be mages too, right?”
“Yes, Johnny. There will be lots of people and mages.”
It took them a month of hard work to travel from the rural village to the city of Ronadium, where the Mage Tower stood.
They passed through various villages along the way. Johnny sang every day about when they would arrive at the city. Each time, Louis told him they would arrive after ten more nights.
Finally, after much hardship, the three of them arrived at the city of Ronadium, the home of the Mage Tower. They had spent two gold coins on their journey. Although they could have been more frugal, Louis did not want to make Johnny sleep in a barn.
They needed money for everything, and having never left the village before, they were amazed by the overwhelming sight of the city. Unlike them, everyone in the city seemed stylish. Louis warned his wife and son to be careful of their behavior since they wouldn’t know who was a noble.
Johnny, who had never seen a city before, was ecstatic and jumped around.
“Mom, Dad! Look! The buildings are huge! There are so many interesting things, and there are lots of mages too!”
Seeing his son so happy, Louis and Merelda felt good too. Louis wished his son wouldn’t have to spend his entire life like him, stuck in a rural village. Merelda was ready to send her son out into the world, knowing it was for his own good. As the saying goes, one must play in big waters to become a big person.
“Honey, where do we go now?”
“Let’s see… I heard we need to go to the Mage Tower…”
Louis cautiously asked a passerby if the large tower they saw was indeed the Mage Tower. The passerby, seeing his shabby appearance, kindly confirmed it.
“That’s the Mage Tower.”
Louis was surprised. He had suspected it, and sure enough, it was. He wondered seriously if he should really go to such a huge tower.
When he told his wife they needed to go to the tower, she was equally surprised.
“What if the high-ranking officials scold us? Is this place really correct? What if we came to the wrong place?”
“…Let’s go. I doubt the mage would lie to us. After all, they gave us a lot of money.”
The three of them prepared themselves and headed towards the huge tower in the center. The closer they got, the more stylish mages they saw. Johnny ran up to every passerby, saying “Hello!” and bowing deeply. Most mages laughed heartily at the cute little boy and greeted him back. Even his parents couldn’t stop him. For Johnny, greeting the mages had become his mission.
After asking several times, the three of them finally reached the grand entrance of the Mage Tower. There was a long line, and Louis, Merelda, and Johnny joined it.
After waiting for a while, it was finally their turn. When the inspector asked why they were there, Louis froze in surprise.
“I-I was told by a mage to come here…”
“Who told you?”
“A mage named Mildred. So, if you say I am a descendant of a Dragon Knight, you’ll understand…”
Louis cautiously handed over a letter to the inspector. After quickly checking the letter, the inspector said they should wait and entered the inspection room hurriedly. Soon, he came out with the inspector-in-chief.
Louis was nervous, thinking something might have gone wrong. But the inspector-in-chief approached Louis, bowed respectfully, and welcomed him.
“Welcome, Mr. Louis Gerald. We’ve been expecting you.”
Louis and Merelda were astonished, almost jumping out of their skin. Johnny, delighted as always, bowed deeply to the inspector-in-chief.
The inspector-in-chief invited the three of them inside personally. When they boarded the automatic elevator, the couple felt like they were in a dream. Johnny curiously asked what this was.
“This is an automatic elevator. It can take you up to higher floors without using stairs.”
“Wow!”
Johnny continued to exclaim in amazement until they got off.
When they arrived at the floor prepared for distinguished guests, they followed a long corridor. Louis was so overwhelmed he felt his mouth go dry.
At the end of the corridor, the inspector-in-chief handed them over to a staff member and returned to the inspection office. The female staff member led them to their accommodations.
“You can stay here. Someone will be coming soon.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Louis and Merelda were disoriented. They wondered if they truly belonged here. Of course, Johnny just jumped around happily, saying how nice the room was.
“The room is great, Dad! Mom, come look! You can see everything outside! It’s so high up!”
“Don’t touch anything recklessly!”
Merelda was cautious with every move, fearing any misunderstandings from the other side.
But Louis laughed heartily, grateful for such luxury.
“Is this really true? A Dragon Knight is such a great person, isn’t he?”
“I don’t think the mage would lie. Don’t worry and wait. Someone will come.”
The three of them lay on soft feather beds for the first time, instead of the scratchy straw ones.
While they were talking excitedly, someone knocked on the door. They quickly got up and straightened their clothes. Despite their shabby appearance, they still had manners.
When Louis opened the door, a handsome young man greeted him warmly.
“Good day, Mr. Louis Gerald. My name is Mage Yuric.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Sir Mage.”
“You can call me Yuric.”
“How could I…”
“It’s really okay.”
Yuric also greeted Merelda and Johnny. Johnny bowed several times in excitement at meeting a new mage.
“Hi, Johnny.”
Yuric sincerely thanked Louis for the dedication of his ancestor, Dragon Knight Gerald.
“Sir Gerald, your ancestor, did great deeds for humanity. Though late, I express my deepest gratitude. Thank you.”
Hearing Yuric’s heartfelt thanks, Louis felt a tickle in his chest and his nose sting.
When he was young, his mother sometimes mentioned that they had a great ancestor.
“So, you should be proud, Louis.”
Louis realized his mother was right.
“There will be a dinner tonight. You can see where your ancestor worked and dine with other descendants.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
“It’s our pleasure.”
Yuric asked the staff to lend the Gerald family formal attire for the banquet.
For the first time, the three of them wore fancy clothes, though they felt a bit uncomfortable. But they couldn’t attend the banquet in their usual outfits.
“We’re ready.”
Yuric led the Gerald family to the underground area and entered a passage together.
At the end of the passage was a vast space with lavish lighting. Many people gathered here, dressed in formal attire, some looking as unfamiliar as Louis.
When Yuric and the Gerald family arrived, the dinner began.
“Would you like to see those stone plaques?”
Everyone turned to look at the stone plaques on the wall.
“On those plaques are the names of your ancestors. They were all Dragon Knights. Some are known, others are not. I think we should honor their contributions and sacrifices. And I believe their descendants should know about these great deeds.”
As the host, Yuric bowed politely to everyone.
“On behalf of our ancestors, I thank you.”
Some smiled, others shed tears.
“Enjoy your visit today.”
Soft music played, and people began to eat.
Grandpa, sitting next to Johnny, smiled warmly at the boy eating enthusiastically.
“Grandpa, aren’t you eating?”
“Take your time.”
Johnny gave some of his delicious food to Grandpa. The old man appreciated the child’s good nature.
He asked Louis about his ancestor’s name.
“Sir Gerald, sir.”
“Heh heh, this must be fate.”
The old man introduced himself as Orga Antinos, a Baron.
“Sir Gerald was a close friend of my ancestor, Sir Antinos.”
“Really!”
Louis felt like he had found a comrade. Johnny cheered loudly.
Baron Antinos looked closely at Johnny and said, “This child has talent in mana.”
“Excuse me?”
“If he studies hard, he can become a great mage.”
The Baron gently stroked Johnny’s head.
“How could I ignore a friend’s descendant? This must be the will of the universe.”
Louis wondered what was happening.
“I have a mansion in Ronadium. You can stay there. Of course, I’ll give you work. No need to worry about money.”
Ah.
Louis and Merelda looked at each other with joy and gratitude. Johnny asked Grandpa, “Can I really become a mage?”
“Yes. So, study hard.”
Johnny jumped excitedly, saying he wanted to be a mage. Everyone smiled warmly at his enthusiasm.
Yuric thanked Baron Antinos for accepting the Gerald family.
“Compared to what you’ve done for us, this is nothing. And as a descendant who has benefited from my ancestors’ virtues, I would be ashamed if I didn’t do anything for friends like you.”
Giving leads to receiving.
“This child will learn this too.”
Thus, a hopeful new era begins.
But it is not the end of the old era.
It is the era of devotion and love.
