Travellers - An Isekai, Cultivation Fantasy

“Master… Master Hazezel!” the guard cried. Hazezel snapped back to reality.

“Huh? Yes, okay, tell me about the damages.”

The guard began listening out all the damages to the fields, the approximate monetary cost, and the casualties in the troops.

Astoria listened intently and asked, “Is brother Elwin not among the casualties?”

“No miss, as far as I’m aware, Master Elwin did not even reach the herb fields.”

“Huh? What does that mean?” Astoria asked worried.

Did he get ambushed on his way there?

“Don’t worry about Elwin, Astoria. I assure you he’s safe,” Hazezel told her.

“How can you be so sure?” she asked.

“Because… I sent him on… a secret mission this morning. So, he didn’t go to the herb fields.”

Astoria heaved a sigh of relief.

“Okay then, so long as he’s safe.”

After a moment of digesting the information, Hazezel gave the guard instructions on how to deal with the damages. The guard listened intently, before giving a deep bow and left.

Hazezel sat back down and looked at Astoria deeply.

He couldn’t help but think back to that day from over three years ago.

...

Drake was almost six, and he was eleven. Drake had barely saved him from the biggest mistake of his life. It had left him both grateful to his brother, but also feeling jealous that not only his older, but also younger brother was more talented than him.

Hazezel was extremely bored of always staying at the mansion, protected by his father. He wanted to explore the village but whenever the children went out, his father would normally send out people to guard them. As such when he went to the village, everyone would treat him differently. He felt that he could never experience anything properly.

That day when Astoria and Drake were walking past the Beast Woods, they had to beg their father to allow them to go alone so that they could have some fun together. Only after promising Holt repeatedly that they wouldn’t do anything dangerous did Holt finally agree. Of course, he cursed himself for that mistake and decided to never allow it again after that.

So, one night, Hazezel decided to sneak out of the mansion wearing a dark, hooded cloak. He was extremely discrete and quiet as he walked out of the mansion. Everyone was asleep so he had a few hours to himself. However, the streets were mostly empty since it was nighttime. Hazezel was slightly disappointed, but he expected this, so he decided to go to an inn which still had lights out.

As soon as he entered, everyone looked towards him. Though his face was hidden by the cloak, he was still short due to his age, so everyone could tell that he was young and became curious about who he was. However, Hazezel marched to the innkeeper and paid some money to stay for the night.

After paying for a room, Hazezel didn’t leave immediately. He ordered a drink and stood to the side. There was no age restriction for drinking in this world, so the innkeeper gave him a cup. Hazezel was observing the people in the inn, they were in small groups of two to four people, talking and laughing about dumb things like one does with their friends. However, one table was extremely crowded.

Curious, Hazezel walked over to see that they were playing a game. He didn’t understand much immediately but afterwards, he realised that they were gambling.

His interest was piqued! He carefully observed for a few rounds and understood most of the rules.

“Umm, can I join?” he asked.

Everyone turned towards him with uninterested gazes. He was slightly scared since everyone else was much older than him.

“You got any money?” one of them asked.

Hesitantly, Hazezel took out a pouch of gold coins. It was some of his savings from the allowances Holt gave him.

Everyone let out gasps. Who was this kid? He was so rich!

“Hahahaha! My brother! Of course, you can play!” a bulky man cheered and put his arm around Hazezel's shoulder. Everyone’s attitude towards him became extremely friendly once they realised that he was basically easy money.

With a sheepish smile, Hazezel sat down and started playing. He might not be a reincarnated genius like Drake, but he was quite intelligent. He didn’t gamble too much at first in order to get used to the game and lost most of the money he gambled at the start. But as the night went on, he was losing less and winning more, until he started winning slightly more than losing. By the end of the night, he had doubled his money!

‘This... is amazing!’ thought Hazezel, a huge smile etched onto his face.

Everyone had extremely unsightly gazes for being outdone by a kid. Some of them also had evil looks, thinking whether they could steal the money from him. However, they didn’t know where he had come from. Since he had so much money, they thought he might be the child of some elder or another powerful figure in the village. If so, then they would get in a lot of trouble if they attacked him.

So, after an entertaining night, Hazezel quietly left and started walking back to the mansion.

‘Is this my gift...?’ Hazezel was wondering. He had grown up with the extremely talented and adored Elwin, followed by Drake who, despite being the youngest, somehow seemed to be smarter than all of them. Looking at these two, Hazezel always felt like he was not good enough.

Sure, his twin sister Astoria was in the same boat, however that didn't help him feel much better. He wanted to be good at something too, to get attention and recognition from his family and everyone else. But no matter what he did, it couldn't outshine Drake and Elwin's talent.

But now, he had finally found something he was good at! He was good at coming up with winning strategies and using that to make a lot of money!

He wanted to share it with his family immediately, but he knew he would get scolded by his father for sneaking out and for gambling, so he thought he would first become really good, make a lot of money, and then tell his father. Surely all that money would serve as evidence to showcase his talent? Holt would have to acknowledge him then!

Thinking so, Hazezel became really excited.

Unbeknownst to him, when he was entering the mansion, he was spotted by Drake from his window. Drake was curious as to what Hazezel was doing up so early, but he didn’t think much of it.

However, it happened again, and again, and again.

Drake noticed that Hazezel would often borrow small amounts of money from other people giving random excuses. Since he always returned the money soon after, Drake didn’t think much of that either.

However one day, Hazezel borrowed a lot more money than usual which gave Drake a bad feeling. So, that night, Drake decided to follow him. He was very stealthy, and Hazezel had no idea he was being followed.

Recently Hazezel had been on a winning streak, so he was extremely excited. He wanted to make a lot of money today!

Drake didn’t enter the inn but observed what was happening through a window. Hazezel was wearing a cloak to hide most of his face while being welcomed by a group of strange men to playing a card game.

Back on Earth, Drake used to casually play many games with his friends, so he recognised that the game the group were playing was very similar to one of the games he already knew. He quickly understood the rules after observing a few rounds.

What Drake was surprised to see was money being put on the table. The money often switched hands and some were left with smiles while others had ugly expressions. Seeing this, Drake had a complex gaze.

Though he enjoyed playing games and had played various games many times with his friends in his previous life, he never liked to gamble real money. Drake normally liked to think everything through before taking action, so he never enjoyed gambling which, by nature, relied a lot on luck. Furthermore, back on Earth, he had seen several of his friends lose their livelihoods to gambling, which made him develop a deep distaste for it. Hence, seeing his brother gone down a similar road in this life was the last thing that he wanted for to happen.

Moreover, in Drake's mind, Hazezel was still young, so he felt that these men were just trying to take advantage of him to make money.

So, Drake was surprised to observe that Hazezel was actually very strategic with his moves, allowing him to do very well.

Although Drake never gambled, gambling was a huge industry on Earth where many methods of increasing one’s chances of victory, such as card counting, had been discovered. Although they were all banned within casinos and any place with actual gambling, Drake only ever played casually with his friends.

Out of interest, he and his friends started to spend some time learning these methods, and then often played a few rounds where everything was allowed, in order to spice things up. So, Drake knew plenty of methods to increase one's chances of winning which didn't even exist in this world, making him quite an expert.

He could estimate the skill level of the other men and noticed that Hazezel was better than most. Therefore, as the rounds progressed, Hazezel was winning a lot of money - but so was another man. Drake didn't know who this man was, but he could tell that this man was very good, so he became slightly worried for Hazezel.

That's when the worst happened.

“Noooo!” Hazezel screamed, standing up. His whole body was shaking and his mouth was open in shock. On the other hand, the other man who was playing really well was extremely joyful and laughing his heart out.

Unable to stop himself anymore, Drake entered the inn and immediately walked towards Hazezel.

“Hazezel! What are you doing?” he questioned angrily.

Hazezel was dismayed. This was the worst possible outcome!

Why was Drake here? Was he following him? But he was extremely careful. Why today of all days? The one day he suffered so badly was the one day he had to be caught!

Hazezel was speechless, if Holt found out then he would get into so much trouble!

“Drake I…” Hazezel didn’t know what to say. He had just lost almost all his money. Not just his entire savings, but also the money he had borrowed from everyone else. His mind was in a mess, and he was about to cry.

But Drake’s following actions were completely unexpected to Hazezel.

Drake pointed at the man who had just won a fortune and spoke.

“You, I challenge you! Let’s play a game. If I win you must give me everything you just won,” he declared.

The man’s face turned ugly from being challenged by another little kid.

He was no ordinary player. The man was actually a veteran who had stopped playing at this ordinary tavern. However, he heard that recently, some rich kid was flashing his money around. Hence, he decided to come take a look. To his surprise, Hazezel was not only very wealthy, but also pretty decent at the game. He thought that it was no wonder the others couldn’t beat him.

However, the man was different. Hazezel, despite his talent, was nothing compared to him. And if he could beat that kid, how could this newcomer, who seemed to be even younger than the previous boy, beat him?

“Huh? If you want me to put up all this money, then you need to offer something equal in exchange kid,” he said.

He wasn’t sure how such a boy could have anything equal in value to the fortune he now possessed. However, those doubts quickly dissolved as quickly as they appeared when he saw Drake take out a golden bracelet. It was at least worth several hundred gold coins! It was even more valuable than the fortune he had just made!

‘Who were these kids? Were all kids so rich these days?’ The man was confused.

Drake hesitated slightly.

This bracelet was a personal gift from his father. When he was assigned a personal tutor, and the tutor told his father on the first day that there wasn’t anything much to teach Drake, his father was extremely happy and proud that he gifted him this bracelet on the spot. This bracelet was something like a family heirloom that belonged to June who inherited it from her mother. June had gifted it to Holt during their wedding. It was an extremely personal gift. Holt originally wanted to give it to Elwin when he became the head of the village, but he just didn’t know how to reward his son’s genius. So, he chose to give him this.

There was no need to mention that losing this would be terrible.

Hazezel saw this action and he immediately stopped him.

“Drake you can’t! You don’t need to take such a big risk for me!” he cried.

He was feeling helpless. Hazezel knew how much that bracelet meant to his father. It was bad enough that he lost so much money, but if Drake lost that bracelet too, his father would be in unspeakable rage!

However, Drake didn’t even pay him any heed. He knew what he was doing.

The man hesitated for a moment but greed quickly overtook him.

‘He is just a kid! How could I possibly lose? And if I backed away from a kid’s challenge now, wouldn’t I become a laughing stock?’

The man calmed himself down. This will be easy, he thought with a wicked smile.

This commotion attracted everyone in the inn. The whole room was quiet at seeing this peculiar scene of a little boy going up against a grown professional. Everyone thought that he was a complete idiot and became inwardly jealous of the man for his luck in attracting so much wealth.

So, the two sat down and started playing. The game was very intense and apart from the two players, no one spoke a word. Everyone was watching intensely.

There would be no room for cheating! Some were even making bets on who they thought would win! Unexpectedly, today had turned into such an event.

Hazezel was extremely worried. However, as he watched, his brother was doing pretty good.

This made him so confused. It took him several rounds of playing just to learn the game, let alone become proficient at it. He knew that Drake had never played this game before, so how could he be so good? Was Drake that much of a genius or was he just too stupid?

The atmosphere was becoming heated as the game approached its climax. The man was regretting his decision so much.

How could this kid be so good?

The man was struggling intensely but he hadn’t lost all hope yet. He picked up the final card and his face couldn’t help but brighten up. His poker face had completely vanished, confident of his success.

Drake saw this change in the man’s expression but didn’t do anything. After taking his final card, the two revealed their hands.

The whole room erupted into chaos.

Drake had won!

The kid actually won!

“Impossible!” the man shouted. “You… you must have cheated!” he was furious.

He had just won a fortune but now he lost everything, including even his initial capital!

How could he lose like this? And to a kid?

“Oh? How did I cheat?” asked Drake, viciously staring right into the man’s eyes. He had attempted to take advantage of Hazezel so Drake hated him for it.

The man was speechless. He couldn’t retort. The whole inn was watching. If anyone cheated, they would have been found out.

This was Drake’s unquestionable victory.

The man became so furious that he screamed, shouted, bellowed, and cursed as he stormed out of the room, dashing tables and chairs out of his way. He even pushed away anyone who came near him. Some people became angry, but most were laughing at his misfortune.

“Drake! Drake, you did it. You won!” Hazezel exclaimed.

He did not know whether this was a dream or reality. He hugged his brother tightly, unable to express his joy in words. Drake sighed inwardly in his mind, but he didn’t return the hug. He was still slightly angry at Hazezel.

Hazezel didn’t mind this at all and tried to change his mood.

“Since when did you learn this game, Drake? You’re so good at it!”

Drake laughed to himself. It's not like Hazezel would believe him if he told him the truth.

“I just read about the game and some winning strategies in a book,” Drake replied vaguely.

Hazezel didn’t buy it, but he was happy regardless and started taking back the money.

“I hope you know that I am the one who won that money Hazezel,” Drake stated firmly.

Hazezel froze. But of course!

All this money belonged to Drake now, how could he just take it? But Drake continued.

“However, I will give all this money to you, provided you promise me that you won’t gamble again.”

Hazezel didn't reply for a while and just stared at the floor. After all this time, he finally thought he had found something he was good at, something that he could outshine his brothers in. It was the most fun he had had in his life. Yet, Drake was better than him at this too.

How was that even possible? Wasn't he the older one? Should he be more intelligent, more skilled? So why was Drake better than him at everything? Why was he never good enough? This was the one thing that made Hazezel feel good about himself, yet Drake had to take that away too.

Of course, Hazezel understood that Drake meant well. Not to mention that he also needed this money, least of all to repay everyone that he borrowed the money from. He had no choice, but to relent.

But... he was far from happy about it.

“I agree,” he said with a low voice, not making eye contact. Drake sighed out loud.

“Listen Hazezel. Gambling is very risky, and it can easily ruin your life if you are not careful. Today should be a reminder of that for you. If I hadn’t come, what would you have done?” Drake didn’t expect an answer, and Hazezel couldn’t give any.

Of course, Drake was right! Hazezel knew this all along, that’s why he was very secretive in coming here.

‘Yet now, you're going to lecture me too?’ Wasn't he the older one? Shouldn't he be the one lecturing Drake? Why was he being lectured by Drake instead?

‘It's not fair...’ he thought to himself.

Unknowingly, tears started welling up in his eyes. The emotional turmoil he had gone through today due to all the twists and turns was just too much. And just when he thought everything would go back to normal, he was being forced to give up everything. It was simply too much!

Hazezel's emotional filter crumbled and he burst into tears. At this moment, he was just like Astoria, feeling helpless and weak. Why could he not be like Drake? Drake was younger than him, but he was so much more capable. Why did he get himself into this stupid mess? He was crying and crying, unable to stop himself.

Drake could no longer remain so cold. He loved his family and seeing his brother cry, he finally hugged him too and softly whispered, “It’s okay”.

Everyone watched this scene with mixed emotions. Some felt sorry for Hazezel, some were curious about who this new boy was, and some people didn't care and went back to what they were doing earlier.

Soon, Hazezel stopped crying. ‘I can't think like this,’ he told himself. ‘I can't be jealous of my own brother...’

Thinking so, Hazezel thanked Drake once again and agreed to his request. Drake let him take all the money, which was double what he had originally started with. So, after returning the money he owed, Hazezel still had a large sum of money to himself.

After that, life mostly resumed to its peaceful style. Drake pushed this incident to the back of his mind and focused on his usual reading, swordsmanship, and other activities.

True to his word, Hazezel did stop gambling.

However, his feelings didn’t go away.

...

Back in the present

All of Astoria’s attention was focused on the paperwork as she went through one document after another.

She seemed to sense something and looked towards Hazezel.

“Is… everything okay?” she asked, confused at why Hazezel was looking at her so much.

“Yes,” he replied with a smile as a plan slowly started forming in his mind. “Everything is just fine.”