A Father's Duty

When I arrived at the Red Light District, I saw the bustling street with beautiful girls calling for customers to enter their establishment. I ignored the women calling out to me and searched the roaming men around the area for Klay's pavillion.

What I saw when I arrived at the place was it was not too shabby and not too extravagant.

I entered the place as the clerk asked me for what I want. I told them that I want a low-class p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.e as the clerk signaled and I payed for 500 jewels. A woman lead me to a room as the woman then started undressing but I stopped her. I knocked her out cold as I left the room and covered myself with the black cloth and head towards room 26.

I knocked on the door for a few times before the grumpy arrogant man came to my sight. I saw that his face is dark.

'Maybe he realized that he can't get his little brother to get up.' I thought

"What do you want?! Can't you see that I'm enjoying here?" He said as I pushed my finger to his nerves and he is paralyzed.

"What did you do to me?!" He asked as I walked inside and saw a n.a.k.e.d woman who is with him earlier.

Before the woman got to scream, I already knocked her out cold.

I can't help but feel that knocking is a really versatile skill and turned towards the man and removed the cloth covering my body and face.

"You...!" He was about to shout but I immediately punched him in the face.

I then grabbed the man's hair and pulled him up as he squealed like a pig.

"You want to teach me a lesson huh? Its fine if its me you want to deal with, but you also want the two kids with me? Sorry, but you won't be able to see the sun later." I said as I knocked him out cold and pushed dozens of spots with nerves facilitating his organ systems and deactivated them one by one, in the end he will die of organ failure.

I then left the place, disposed the cloak by burying it and immediately went back home and slept. I felt uncomfortable killing another person, but I kept telling myself that if I didn't do that, he'll keep bothering me and the kids until he gets what he wants.

I washed my face when I returned at the Inn and slept in my usual sleeping spot, the side of the bed.

I woke up the usual time as I got down and saw the innkeeper holding a local newspaper. (They have model magazines, why not newspaper?)

When I was about to enter the kitchen, I saw the face of the man I killed last night.

"Who's that?" I asked the innkeeper.

"The leader of a merchant caravan, who acts like a bandit when he comes to this town. Someone must've finally snapped and killed him." He said as I understood.

"Wait isn't he a leader of a merchant caravan? Why was his body found in a mid-class Brothel?" I asked once more.

"You didn't know? The rumors said that their caravan was ravaged by Acnologia, it is not yet confirmed by the adventurer's tower but they said they are looking into it." The innkeeper said as I understood the gist of what happened.

I then prepared a sumptuous feast for the two chipmunks and refilled the bucket of water upstairs.

I didn't pay for one more night as we were going to be travelling up north to the Kingdom of Fiore before buying a plot of land at the border of fiore and Alakitasia.

I woke the two chipmunks and we had our breakfast. After having our fill, I then told them that we are going to travel to the Kingdom of Fiore and I need to buy some necessities before we set off.

"Erza, Kagura, we're going on a journey okay? We're going to Kingdom of Fiore. I need you to behave because I'll be buying some stuff before we go." I said as the two nodded

I then went around the market and bought a Traveller's bag and 8 water bags made from the skin of an animal that looks like a camel.

I then bought condiments and tons of beef jerky for our rations. I also bought a map from the adventurer's tower and was surprised to see that in the border of Fiore and Alakitasia, there's a buffer zone between the two named the wasteland of death.

I had a headache because its the only place where Alakitasia and Fiore overlaps. Meaning I'll have to build my tavern in there. I sighed internally when I thought about it. First of all, where would I get customers if I did build it in there? Second, would someone accept if I commissioned them to build it in the wasteland of death? Just the name itself would strike fear to a normal civilian.

"Oh well, I'll just worry about it when the tavern is built." I said as I returned to the inn to pick up Erza and Kagura.

I filled the 8 water containers full and put their clothes in the bag. I also put my sword in the bag, maybe I'll need it.

I called Erza and Kagura that were playing in the backyard as they came to me.

"Let's go, we have some distance to cover." I said and checked if they had missed any belonging. I then turned to the innkeeper and asked him if there's a caravan on their way to Fiore.

"Looks like today is your lucky day, indeed a caravan is going to Fiore, they are also a high-class merchant Caravan guarded by a member from the respectable guild, Lamia Scale"

'Heh~ Lamia Scale huh.' I thought and I asked when are they going to depart and he replied that they will leave in an hour's time. The chipmunks got down and said that there's nothing left behind.

We then set out and visited the market first to ask the location of the said Merchant Caravan. They pointed the direction where the merchant Caravans were parked as we went that way.

I then asked the caravan guard leaders one by one if they are the ones who will be heading to Fiore, they shook their and a person pointed the caravan I'm looking for.

"Excuse me, is this caravan on the way to Fiore's Capital?" I asked.

"Indeed, are you a traveller?" the bald man asked me.

"Yes, and I'll be going there to settle down, I guess?" I said as the man finally turned around and I was surprised to see Jura Neekis.

"Ohya? I thought that you are the only one travelling, I never knew you're going with your cute daughters." He said as he tried to pat Erza and Kagura as they both backed away.

"I apologize, they are just shy kids." I said.

"No worries, Welcome to Stargate Caravan. Is there anything you can do?" He asked me. We are tagging along, of course I had to work for the caravan until we reached the capital.

"I can fight and cook." I replied.

"Ohhhh, you're in luck, we need a cook in our journey, its the only occupation that we don't have yet, that's why we extended the waiting time to search for a cook to join in our journey. With you here, we can finally get a move on." Jura said in delight.

"Well, girls go and board the caravan. We can set out anytime... brother?" I asked. Even though I already know his name, its still a courtesy to know each other's name.

"Jura, Jura Neekis. How about you brother?" He asked back.

"Noctis, no surname. You can just call me Noct, brother Jura." I said

"Very well brother Noct." Jura said and shouted.

"Let's move on, call the caravan master so we can get a move on and maybe reach the town of Magnolia before night falls." he said as they immediately scrambled to call the caravan master.

The caravan master soon came back and I saw a really fatty man as Jura explained to me.

"That's the caravan master, Abeviel. Don't underestimate him just because of his physique. His achievements in the business world is already off the charts. Owning several branches all around the Kingdom of Fiore, he mainly deals with food products and we were tasked to hurry because our cargo this time is vegetables, fruits, and meat. It is fine if its only vegetables and fruits, but we have meat mixed in the bunch so we need to hurry up so that the meat wouldn't spoil." Jura explained to me as I nodded.

I wondered why didn't they just put the meat in a container and have an ice magic user to put some ice inside the container to prevent the spoilage of meat. Oh well, I'll tell them if I had time.

We then started our journey towards the kingdom of Fiore.