Chapter Text
He had been waiting for it for so long, the day that would come tomorrow. Waited and longed for years even. As the seventh son of Duke Carl his path was never really made for him. Not like his oldest brother and his father’s heir, James. James always knew his path in life. As Duke Carl’s firstborn he was set to inherit their father’s title and lands. He was still the only son living on their father’s estate… well except for Hongo himself. But not for long. Hongo would soon be 15. Old enough to choose his path. Old enough to leave home. Old enough to decide how to make his own mark in history. All his brothers, save James, had left home when they were either 15 or 16.
Alexander left to join the army. Thomu left the year after to become a lawyer. He came home whenever their father needed his services. He, Alexander and James were always nice to Hongo despite being so much older. They were 15, 14 and 13 years older than him but never treated him badly despite being so much older. In truth they would spend a lot of time with him, especially when he became the only son living at home. Hongo also became somewhat of an older brother to James’ children John and Lucy.
The next brother to leave home was Klaus. He left to become a doctor. He was one of the best in the city of Flevance where he and his family lived. Klaus had two children and they, just like James’ children, enjoyed spending time with their uncle Hongo.
After Klaus left home Chirl left home to become a priest and after him Hannes left to work in finance. He had always been great with money and knew how to turn a copper coin into ten gold ones. Hannes was the closest to Hongo in age and they had spent a lot of time together before Hannes left home. Now, it’s been some time since he did and whenever he got home Hannes was more interested in doing business with the villagers or talking to their father.
Hongo spent time with his nieces and nephews, but he also spent a lot of time alone or with people of the village. As the seventh son of a duke there was no chosen path for him to take. Not like the first three who had no choice but to choose the careers they had. Trying to figure out what to do with his life he spent his days training, studying and exploring. He knew the forests around the estate better than even the groundskeepers, gamekeeper or guardsmen. He learned how to fish, hunt, mend clothes, stitch wounds, track, field medicine and to fight. His weapon of choice was a quarterstaff.
“So, my son,” his father said as the two of them were riding together from the village after visiting to hear the villagers’ requests. Something Duke Carl made sure to do every fortnight.
“What is it, father?” Hongo asked and turned to the man. Duke Carl was a tall and broad chested man. He had brown hair and brown eyes and always dressed in modest clothes despite being a duke. He loved his children and adored his grandchildren.
“Have you decided what path you are going to take?” Carl asked gently. “Are you going to the city? Joining the navy? Becoming a craftsman? I know you enjoy hunting and sleeping outside in the woods. Gamekeeper Finnegan tells me you are quite the little tracker too.” He reached over and ruffled Hongo’s blonde hair. “So, what are your plans?”
“I…” Hongo looked at his father. “I’m gonna go to Sabaody and become an adventurer.”
“An adventurer?” his father asked, not angrily. No. He sounded curious. “Now why would you choose that my son?”
“Because I want to do a lot of things at the same time and an adventurer allows it all. I want to be a hunter but also a craftsman and I want to be a warrior, and I want to be a medic and-”
“Okay, okay,” his father laughed and patted his shoulder. “I understand and I respect your choices my boy. You will be travelling a lot then.” He chuckled. “Then I think my birthday gift for you will suit you perfectly.”
“What is it?” Hongo tried, but his father just laughed and ruffled his hair again.
That evening at dinner Duke Carl, his wife Duchess Kerstin, James and his wife Emily, their children John and Lucy and Hongo sat around the table. Dinner was a modest affair because Duke Carl always said they should eat just like their villagers. Why should the lavish just because he was the duke? His children never complained. Duke Carl only ever brought out the extravagance of higher society when it came to big festivities. Such as his sons’ weddings or their fifteenth birthdays. Hongo knew that tomorrow there would be a party for him. Some of his older brothers would arrive later this evening or tomorrow morning. He knew Alexander, Klaus and Thomu planned to come.
“So, little brother,” James asked while putting his knife and fork down. He had a twinkle in his eyes that Hongo knew he was up to mischief or some teasing. “Have you decided what to do with your life yet? If not I have a great suggestion.”
“Oh,” Hongo asked and smirked. “This I want to hear!”
James laughed. Even his laugh was reminiscent of their fathers. James looked just like their father. He had brown hair and brown eyes that twinkled when he was up to something. Like now.
“Well,” James smirked. “We always need more groundkeepers and a gamekeeper around here and when Finnegan gets too old… you could take over.”
“You just want to keep someone to boss around,” Hongo accused playfully. James thrust his hands out to the side.
“So, sue me,” he teased.
“Thomu is coming so sure.”
“Oi! Not for real… right?” James looked a little worried. His children and wife sniggered. Hongo just smirked. “Brat.”
“Old man.”
“Hey! If I’m an old man, then what is father?”
“A duke, how have you missed it all these years?” Everyone around the table laughed at that reply, even James. No… not everyone. Duchess Kerstin did not laugh. Her lips were thin and she looked both annoyed and sad at the same time. Hongo and James both noticed and threw questioning looks at their father. Duke Carl cleared his throat.
“Dear,” he soothed. “You knew Hongo would want to leave home as well and not remain here. Our sons are free to choose, quiet James, their own paths.” James had been about to put in a teasing remark about his, Alexander and Thomu’s paths in life. He never meant anything by it and they all knew that if the boys really hadn’t wanted their paths Duke Carl would never have forced them.
“It’s too soon,” Duchess Kerstin muttered.
“The other boys left home at fifteen.”
“But Hongo is the youngest.”
“It doesn’t matter, besides his mind is made up. Right, my boy.”
“Yes father,” Hongo replied and smiled.
“So, back to my question,” James cut in. “What are you going to do, kiddo?” Hongo looked around at all the eager faces… excluding his mother’s. Hongo smiled and tried to make himself look as proud and tall as possible.
“I’m going to become an adventurer,” he said.
“An adventurer?!” many voices exclaimed. Only his mother sounded outrage. James shocked, Emily and the kids confused and Duke Carl just laughed. Hongo deflated a little.
“Hold it, hold it,” James said. “Why on earth would you want that?! Don’t they have bad reputation?”
“Not all adventurers do,” Hongo mumbled. “Most are okay… right, father?”
“That is very true,” Duke Carl replied. “I often hire adventurers from Sabaody whenever the village defences won’t be enough or we have problem with monsters… or natural disaster.”
“I remember that flood when I was eight,” James mused. “There was a large group of adventurers that helped us. But they also caused quite a bit of… ruckus in the village.”
“They did and got their pay deducted and I had a word with the guild master. He handled it.”
“What do advneturers do?” Lucy asked curiously.
“Adventurers,” her brother John stressed. “And they go on adventures of course!”
“They do a little bit of everything I suppose,” Emily said and smiled at Hongo. “Like Hongo here. They can join in battles to fill out an army. They fight monsters. They deliver messages. Protect caravans for traders and so on.”
“Will Uncle Hongo fight monsters all alone?” Lucy asked and grabbed Hongo’s arm worriedly. Hongo patted her arm soothingly.
“Not right away,” he told her. “You see every adventurer’s guild has a ranking system. It dictates which people can apply for which quests. When you join the guild, without having being part of another one before, you start on F-rank. Then you become E-rank, D-rank, C-rank, B-rank, A-Rank, S-rank, SS-rank and lastly SS+ rank. Each letter stands for something. Also they determine the difficulty of your quests. I’ll probably become an F-rank. Which means I’ll go gather herbs, help in hunting animals, deliver messages and such. Easy jobs that are not too dangerous.”
“Doesn’t that F stands for Fail?” Emily ask.
“No,” Duke Carl cut in. “F stands for ‘fool’. Not for fool as in idiot but fool as in the arcana. Whoever designed the system took inspiration from tarot cards and astrology. The fool symbolizes many things but one of them is ‘the beginning’ and ‘potential’. Therefor F-rank.”
“Suits my foolish little brother,” James teased. “Ow! Emily!” Emily had swatted him up the head. Everyone else, save Duchess Kerstin, laughed.
“What comes next?” John asked eagerly.
“E stands for ‘experienced’,” Hongo explained. “When you hit this rank, you are no longer a ‘fool’. You have started your journey and have gained experience in the field of adventuring. By now you usually know your basic alchemy, survival skills, easy spells and so on.”
“Magic?!” the kids exclaimed and Hongo chuckled when they stared at him.
“I don’t have the talent,” he told them. “Only a few people are born with the talent for magic. I don’t have it.”
“Next is D-rank,” Duke Carl continued. “D stands for ‘dependable’. You are now more than an experienced adventurer. People can depend on you in a lot of different situations. Everything from escort quests to battling smaller armies or even dispelling magic… if you have the talent. Smaller monsters can also be fought. Such as trolls or ogres.”
“That sounds scary,” Lucy mumbled and hugged Hongo’s arm. Hongo smiled and pulled her onto his lap. She smiled and leaned against him.
“Then we have C which stands for ‘capable’. This is the tier where many adventurers starts going on more and more solo quests. It is also the rank where most adventurers stop. Most are comfortable reaching C-rank and don’t aim for higher. Multiple C-ranks in one team can even take on a B-rank quest.”
“How do you know all this father,” James asked in awe. Hongo was also impressed. How did his father know this? Duke Carl laughed.
“Like I said I had a talk with a guild master once. He is also a good friend of mine… well were. Haven’t seen the bastard in years.”
“Carl!” his wife exclaimed. “Watch your language.” In reply Carl stuck his tongue out and everyone but Kerstin laughed. Duke Carl looked at his tongue before pulling it in and laughing.
“B-rank is next,” Hongo told his niece and nephew. “It stands for ‘balanced’, even though most adventurers claim it is ‘badass’.” Hongo ignored his mother scolding him for saying ass. “You are seen as a balanced adventurer who knows how to handle more advanced situations either all by yourself or in a team. Forget running errands or delivering messages. Now you can be chosen to do things for the nobles if they so desire. They can hire you or your team to handle sticky situations. Anything from rescuing relatives that have been kidnapped, taking out camps of bandits, stopping or joining revolutions and the like.”
“Then comes A, which stands for ‘advanced’,” Duke Carl continued and smiled at the maids that came to bring coffee and lemonade. “Adventurers claim another meaning. They claim it means awesome. Not much changes beyond B-rank. Only the quests get more difficult and dangerous. The rewards are larger and more powerful too. Then comes S-rank which stands for ‘sagacious’. Just like with A-rank the difference isn’t too big. The quests get more difficult, longer, further away and the rewards grow more plentiful. SS-rank stands for ‘sentinels’. You are a hero of the realm when you reach this rank. Capable of taking out an army on your own. Able to fell the most dangerous of creatures or opponents. Not many reached this rank.”
“Last is the SS+ rank. Only four people have ever held that rank… and only three alive holds that rank to this day. Silvers Rayleigh, Coppers Gaban and Edward Whitebeard Newgate. The most powerful adventurers there are. Retired… mostly and only called upon if the world is threatened. All four of them had taken out corrupt gods, dragons, demons, dryads and so on. They are legends…”
“You said the four of them,” John said and took his glass of lemonade with a smile at the maid. “But you only mentioned four people…”
“Gold Roger,” Duke Carl said calmly. “He was the last one. Let’s not speak of him.” He took a sip from his coffee. John and Lucy tried to catch Hongo’s gaze but he looked away. They tried their parents but they did the same.
“Don’t become like that demon, dear,” Duchess Kerstin said and Hongo turned to her.
“Demon?” her grandchildren asked.
“Dear,” Duke Carl said firmly but his wife ignored him.
“He pillaged, murdered, raped, ransacked and terrorized the countryside along with Silers Rayleigh and Copper Gaban. Those two got away but Gold Roger was arrested and executed for his crimes. Served him right.”
“What does all that mean, grandma?” Lucy asked.
“You are too young for that, sweetie,” her mother said. The Duchess scoffed and got to her feet. She informed them she was going to lie down a bit and left. Hongo looked down, feeling a bit guilty. James reached over the table and patted Hongo’s hand gently. Hongo smiled at him. That’s when they heard the front door slam open and a boisterous laugh.
“Anybody home?!” the person then called.
“Uncle Alex!” Lucy and John shouted and ran from the table. James chuckled and got to his feet. As did Hongo and Duke Carl. Emily got up a bit slower. The group headed out into the foyer and saw Alexander spin around with John and Lucy in his arms. Both children were giggling. Alexander was a tall man with broad shoulders and arms like tree trunks. He was dressed in a soldier’s traveling gear, and he had a duffel bag sitting by the door. He had dark blonde hair and blue eyes that had the same twinkle as their father’s. He had some stubble on his chin, and his hair was tied back in a small ponytail.
“Alex!” James said and hurried over. Alexander set the kids down carefully and then wrapped his brother in a tight hug. They had always been close after all. Hongo hurried over as well, and Alexander beamed and wrapped his strong arms around Hongo in a firm and warm hug. Alexander always gave the best hugs. Alexander was taller than both James and Duke Carl. He kissed the top of Hongo’s head before spinning him around in a circle.
“Baby brother is finally free to go on adventures!” he laughed and Hongo blushed. Alexander put him down and wrapped a large arm around him and reached for James with the other. Duke Carl chuckled as he approached. Alexander beamed and let go of his brothers to hug his father. Dwarfing even him. Hongo had always enjoyed how Alexander was so much bigger than everyone else in the family. Chirl once teased him and said that he wouldn’t make a good soldier, too big a target. Alexander had just laughed about it though. He was always so happy and warm and boisterous. Hongo turned when the door opened behind them once more. In stepped a man with brown hair and blue eyes. He looked around at the people in the foyer and chuckled.
“Things don’t change around here do they?” he asked before smirking. “Some just keep growing older and greyer.”
“Thomu!” Hongo said and Thomu grinned at him, pulling Hongo into a hug.
“Good evening little brother,” Thomu said with warmth in his voice. “Feeling fed up with these old coots yet?”
“Oi!” Alexander and James objected.
“Who are you calling old?!” James asked.
“You’re just one year younger than me!” Alexander objected. Hongo and the younger kids sniggered and Duke Carl laughed.
“Always stirring up trouble, Thomu,” he scolded lightly. “Or are you just getting reactions? Don’t pull your lawyer tricks on your brothers.” Hongo remembered the discussion at dinner and turned to his older brother.
“Thomu, I want to sue dear big brother James,” he said with his most angelic voice. Thomu turned to him.
“Oh?” he asked, his eyes alert and sharp. His mouth turning into a smirk once more. “I am all ears. What reason are we talking about? Defamation? Theft? Corruption?” He mock gasped. “Blackmail?!”
“Oi!” James objected. “I was only jo-”
“Entrapment,” Hongo said and Alexander sniggered with John and Lucy. Duke Carl tried to look serious, but his lips were twitching. Thomu gasped theatrically again and put a hand over his heart.
“James!” he said. “Say it’s not so!”
“It is not!” James objected wildly.
“He is quite loud for someone trying to act innocent,” Thomu mused before turning to Hongo again. “Describe his crime to me in detail.”
“He plans to have me trapped in this manor before forcing me to work for him,” Hongo replied merrily.
“Enslavement?!” Thomu looked horrified, he was quite the actor. If he hadn’t gone into practicing law he would have made a good actor. “Alexander!”
“What d’ya want?” Alexander asked.
“Well first I do not wish for you to butcher the language… but secondly I want you to put our dear older brother under arrest!”
“What am I the military police? I’m an army man not law enforcement.”
“Is he part of this entrapment and enslavement case?” Thomu asked Hongo.
“No, he’s not.”
“Very well then,” Thomu put his hand inside his coat and pulled out a notepad. “Tell me all the details and I will make sure we sue this evil man.” Hongo smirked. The same type of smirk Thomu had.
“Knock it off,” Duke Carl said with a fond chuckle. “James was only teasing. Now come give your old man a hug you rascal.” He grabbed Thomu’s arm and pulled him into a hug. Hongo smiled as he watched his family. He would really miss them when he left.