Blaze: The Hero

Chapter 9

*THIRD PERSON'S POV*

After receiving the gifts and speech from Zagar and the Gran Anciana, Blaze and Scarlette, together with Zoleta, Henson, and Havie started packing their things, including their weapons and some food supplies that they will be needing personally in their travels.

"So Zoleta, Henson, and Havie will be joining our group from now on?" Scarlette asked Blaze while smiling as the man is still busy putting the food supplies inside a big brown bag that were gifted to them during the morning announcement.

"Yes, and why are you smiling like that? You look stupid," Blaze answered to the woman who just smiled at him again.

"Well, I am just happy that we will have more companions now. Those three will surely be able to help you with fighting the demons," Scarlette replied to Blaze.

Upon hearing those words from the woman, Blaze looked at Scarlette with disbelief, which made Scarlette curious.

"Hmm? Why? Is there some dirt on my face?" Scarlette questioned as she checked her face with her hands.

"Stupid woman," Blaze whispered but Scarlette still heard him.

Does he hate me that much? Scarlette thought to herself as she gave Blaze a small smile before helping him in packing the food supplies.

The two of them were engulfed in silence as they move their hands in placing the supplies in their bags. But someone suddenly called Blaze, which also caught the attention of Scarlette so they both turned around and saw a woman who looks like in her teenaged years. The woman stood two steps from where Blaze is standing, while her brown hair is being blown by the soft breeze of cold air. Her hands are placed behind her back as she smiled while looking at the back of Blaze.

"Sir Blaze," the woman called out, and when Blaze faced the woman, she immediately lowered her gaze while her cheeks flushed in pink.

"What?" Blaze inquired as he looked down at the woman.

"I-I have something to give you," the woman said as she moved her hands and showed something to Blaze.

"A handkerchief?" Scarlette asked while looking at the brown handkerchief with a flower embroidered on it using a yellow thread. The woman kept bowing her head and closing her eyes hard while waiting for Blaze to accept the handkerchief, but Blaze simply turned his back from her and continued packing their supplies.

The woman noticed it and raised her head, and as she saw that Blaze ignored her gift, her eyes started watering. However, before her tears could even fall down to her cheeks, Scarlette immediately grabbed the handkerchief from the woman's hands which caught the woman's attention and looked at Scarlette. Scarlette smiled at the woman before opening her mouth to speak.

"A-Ahm, t-thank you for the gift. U-Uhm if it's alright with you, I will hand this over to him after we packed our supplies," Scarlette said to the woman who just noticed the supplies that the two are still packing.

"Oh! I am so sorry, I didn't notice that you were busy," the woman apologized as she looked at Blaze, waiting for his response, but then again, she didn't receive any.

"Uhm, I'm sorry, he's just busy," Scarlette apologized to the woman too, but the woman simply glared her eyes at Scarlette and snatched the handkerchief from Scarlette's hands before looking back to Blaze.

"I will just leave this here then," the woman said and placed the handkerchief beside the brown bag that Blaze was packing into before she looked at Blaze and gave him a sweet smile again.

"Good luck with your journey, Sir Blaze. I will pray for your safety," the woman said smiled at Blaze first before running back to her friends who are waiting for her.

"Uhm, you should probably put that inside your bag," Scarlette said to Blaze while pointing to the handkerchief, but Blaze simply looked at it and ignored it once more while clicking his tongue.

Scarlette immediately noticed that Blaze seems to not be in the mood with being a nice person today so she decided to remain silent while packing her things as well.

"Sir Blaze," another voice called Blaze's name, but this time it is a familiar voice so Scarlette and Blaze faced him.

"Zagar," Blaze mentioned the man's voice who greeted Blaze with a single nod.

"Our scouts have checked the river banks already, but unfortunately, it is no longer safe to travel using that route," Zagar said while shaking his head. Blaze furrowed his eyebrows while looking at Zagar.

"The scouts told me that they saw a demon flag placed on that area," Zagar added.

"A demon's flag?" Scarlette asked and Zagar nodded his head at him.

"The demon's flag means that the demons have already placed an incantation in that area and it is already a part of their territory," Zagar explained further.

"What? Then, does that mean they will get here soon?" Scarlette asked which made Zagar clenched his fists.

"Probably, yes," Zagar answered as he closed his fists tightly.

"Tsk! Is there no other route available? I must go and find the tree of life no matter what," Blaze said to Zagar who just nodded his head at him.

"There is another way out of this forest towards the public market without getting lost, but that route will take five days to travel in foot, and two and a half days in horse," Zagar answered to Blaze.

I guess we only have one option here. I can fight those d*mned demons, but entering their territory without knowing anything about the incantation might also lead to my death, which is not a good idea. Blaze thought to himself as he placed his left hand on his chin while thinking of a possible solution to their situation right now. Then, he also looked at Zagar who is just looking at him while standing in front of him and Scarlette who is standing beside him while waiting for his response.

This woman is basically useless when it comes to fighting the demons, but her healing power is what's making her alive till now. And there's Zagar too, I can sense that he is not a weak man, but will he be enough to defend this village? Blaze thought to himself.

Wait, why the hell am I thinking of saving this f*cking village? Who cares about these people? Blaze immediately corrected his thoughts before taking a deep breath and facing Zagar again.

"If that is the case then we will just use the longer route," Blaze answered and Zagar nodded his head at him.

"That is a wise decision, Sir Blaze. As a reward, I would like to give you a gift.

"Wait, before you give that reward, tell me first where the route is," Blaze coldly spoke to Zagar who was speechless for a few seconds, but then later laughed himself out loud.

"Hahaha! Yes, yes, you're right," Zagar said and pointed at the tallest coconut tree that was located at the back of the village.

"Do you see that coconut tree? The tallest from the rest of the trees here?" Zagar asked and Blaze just nodded his head as an answer.

Who wouldn't notice that tall tree? It might even reach a three story building. Besides, this is a forest so how come there is a lone coconut tree here? Blaze asked in his mind, but decided to just shake the thought off of his mind and focus on what is Zagar's talking about.

"Just follow that tree and you will see a path from there. Then, just follow the path and it will take you to an old train railings, and after that, the public market will soon be seen in sight," Zagar said while pointing and looking at the tall coconut tree.

"I see. Then, what was that thing you were talking about? The one before you told me about the other route?" Blaze asked while looking at Zagar.

"Ah, you mean the part where I will reward you a gift for making a good decision?" Zagar inquired with a smile on his lips.

Was that what he said? Oh well, so be it. Blaze thought to himself and nodded his head at Zagar.

"This is a gift from me," Zagar said and called for his right hand man who immediately approached them.

"Another one?" Blaze inquired while creasing his eyebrows, but Zagar simply chuckled at him before facing his right hand man.

"Bring me two war horses," Zagar commanded to his subordinate.

"Yes, Chie~" the man was cut off by Scarlette who spoke so suddenly.

"Wait! I-I...I don't know how to ride a horse," Scarlette said while looking down at her feet and fidgeting with her fingers.

"Oh, just one then," Zagar changed his command and his right hand man quickly nodded his head and left towards the stable.

"I believe Sir Blaze will be able to give you a ride. Am I right, Sir?" Zagar asked Blaze.

Is this old man asking if I knew how to ride a horse? Tch! That is a basic knowledge to me. Blaze thought to himself and nodded his head as an answer.

"Great!" Zagar replied with a huge smile on his lips.

"That is a lot of supplies, huh," Zagar commented as he noticed the bulk on Blaze's bag.

"You're the one who gave it to us," Blaze responded.

"Yes, but I didn't know that it will be this much," Zagar said while pointing at the food supplies, while chuckling then he looked at Scarlette's bag and nodded his head when he noticed that the woman does not have to carry so much on her bag pack.

"You are a true gentleman, Sir Blaze," Zagar praised Blazed again which made the man confused.

"What the h*ck are you talking about?" Blaze questioned but Zagar just smiled at him and spoke another confusing thing for Blaze.

"You are very much welcome to take my daughter as your wife," Zagar said while grinning at Blaze who did not even show any emotions towards him. When Zagar noticed the poker face of Blaze, his laughter became awkward and so he quickly stopped himself from laughing and just cleared his throat before speaking again when he saw his right hand man walking back to where they are while pulling a black horse with its horse rope.

"Ah, here is your horse, Sir Blaze," Zagar said as his right hand man halted the horse in front of Blaze. Blaze approached the horse and caressed the side of the horse's head.

"There, there," Blaze whispered to the horse while touching it's soft and black hair on its mane.

"This is Bunk. He's a fast runner, with strong hinds," Zagar introduced the horse proudly while Scarlette is also looking at the horse with amazement.

"He looks so beautiful," Scarlette commented.

"He sure is," Zagar agreed while nodding his head.

"Is this the gift you were talking about?" Blaze asked Zagar and the latter just nodded his head at him.

"I see. Thanks," Blaze whispered and it is just enough for Scarlette and Zagar to hear, which made the two smile genuinely.

"We should probably get going," Blaze said and tried to reach out for his bag of supplies but then, he suddenly felt a strong stinging pain from his back.

"Argh!" Blaze groans as he suddenly falls down on one knee while his right hand tries to reach for his back.

As soon as Scarlette noticed the sudden reaction from Blaze and his movement, she quickly realized that his wounds are aching again, so she immediately approached him and used her power to heal him.

Zagar and his right hand man who saw the whole thing were mesmerized by Scarlette's power as they could not even utter a word while watching Scarlette's glowing hands while it is placed on top of Blaze's back.

After a minute or two, the bright glowing light from Scarlette's hands started to fade, which snapped Zagar and his right hand man out of their admiration.

"T-That...That was beautiful. Are you...Are you a halfling?" Zagar's right hand man asked while looking at Scarlette who simply nodded her head at him.

"Sir Blaze, are you alright?" Zagar asked Blaze's condition as he slowly stood from the ground. Blaze started moving and stretching his upper body after receiving some first aid treatment from Scarlette's power.

"Sir?" Zagar inquired again while looking worriedly at Blaze.

"I'm fine," Blaze answered coldly and grabbed his bag of supplies. Then, he placed it on top of the cart that will be pulled by the horses of Henson and Havie.

"Let's go," Blaze uttered and Scarlette just nodded her head at him.

"Finally! It's time to leave!" Zoleta excitedly spoke as she hop on her brown horse. Henson and Havie also got on to their horses after making sure that the cart is perfectly ties on their horses.

"The five of you should be very careful," Zagar said as he looked at each of them, especially to his only daughter.

"Don't worry, father. I will be fine," Zoleta said while smiling at her father who also gave her a nod after taking a deep breath.

Blaze helped Scarlette first to get on his horse, and after making sure that the woman has settled on top properly, he mount on the horse as well.

Good thing this woman is a slim one. This means that the horse will not carry that much weight and we will be able to travel without stopping for a rest as often as I thought. Blaze thought to himself as he held on the reigns of the horse.

"We will go now," Blaze said to Zagar who simply gave him a nod.

"Please, Sir Blaze, take care of my daughter," Zagar spoke to Blaze in a low voice that is just enough for Blaze to hear his plea. Blaze simply nodded his head while looking down at the old man standing beside his horse.

"Well then, off you go young warriors," Zagar spoke in a loud and stern voice, a voice that befits a Chief.

Upon hearing those words, Zoleta, Henson, and Havie started maneuvering their horses to run out of the village, followed by Blaze and Scarlette who are both riding on the same horse since Scarlette does not know how to ride a horse.

After a few more minutes, the five of them have finally left the village and the forest while using the route that Zagar told them about.

"Sir Blaze, this route that we are currently taking, I know this route very well, so would you please allow me to lead us here?" Zoleta asked while riding her horse and smiling at Blaze.

"Go ahead," Blaze replied which made Zoleta's smile widens and she increased the speed of her horse so she can lead their expedition while taking the route that Blaze chose.

"This route will surely take sometime since this is the longest route in the forest!" Zoleta spoke loudly while the five of them are riding their horses.

"How many days will it take to reach the public market!?" Blaze asked in a louder voice as well, and when Zoleta heard his question, she slowed down a bit so she can be at the same pace with Blaze and Scarlette.

"When I was young, it took me five days to walk myself towards the public market, and it took me two days and a half to reach that place while using a horse, and that time I was a bit slower with riding horses so I am guessing that with the pace that we are moving right now, I think we will arrive there in exactly two days from now!" Zoleta answered while her focus is on the road ahead of them.

Two days, huh. I guess we will still be needing to have some rest somewhere in this forest. Blaze thought to himself.

"Is there any place here that we can settle and camp for the night!?" Blaze questioned again.

"Don't worry, there is a place where travelers are always lodging on while taking this route!" Zoleta answered and smiled at Blaze before making her horse run towards Henson and Havie who are both taking the lead while having the cart filled with supplies drag by their horses.

"I guess we still needs to rest before we can reach the public market," Scarlette said and waited for Blaze's response, but she did not get any.

"Uhm, Sir Blaze, a-are you alright?" Scarlette asked again and looked up to face Blaze who is simply staring in front of them while holding on to the reigns of the horse.

"Why are you asking me that question if you already know the answer to your question?" Blaze replied coldly without even taking a glance of Scarlette.

"I-I'm really sorry....about your wound," Scarlette apologized again for making Blaze protect her which resulted to him getting poisoned after receiving a scratch by a demon general.

"I will not accept a mere apology. You will have to work for it and repay me for what I have to go through," Blaze emotionlessly said to Scarlette who simply nodded her head at Blaze.

"Yes, I will not stop healing you until you have finally gotten rid of that poison," Scarlette replied to Blaze.

"But, may I ask why you tried to protect me that day? I mean, at that time, you and I still do not have any contract so...why did you come to rescue me?" Scarlette raised a question again and waited for Blaze's answer, but she did not hear anything so she looked up to see his facial expression, but as usual, he still have that poker face on his handsome face.

Right, I should not have asked that. Scarlette thought to herself as she just looked on the road.

As silence was about to take over the two of them, Scarlette suddenly heard Blaze's voice talking to her.

"I don't know why, but I just had a feeling that I should save you no matter what," Blaze answered Scarlette's question without looking at the woman at all, and for Scarlette, that is a good thing, or else he would have seen her blushing red face and the smile that she is trying to hold back while riding the same horse with the prophesied hero.

What kind of answer is that? That does not make any sense to me at all, Sir Blaze. Because...the way you said it...it sounded like, you just jump into the scene without thinking of anything else except from saving the woman you love. Scarlette thought to herself.

But that is impossible, right, Sir Blaze? I mean, we barely knew each other. Scarlette thought to herself again.

But, come to think of it...we barely knew each other but we already did that thing last night...so does that mean that we are already close to each other? Scarlette asked in her mind as the smile from her lips would not fade and her cheeks are still blushing red just like a tomato.

Well, I guess I will just find the answer to that soon. For now, I must focus on helping Sir Blaze as much as I can...before the time is up. Scarlette thought to herself and clenched her fists as she let the strong wind blows her hair while riding a horse with Blaze.