Life Story

Page 1

Philip had traveled from one place to another with his father, a peddler, for as long as he could remember.

His father was a small-time crook, thieving here and there on the side whenever he wasn't peddling. However, he was a meek man who could not let his child see his bad side, perhaps to keep his conscience clear.

Nevertheless, thieving tends to bring out the worst in people. His father trained Philip in the use of weapons such as the bow and knife so that he might defend himself in a pinch.

Philip was a quick study and his father would laugh happily, say "that's my boy!"

Page 2

As Philip grew older, he noticed the difference in his looks and the way he and his father aged. Philip retained boyish looks for decades, while his father's hair grayed and his back bent, making them appear more as grandfather and grandson.

When Philip reached adolescence, his father's mind began to deteriorate, and he often talked of the old days. He spoke of his work with the Thief's Guild, his hometown, and how he once purchased an elven infant in a port town.

The baby was about to be auctioned off at the market. The father, having just lost his wife and newborn during childbirth, could not bear to see his child orphaned.

He then smiled, claiming it was the only good deed he had ever done in his life. Philip called his father down for inadvertently telling him such a thing, but ultimately he held his father's hand and thanked him repeatedly for taking him in.

Page 3

Not long after, his father breathed his last. Afterward, he set out to locate his father's hometown so as to build a grave for him there.

Although his feelings toward his father were complicated, realizing he would never see the man again, he couldn't help but feel sad. If only he had curbed his rebellious ways and been nicer to his father when he was still alive.

The only thing left to Philip was to build a final resting place for him.

Page 4

And thus, Philip arrived at his father's hometown. After constructing the grave, he learned from the villagers that his father had a younger brother. However, the brother had left for the capital with his own son decades earlier, saying that he was going to become an adventurer.

Hearing this, Philip knew there was something else he now had to do, and the path before him suddenly seemed a little brighter.

If he could not repay his father for what he had done, then he could at least help his uncle and nephew in whatever way he could, if they still lived. Philip immediately set off for the capital in pursuit of his newly discovered relatives.