Darkness Inside The Light

" Where there is light, there must be darkness"

" Where there is darkness, there must be light"

" Where there is life, there must be death"

" Where there is death, there must be life"

" Where there is peace, there must be war"

" Where there is war, there must be peace"

" Don't blame me for being a bad guy because"

" Where there are bad guys, good guys should exist too" John when he was 9 years old

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"I never expected that the Fire Festival would be celebrated even here in the Elven Kingdom," an old man around 60 years old said to his company who were sitting in the same table with him.

"It's not like we believe in god Ares, but there are many races that reside in Edgar. If you go to another city, I am sure you wouldn't even understand our folkway" a beautiful woman around 30 years old answered with a smile. She had long blond hair and two azure eyes like the color of the sky, but what was the most noteworthy characteristic of her appearance were her long pointy ears.

"To tell you the truth Anne, before I met you I had always thought that elves were a little quirky and arrogant. I was surprised when I discovered the existence of so many races here in the capital" another woman also joined in the conversation. Her long black cloak with the pointed hood made it impossible for anyone to see her face, but the tone of her voice was betraying her young age.

"Your thoughts are correct. They really are arrogant and look down at the other races, but they are no stupid. If they remained isolated from the rest of the world, they would have already been enslaved by the humans" a middle-aged man with a thick beard replied with a mocking expression on his face. His small stature couldn't hide his impressive muscles under the armor he was wearing.

"It's because of you dwarfs who taught humans how to use mithril" Anne shouted angrily at the man who just talked.

Seeing the two of them ready to fight again the 60 years old man hurriedly opened his mouth

"Now, now stop... We are here to relax and celebrate the success of our mission. Don't start again arguing like small kids" At the same time he said that he proceeded to fill their empty glasses with red wine. They were adventurers who had just arrived in the capital of Elven Kingdom, after escorting a caravan all the way from Grenmar Empire. It was a difficult journey filled with adversities, making all of them exhausted. He really didn't have the power to deal with the childish behavior of his two comrades

"By the way Eric, from what I saw in the Imperial Capital, the people there don't seem to believe in the god of war, something that surprised me considering the might of Empire," the woman with the black cloak said with doubt. Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Eric's face

"Many people have this misconception because of the power of Church of Life, but actually, the empire doesn't really have any restrictions concerning the religion. In some territories, they even celebrate the Fire Festival..." as he said that he couldn't help than become silent. A distant memory from his past suddenly emerged on his mind.

"Are you alright Eric?" Anne asked anxiously. Realizing that his actions made everyone in the table worried, Eric felt guilty. He quickly apologized and explained

"It's nothing...Sorry, I was somewhat distracted after recalling something scary".

"Are there things that even you find scary?" the dwarf asked with doubt. They had traveled together for quite some time, so he had a clear idea of the combat capability of his friend. More importantly, Eric was actually an A-ranked adventurer. Even a dragon wouldn't find it easy to kill him!

"In this world, my friend Aaron, there are many things that even an S ranked adventurer can't deal with, much less me... All of you have the potential to surpass me, especially the girls, but even if you do it, you'll only discover how many terrifying existences actually exist, hidden from the public eye" Eric said as he shook his head. He was hesitant for a little, before opening his mouth again

"This is my advice, but if you ever meet a 'phantom', unless it's coming for you personally or for someone dear of you, never go to confront it. That's it if you love your life. As for what a 'phantom' is... You'll understand if you ever meet it" the old man said as the image of a little boy appeared in his mind.

'Killing 27 B ranked-adventurers, 164 C-ranked-adventurers, 578 servants, 345 knights, as well as the whole Derman family with neither martial arts nor magic, but only with some words and all of this before he was even 10, this is what I call scary... What did Antony actually think when he protected that demon. Now I can only take this secret to my grave' Eric thought... He looked at his comrades that they were staring at him with puzzlement, but he could only shake his head again without saying anything else...