Fyar descended the inn’s staircase and saw that Zaefal was already waiting for him. The man was wearing a simple, all brown outfit, layered with thin leather armor and black boots, looking relaxed as he sat at one of the tables sipping a hot chocolate. On his plate, the remains of a grilled fish were still letting off a thin wisp of steam.
Upon seeing Fyar, Zaefal raised his hand, palm open, a gesture to wait a moment. He chewed his last bite, then swallowed.
Fyar approached the table, pulled out the wooden chair opposite him, and sat down. There was a moment of silence as Fyar glanced at Zaefal’s now empty plate before looking back at the man. "So, are we training today?" he asked.
Zaefal cleaned the corner of his mouth with a cloth, then replied, "I’ve asked my contacts about your case, regarding how to restore a sealed power."
Fyar’s brow furrowed slightly, showing his interest. "And the result?"
Zaefal let out a long sigh, then slowly shook his head. His expression was one of disappointment. "They don’t know anything at all."
Fyar sighed as well, doing his best to put on a convincing look of disappointment. "I see. Well, it can’t be helped." He then straightened his posture. "Where are we training today?"
Zaefal stood up from his seat. "The same place as yesterday. Go get changed and ready."
Fyar nodded, then went back to his room to change his clothes and grab his equipment. A few minutes later, he returned downstairs. The two of them then walked out of the inn, heading toward the mountains at the edge of the city.
Upon arriving at the large field in the mountainous area, Fyar immediately stretched out his arms, loosening his muscles. He then went through a few warm up exercises like push ups and sit-ups on the soft grass. After that, he began to run laps around the empty plain to work on his cardio.
Zaefal, who at first just watched with a strange expression, eventually became intrigued and joined in, copying Fyar’s movements.
After the light warm-up, they continued with a light session of hand to hand sparring, followed by sword practice that lasted until the afternoon.
The training was finally over. Fyar leaned his back against a tree, placed both hands behind his head, and closed his eyes. He enjoyed the gentle breeze that caressed his sweaty face, savoring the warmth of the evening sun.
Meanwhile, Zaefal walked to the river’s edge. He crouched down and meticulously cleaned every inch of his purple sword, washing away the dust and dirt. When he was finished, he walked over to Fyar and sat down by the tree next to him.
"Fyar, are there any other things you don’t remember? You can ask me," Zaefal said, breaking the silence. He wanted to ascertain the extent of Fyar’s memory loss before they went to the dungeon.
Fyar, in truth, did not want to rush into learning everything about this world. He opened his eyes, squinting slightly as he thought, then answered, "Maybe about the races in this world. Besides elves, dwarves, and demons, are there any other races?"
"Races, hmm," Zaefal murmured. He was silent for a moment. "Besides those, there is the dragon race, the beastmen race, the star-kin race, and lastly, vampires."
Hearing this, Fyar’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "I see. But I’ve never seen any of the races you mentioned in the city. Where do they live?"
"They reside in their own respective kingdoms." Zaefal paused for a moment. "The elf race is in the elven kingdom, the vampire race is in the vampire kingdom, and so on."
"But are there other races living here?" Fyar asked again.
"Yes, they are immigrants who decided to make a living in the human kingdom. On average, they couldn’t get a decent life in their home kingdoms, or they were exiled."
Exiled. The word gave Fyar a slightly better understanding of the world he was now living in. He then asked another question, "How many human kingdoms are there in this world? Besides this one, of course."
Zaefal fell silent. The relaxed smile on his face slowly faded. His gaze, which had been calm, now turned more serious and grim. "One," he answered curtly.
Fyar’s expression instantly changed. He could feel a cold chill run down his spine, and a cold sweat began to bead on his temples. "What do you mean, one?" he asked, his voice low.
Zaefal turned, looking Fyar straight in the eyes with a sharp and heavy gaze. He then answered in a deep and emphatic tone.
"This kingdom....is the only remaining .....human kingdom... in this world."