CHAPTER 42
Narrator: Dav and the director arrived at the venue before Matteo and took their seats, using the wait as an opportunity to eat something and relax.
The director, though accustomed to meeting important people, felt a slight tension at the thought of meeting another member of Dav’s family.
Over the phone, Matteo had seemed relaxed and confident… but his instincts told him otherwise.
Dav squinted toward the entrance of the venue, then gestured to the director.
"There he is."
He raised his arm to signal him, and Matteo approached their table with a steady stride.
The moment he sat down, the director felt a wave of murderous intent and an overwhelming aura…
but he quickly realized it wasn’t real. Matteo wasn’t releasing anything. It was just his instincts reacting.
Dav: Let me introduce you to a truly impressive man: the director of our academy, Vittorio De Santis.
And this is Matteo De Lion, my cousin.
Director: It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Matteo.
You look sharp and well-dressed.
Matteo: Please, just call me Matteo…
These formalities sound excessive, especially coming from a man of your experience, Mr. Vittorio.
Director (thinking): They really are related.
The same way of interacting… They seem more like brothers than cousins.
Or perhaps childhood friends bound together forever.
(laughing) Only if you do the same, Mr. Matteo.
Matteo: Alright then, Vittorio.
Dav: We should leave tomorrow.
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I don’t have enough energy to transport both of you all the way to Gozo Prison.
Director: A piece of advice: you should wear the Italian National Hero uniform.
That way, not even the prison director or the guards will dare deny you access.
Dav (curious): And where am I supposed to find something like that here?
Director: Leave it to me.
(The director takes out his phone and dials a number.)
(on call) It’s me, Vittorio.
The National Hero needs his formal uniform by tomorrow afternoon.
I’ll call you for the delivery location.
(Hangs up and turns off the phone.)
Matteo (impressed): Vittorio, you’re really an important man.
Dav: Agreed.
Director (smiling): After all, I’m the director of a renowned academy, the ‘Dav De Lion Academy,’ responsible for the Hero and the entire institution.
Dav (covering his face): Cut it out…
Director/Matteo (laughing out loud): AHAHAH!
Matteo: I have another piece of information for you.
Do you want the good part or the bad part first?
Dav: The good one.
Matteo: Remember the rune?
I found someone who can help you fuse it with your weapon.
Dav (impressed): Where can I find him?!
Matteo: Well… that’s the bad part.
He’s outside the boundaries of the human world… in the Land of the Dwarves.
Narrator: Scholars theorized that the human world was at the center of the entire planet.
That’s why it was called "The Land of Humans."
Only Hunters with a B-rank license or higher were allowed to cross its borders and explore what lay beyond.
However, very few ever did.
Outside the human realm existed an unknown and perilous world, inhabited by unseen creatures, ancient beings, demons, and monsters of unimaginable power.
Ancient tales spoke of lost civilizations, but no one knew how much truth lay in those stories…
Only one man had ever documented his experience in a book, though he refrained from revealing too many details about the places or creatures he had encountered.
Dav (curious): How far is it?
Matteo (uneasy): We’re talking about another continent, possibly larger than the Land of Humans…
Dav (discouraged): So… very far.
Matteo: Exactly. And it’ll be a long journey, with no maps or technology to help you.
(concerned) I advise you not to go alone.
Take someone who can watch your back.
I get that you’re the strongest man in the human world, but out there? It’s a whole different story.
Director: I agree.
(serious) When I was young, I tried venturing beyond the border with a group of Hunters.
We were young and reckless.
Everyone died, fighting day and night against monsters no one had ever seen before.
I was the only one who returned.
And I decided never to go back.
Dav (reflecting): I see.
I’ll wait until my students go to university… then I’ll leave to find this dwarf.
(Suddenly, he remembers something.) Ah, by the way… what’s his name?
Matteo (rummaging through some scrolls): The name I found is ‘Durnak Blackarm.’
Nothing more.
Dav (thinking): Durnak Blackarm, huh?
I’ll find you.
(Changing the subject, he stretches.) It’s getting late.
How about we grab something to eat and then find a place for the night?
Director: I’ll take some fine steaks and red wine.
Matteo: A chicken salad and a few expensive beers.
Dav: A nice hamburger with fries and lots of beer.
Matteo (laughing): You haven’t changed a bit!
Director (laughing): AHAHA!
END OF CHAPTER 42
