Lord June watched as the bird perched in the small window flew away. The scent of herbs in the air continued to irritate his nose as smoke floated around the room. "Do as I told you," Lord June said to the person in front of him.

“What about the barbarian?”

Lord June scowled with hatred and shook his head. "We leave him for now. Lady Aria has a particular interest in learning about the land he hails from, so he's untouchable at the moment," Lord June said bitterly. He then added, "Go, leave me. We'll discuss this further upon my return to Castle June."

"Yes, my lord," the servant replied, leaving Lord June alone in the room.

Ruminating over his recent defeat, the price he'd been forced to pay gnawed at him. The money was one thing, but the stain on his house's reputation and the humiliation he felt were far worse. Gritting his teeth, fire blazing in his eyes, he took a deep breath and muttered, "Just you wait."

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As Keagan was led to Lord Reede's dining room, he felt his connection with the bird eavesdropping on Lord June sever.

‘This ability is already proving useful,’ Keagan thought with a smile. Without it, obtaining information on Lord June would have been more time-consuming. While he could afford to be patient, he preferred to deal with people like Lord June quickly.

At the same time, he subtly shifted his right arm, the hand hidden beneath a new glove. A week hadn't been enough for it to heal, but he figured two or three weeks would restore adequate control. During that time, however, he planned to continue feigning his crippled arm.

Three weeks, maybe even a month. Now that he had verbal confirmation that Lord June was indeed the one who sent those "bandits" in disguise, Keagan felt light. While it wasn't Lord June's intention for these 'bandits' to burn a village, he would still pay the price.

Three weeks, he decided, that's how long Lord June have left in this world.

Lost in these icy thoughts, Keagan was soon led to a door. The servant knocked a few times and waited. The door creaked open, and Keagan was ushered inside.

It was a dining room, designed for intimate dinners rather than large gatherings. A large table dominated the center, and several figures were already seated. Lord Reede occupied the head seat. To his right sat a mature woman with black hair tied in a bun. Her prominent stomach indicated pregnancy. Next to her sat Lady Aria. The High Lord, however, was absent.

Tapestries adorned the walls, their stitching depicting what appeared to be stories.

"Welcome, Sir Keagan," Lord Reede said, gesturing to the seat at his left. "Please, have a seat."

Keagan took the offered seat as a servant, with practiced ease, pulled back his chair to assist him. He felt the pregnant woman's gaze on him. Her eyes, sharp and assessing, scanned him from head to toe.

"Lord Reede, Lady Aria, good evening. May I also know the name of this lovely lady?" Keagan said, though his accent elicited a grin from the unknown woman and Lord Reede.

"This is my wife, Wiena," Lord Reede said, gesturing to the mature woman. "As you can see, I don't have the… of much movement at present, so this is our first meeting, Sir Keagan." Wiena spoke curtly, her hand resting on her pregnant stomach as she nodded at him.

Keagan returned the nod. "Well met, Lady Wiena," he said, then turned his attention to Lady Aria, who simply acknowledged him with a curt nod.

"Let us have some food, then," Lord Reede declared, gesturing for a servant. Food was promptly brought out.

"Do you need assistance?" Lady Wiena inquired, her gaze flitting towards Keagan's right arm. Keagan merely smiled, raised his right arm with a hint of difficulty, and slowly grasped a cutlery.

"It's alright, I can manage."

"We'll have our doctors see to that," Lord Reede said, slicing the meat on his plate.

"Thank you, but I don't think they can do more than let time heal it out," Keagan replied.

"Still," Lady Wiena nodded simply, and asked, "I'm curious, were you a man of importance in your land?"

Keagan lifted his head from his plate, his left hand doing most of the work as he carefully controlled his right arm.

"You could say that," he replied. Lady Wiena's eyebrows rise at his response.

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"Can you tell us about your house?" she inquired. A flicker of understanding crossed Keagan's face as he grasped why she was here, aside from the fact that she is the wife of Lord Reede.

Keagan smiled and after chewing and swallowing his food answered, "There's not much to tell, my parents were simple farmers.."

Lady Wiena and Lord Reede exchanged surprised looks. Lady Aria, upon hearing this, paused slightly.

"So you were born a commoner," Lady Wiena inquired, her voice laced with curiosity. "Then you must have worked hard to gain such importance?"

"I did," Keagan replied simply.

"With your…..skills, I imagine you used your strength to rise to the… of Lord?" Lady Wiena inquired.

"Indeed," Keagan replied with a nod, there was a word he struggled to understand but he got the idea. "I grew up during a time of small wars here and there, and gained status through them." He avoided going into unnecessary detail.

"I understand the system of Lords differs here," Lady Wiena continued. "Would you be willing to share more about your homeland's lordship?"

Lady Aria didn't say any but there was curiosity on her eyes.

Keagan smiled and launched into a detailed explanation of the noble system in his homeland. As he finished, the servants presented the second course. Lady Wiena glanced at her husband.

"Similar to the Megarians, then," she remarked. Lord Reede inclined his head in agreement.

"The Megarians?" Keagan inquired, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

Lord Reede explained, "They hail from the eastern continent, our neighbors. Unlike the western continent, which is isolated by storms, we have established contact with them. They, too, employ a similar system of lordship."

Keagan nodded.

"I am curious," Lady Wiena finally asked, voicing the question Keagan suspected she and the others had. "What brought you to our shores, especially considering the treacherous seas?" He sensed she harbored another inquiry related to his lordship but had chosen to set it aside for now.

Keagan, having anticipated this query, offered a simple response. "Adventure," he declared with a smile as he looked at the three, "There's no greater…” He paused, looking for a word, “’nourishment’ for the soul than that."

The trio exchanged glances. Lady Wiena seemed on the verge of another question but held back, settling for a seemingly innocent yet probing inquiry into his life. "Leaving your homeland can't be easy," she began. "May I ask, how old are you?"

Keagan, with a grin, replied, "Fifty-one."

Lady Wiena's amusement was evident by her chuckle. "If you are fifty-one," she countered, "then I must be a hundred myself."

Keagan chuckled in response. "Thirty-one, actually." He answered in what he hoped a genuine tone.

Lady Wiena's surprise was evident. Keagan's answer seemed genuine, and he couldn't help but notice Lord Reede's subtle scrutiny.

"Truly?" she exclaimed. "You appear to be in the prime of youth." She said and she wasn't wrong. One could easily mistake him for someone in their early to mid-twenties, with his youthful face and complexion.

"Well, thrity-one is the new prime of youth these days," Keagan remarked, earning a chuckle from Lady Wiena.

Her amusement faded as she inquired, "Given your age, are you married?"

Keagan's smile faltered for a moment. "I was," he replied simply.

His words silenced the dining table. He couldn't help but notice Lady Aria's hands trembling slightly as she gripped her cutlery.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Lady Wiena spoke sympathetically. "I offer my condolences," she said gently.

Keagan offered a sad smile. "It's alright, its been some time."

"I understand your grief," Lady Wiena continued, her voice soft. "This year, I lost my stepson," she explained, gesturing towards Lady Aria with her chin. "He was married to Lady Aria."

"Sickness took him from us," Lady Wiena sighed, While Lord Reede expression turned somber before returning back to normal, "He was a fine man, a brave warrior, and a devoted husband, no matter how short it was."

Keagan's gaze shifted towards Lady Aria, who seemed lost in thought for a moment. "My condolences," he offered sincerely.

Lady Aria met his eyes and offered a curt nod. "Thank you," she murmured. Clearing her throat, she finally spoke. "If you don't mind me asking, how and where did you end up on our shores?" It was clear she wished to move on from the previous topic.

Keagan paused, savoring the delicate tuna with its sweet and slightly spicy sauce. "My ship was wrecked by the waves and storm," he explained but added inwardly, 'And sea monsters'. "I clung to a broken dinghy and swam for shore until I reached land. Unfortunately, none of my crew survived."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Lady Wiena said with a sympathetic frown.

Keagan shook his head. When he found out that the final piece of the relic was possibly here, he didn’t hesitate to sail here. He knew the journey here was akin to suicide, unfortunately it was also the fastest route to reach this land. That's why he specifically recruited death row inmates or criminals, promising them freedom if they survived the perilous journey. He'd considered his own demise as well. If the ocean claimed his life, then so be it.

"As for where I landed..." Keagan trailed off, his brow furrowed in concentration. "I don't know actually, I'm not familiar with the area yet, and I haven't seen a complete map of this land."

"Then I shall have a servant deliver one to you tonight then," Lord Reede interjected.

Keagan nodded gratefully.

Lord Reede clasped his hands together after wiping his mouth. "I'm curious," he said. "What are your plans in this land? You mentioned seeking adventure, but with your strength, you could achieve a great deal here."

Keegan paused at the question. He'd already prepared multiple answers for different scenarios when someone asked him that. One important lesson he'd learned in Eberia: never let anyone know your true motive.

Especially for someone with his strength, he had suffered greatly because his enemies couldn't beat him head on, they had to resort to underhanded means and targeted his goal.

He had several plans for finding the final piece in this continent and, if possible, learning more about the Echoes' history. Given his current position where he found himself in a great lord's castle with the attention of a high lord, the region's ruler, there was one plan he reckoned he could implement.

The truth will always come out, one way or another, no matter what form.

Which is why the best course of action is to distort it.

"I'm not sure there's one here, but," Keagan paused deliberately, then added with a smile, "have you heard of an adventurers' guild?"