To guide a nobleman is an easy job, relatively, and for a mercanery like me it is the best sort of work. It is shameful to admit but the latest assassination was profitable. A nobleman, killed at his own party. I had two other jobs like this just this month, I have to give thanks to the vigilante who done it.

“Ten silver marbles? I won’t go out of this tavern for less than five rocks.” Negotiaons need lies from time to time.

“You’ll get a whole stone at the end in addition to the ten marbles now, that is all I can do.” In his jittery voice he tries to assert but a slight feeling of begging comes out of him.

“Heh, fine, fine. You can tell your master that I’ll do it for one stone and ten marbles, but I will need a job that will take me back here.” The servant jitters back out of the tavern, and I return to my drink. I’m so good, jobs find me. Haha.

-----

The day before going I did polish my spear and checked my gambison for any holes or wear, I’m no rookie. I have my own favorite choice of rations, and I had some lovers to see before I had left.

The cart doesn’t seem to hide the noble nature of the company inside. I call the servant “Oi, isn’t that a bit too noble for the roads? Giving it an adventurers look is the safest choice ya know.” He mumbles a bit before catching his words “The lord insisted, it is a testimony to the fearlessness of nobility.”

“Forget about that, climb on here.” A voice calls from the front of the carriage. A man in armor calls me up the carriage. “It’s nice to see another mercenary.” I sit next to him, he looks odd, I can’t tell why, just that he is not an ordinary man.

-----

After the arrangements were made we hit the road. “Nice spear, is it magic?” He asks me. “No, it’s not magic. I’m just a mercanery, not a king.”

He doesn’t seem to understand my tone is uninterested in his small talk. “I sure hope we won’t end up meeting bandits.” He continues small talk.

“They shouldn’t have gone with the fanciest cart they found. It’s almost as bad as a merchants cart.” He looks at me odd.

“A merchants cart is worse?” Realizing I’m being drawn to talk I stop but he continues. “Wouldn’t bandits try to rob nobles first?” What a foolish question.

I try to dig into him, is he really that thick? “How long have you been in the business? Merchants are safer for bandits to rob, and the payoff is immediate.”

He turns his whole body towards me “Do you know more about robbers?” What an odd fellow, almost scary.

“You must be a complete rookie if you don’t know that.” As I say that he almost talks but goes completely silent, looks ahead and plays with his sleeves.

“It’s not something to be ashamed of, just learn from it. Say, where are you from.”

He hesitantly answers “I’m from… Let’s just watch the road. I think I see something moving up ahead, gotta stay on guard.” He stayed silent, didn’t even give me his name.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Up ahead in the road two men stand and block the road. “Halt, to move forward you must pay the fee.” One of them says.

“I never heard of a fee being charged here…” The rookie almost gets up on his feet but I stop him.

“It is a new feed road, anyone wishing for transport must pay the fine.” The little man tries to answer.

Time to show this rookie how to deal with these situations.” And who is it who decided on such a fee?”

The body of the man in front of us screams the word ‘lie’ as he says the name “Charles, king of-” I cut him off “But it is king Charles that is being transported right now.”

I’m obvious in my lie, let’s see his reaction. The rookie looks at me in shock, The man we transport is Clause Rauch we both know that, I calm him with my hand behind my back.

“what’s taking so long? Gavin, did you forget we need to run a business here?” His larger friend comes up, the muscle joins into the talk.

If we jump down even to just talk they will take critical offence. “We were just wondering if king Charles is truly your manager or not, seeing as he is in the cart right now you’d like to be careful with those words.”

The bigger one looks straight at me, and draws a blade just slightly too big to be a knife. “Looks like ya got some attitude, don’t ya? Need it fixed, don’t ya?”

If I were to get off the cart he certainly wouldn’t see that as a way to open a nice talk.

The cart door opens and the nobleman exit. why would he do that?! “If you press on this I beg of you, do not fight! If you wish to kidnap me and hold me hostage I will come willingly, but please, let these good people go.”

A moment passes and the big one starts to laugh, the small one too, and I can’t help but chuckle as I look to him with wide open eyes. The noble seems to be at a loss as to what’s so funny.

I grab my spear and drop down to separate them. “Go back into the cart, they don’t stand a chance.” I tell him but he stands fast “this can all be avoided, just let them take me hostage, I will endure.” Clause insists.

“who would ever want you? You lousy noble, not even worth trading with trolls.” Clause is shocked at those words.

“Do you not plan on taking me hostage?” He asks with an honest tone.

” These are robbers, they don’t think that much forward. They’ll just gut you and take whatever is valuable.” I explain while maintaining my stance and readying myself for the opponents to pounce.

”What?! Gut me? Not even slavery.” Clause insists on getting taken.

“They don’t seem to need help with honest work, do they?”

“This might have been a mistake.” At least the rookie can understand.

“Sure is, but don’t worry, I can take them both.” With these words I try to calm Clause but I here his foot steps getting closer. “So can I.”

From behind me a figure wearing noble cloths leaps to the smaller robber and punches him in his face.

I remain in shock for a second and quickly turn my attention to the one holding the knife, before my spear could even be thrusted the knife is bended at its edge by the nobleman’s hand. The knife leaves the robber's hand as he folds and holds his stomach falling on his side.

The rookie came down from the cart, the driver who in the mean time cowered in a ball and tried to avoid entering any tackle was even surprised.

“Guess we had the wrong idea.” The rookie said, I don’t understand what that means, but Clause obviously had because he replied with “It was silly of us to presume, it seems we may have needed a mercenary’s advice.”

The look at me, making me understand the look I give them.

“It must’ve been confusing just now, let us explain. We are paladins in hunt of an outlaw who calls himself ‘Jaxtis’. We thought of using this disguise to get his goons to guide us to him, perhaps it was not quite the best idea.”

Paladins? His strength and speed is no doubt of no level that a noble would have, but paladins using disguises or anything other than sit at their desk and look laze around, I never heard of such a thing.

“I have no idea how Allous does it, perhaps there is more to her than I thought.”

Clause and the other one changed to a paladin’s outfit, they even have a magical bag to put all their things. “This is where we part ways, I guess. Me and Chezz will manage from here. Your pay is in the cart.”

“If you’re both paladin’s, why even hire me? You don’t need a mercanery to guard you really.” I ask them, still a little shocked of what had happened.

“We need some one to guard the cart after we left. Enjoy your ride to town, keep the driver safe.”

If I knew they were paladins I would’ve insisted for more than just one silver stone.