Chapter 144: Home Sweet Home

Words : 1109 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

Chapter 144: Home Sweet Home"WOOOHOOO!!" Beneath the afternoon sky, a black-haired young man and his companion, an adolescent Dharmwolf, howled their hearts out as they felt the wind against their skin and fur. Truly, it had been a wise decision to purchase a Suzoke Pathblazer IV, a Suzoke Companion II Sidecar, and insurance to go with them, all for just twenty gold coins upfront. He would pay the rest over the next nine months. Hal had tried detaching and attaching the sidecar, and it was indeed as quick and convenient as advertised. With the system’s inventory, there was no need for him to worry about whether he would leave it or not when going out on missions. He didn’t even have to worry about the entire motorcycle. It had been five days since Hal and Loki left Rovindor City and headed to his home village of Poporo to fetch his mother. Normally, it would’ve taken him a few weeks on a Donkey Cart, but the Manatech Motorcycle was way faster than a mere donkey, cutting the time needed significantly. It wouldn’t be long before he arrived. As they got closer, Hal’s heart began pounding. At last... Although it would only be certain for a few months, and his mother still couldn’t live too luxuriously, she would at least be sleeping in a soft bed inside a brick house within the safe confines of a city. There was no need for her to be constantly on edge due to the possibility of an officer from the Imperial Wizard Army arriving at midnight to inform them that a beast or monster horde was forming and that they had to evacuate. Or worse, they might be greeted by horrifying roars without an officer ever arriving to warn them. The wooden walls of Poporo Village soon came into view. With his excitement growing, Hal sped up, noticing that the village sentries atop the wooden watchtower were signaling for him to stop. He didn’t, though. He simply raised the visor of his helmet and continued through the wide-open entrance, yelling, "Uncle Leb, Uncle Ron, it’s me, Hal!" before speeding off toward his hut. The two sentries, who had initially been furious, blinked as realization struck. One of the seven young wizards who had left their village had returned. Surprisingly, it was Hal, the one with the least talent in wizardry. "A-A Manatech Motorcycle?!" gasped the two in unison. ** At the back of a small hut, a middle-aged woman stood up and stretched, her lower back aching from another day of tending to the crops. Helena wasn’t getting any younger. But what could she do except take care of the chickens and plant crops so she could eat? At least it served as a good way to exercise, though her posture wasn’t exactly holding up well. Just as she was about to return to the hut to take a bath, a loud hum, which seemed to come from a Manatech Engine, sounded just outside. It caused her and those nearby to panic slightly, thinking it was an officer from the Imperial Wizard Army. Were they about to lose their little homes again? But then, upon arriving, Helena was dumbfounded to witness her close friend and neighbor, Lynn, who was also Ennya’s mother, hugging the officer. Had she lost her mind?! Her late husband would rise from the grave if he got wind of this treachery! Helena was about to force the two apart in fury when she suddenly recognized the back of the "officer". It resembled the back of his son, though a bit more manly now... "H-Hal?" she probed with a slightly shaky voice. "Hello, Mom. I’m back. Sucks that you weren’t able to see my cool entrance, huh?" he greeted with an awkward smile. He hadn’t quite managed to pull it off the way he did in his dreams... ’Oh well, the sidecar had already ruined it long ago anyway.’ Gently slipping out of Aunty Lynn’s embrace, Hal turned fully to Helena and hugged her. "I missed you, Mom." "W-Well, I missed you too, of course, but now isn’t a good time to hug me. I still haven’t taken a bath..." "Hmph! As if that matters! We’ve long stank together, no?" "That’s true..." Hal was naturally joking, but Helena was just too glad to see her son again. She smiled instead, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She hadn’t thought she would see Hal again this soon... At least not for another two months, when the school year ended and the students would get a month and a half of vacation. Even Korren and the others hadn’t visited yet. But then she remembered that her son wasn’t exactly ranked high in the academy, which was probably the reason why he got to do what he wanted. Forcing herself to look at the bright side, Helena grabbed her son’s wrist and pulled him inside the hut, planning to prepare a meal for him when, suddenly, a creature barked loudly, capturing everyone’s attention. The sound was from a large, black dog. "T-This is?!" Helena noticed Loki first, then the Manatech Motorcycle. "Hahahahaha!" Hal laughed uproariously. "You’ve finally noticed?! That’s indeed my Manatech Mot– huh?" "Who’s this little one? Ooh, he’s so adorable, look at him, all cross-eyed and stuff, is he yours?" "U-Uhh, yeah, the little one’s Loki." Hal was a bit disappointed that the reaction to his Suzoke Pathblazer IV was quite lackluster, but Loki was indeed cute, so he could understand why her mother immediately liked the little guy. He even felt a bit guilty that he wasn’t able to introduce the pup properly. What was done was done, however, and for now, he would enjoy his mother’s cooking and appreciate Poporo Village one last time before leaving for good. It was naturally a bit difficult to leave behind the home he had lived in for eighteen years, especially since he had a good relationship with almost everyone here. Even the parents of the fake bastards held a place in his heart. Unfortunately, he couldn’t allow his mother to continue living in such conditions, not when he had the means to make her life better. Everyone would probably understand. After all, if they could, they too would live in the city without a second thought and leave everyone behind. It just so happened that Hal’s family now had the chance to live better lives. They could always visit from time to time, anyway. Who knows? If fate allowed, he would help everyone here move to a town, at the very least. But for now, blood ties come first.

Chapter 144: Home Sweet Home

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