Chapter 28: New Adventurer Bern (26). Like or Hate
In his youth,
Alces admired adventurers.
He dreamed of a life spent charging into the unknown in search of romance and treasure, sitting around campfires with comrades, sharing memories, and solving problems for those in need.
His father, a retired soldier, scolded him for it.
He said being an adventurer was all flash and no substance. A real job, he insisted, was finding work as a soldier somewhere, and if Alces was determined to aim higher, he should swallow his pride and beg a knight to take him on as a squire.
Like most headstrong sons, Alces rebelled.
He ran away from home and became an adventurer. With natural talent, he quickly rose through the ranks.
He earned sums of money the average commoner could only dream of and gained a respectable title as the head of a branch.
But that was the peak of his dream.
His skills, once soaring, began to plateau—then stop altogether.
He made good money, yes. But once he factored in the savings needed for retirement, even that didn’t feel like much.
What brought him the deepest despair, though, was realizing that the reputation he thought he’d earned was little more than praise inside a narrow well.