“And that’s the story of how I accidentally stole a horse,” Nicholas said. He smiled as his guests pondered the story he told. [Pathological Liar] still affected him, but he was able to get through most of the story without changing it severely. Plus, whatever was altered only made him look better. The only issue was that his guests were fully aware of his skill. As a result, they weren’t affected by it and didn’t believe what they were told.

“While I appreciate your tale, I would like to hear something real,” Guardsman Oliver said. He was one of the two people The Unnamed Team was allowed to bring to the capital. They initially wanted to invite Rose and Damian, but those two were already on their way to the capital for a reward from the king as well. Mateo and Jenna couldn’t leave the tavern unattended. Linn had a backlog of work to complete. Countess Marisol was dealing with Baron Niles. Robert, the thief, still hated the team. Finally, Sean, the merchant, remained unpaid. After going through their shortlist of friends, The Unnamed Team could only invite two people that they somewhat knew.

“I agree. Some non-fiction stories would be better. These cars you mentioned are too unrealistic.” Receptionist Emma said. She was the other visitor on the team’s trip to the capital. Her mind nearly melted when they asked her to join them. Heroes were known for rarely speaking to those beneath them, but The Unnamed Team was unique in that regard. They didn’t think they were any different from the common man. For the most part, they still acted like typical commoners. The only odd thing about them was their reluctance to speak about their past. Any story they told was obviously faked based on the frequently mentioned magic called technology.

Nicholas looked to the floor with a disappointed look. The story he told was mostly real. He did exaggerate a bit at some parts, but that came from his lying skill. Maybe he should have mentioned that the horse was the one that stole him, not the other way around. Nicholas shook his head. It was better to be known as a liar than as someone that was too afraid to get off a horse before it walked away. Still, the guests didn’t need to be so critical of his story.

During his brief depression, a light tapping sound came from the carriage’s door. Normally, the people inside would ignore it. It was most likely just rocks that were kicked up by the vehicle’s wheels, but Robyn knew better. The noise was from her messenger. She got up from her seat and cautiously opened the door. The carriage was still moving, so it took extra effort not to fall. A raven flew in from the small crack before Robyn closed the door.

“I saw it! I saw it! A big building! Higher than I can fly!” The raven said. It fluttered around before finding a safe place to land. Caws echoed in the small room. That was all the people without the skill [Speech: Animal] could hear. Only Robyn and Nicholas could understand the small bird. Thankfully, Robyn informed everyone about the situation. She didn’t want the bird she enhanced to be shooed away. She opened her palms and took the raven in her hands. Robyn gently caressed the bird as she reported what she was told.

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“Wow, Lady Robyn. You really can talk to animals!” Receptionist Emma said. Her eyes were full of wonder. Her line of work meant that she met many adventurers, but speech skills were extremely hard to obtain. Most skills came from repeating certain actions for a specified number of times. Speech skills, however, required someone else with the same skill to teach another person. This made the skill rarer and more impressive. Emma constantly found herself awing the heroes at every skill they revealed. It was ludicrous to think they were ever commoners who struggled against weak slimes.

“Yeah. It was a skill gifted to me by the guardian of the Echoed Woods.” Robyn said. She sat back as she remembered that day. The memory was mostly of her running in terror from Shen, the guardian of the Echoed Woods. Her excellent skill was almost an afterthought compared to being chased by a griffin. She was still amazed that they managed to fight it off and escape. After fighting many sins and raising in plenty of levels, it may have been possible to defeat Shen, but Robyn rejected that idea. There was no point in picking a fight for no reason.

“Really? I heard people rarely made it out of that realm.” Oliver said. As a magical realm, few people have ever seen the Echoed Woods. The only reason it was known was because of a single person that made it back alive to tell the tale. Many adventurers were eager to explore, but they never managed to actually enter that place. Most gave up on the endeavor until a certain rumor made its way across the nation.

“Everyone tells me that, but Nicholas and I left without a problem,” Robyn said. It was well known that two rookies had not only entered but escaped. Not only that, their team managed to ward off the realm’s guardian. The story rekindled the passionate flames of exploration that drove many adventurers. It was probably their search that kept Shen too preoccupied to seek revenge.

Robyn looked over to a dejected Nicholas, Rex, and Xander. The three had tried to entertain their guests by telling old stories, but each tale only made them miss home more. Plus, no one believed them. There was little she could do to cheer them up. She was also feeling a bit down at the moment, but Robyn was always good at finding the brighter side of things. She reached over to the curtains that shielded the carriage’s inside from the sun’s rays. They opened with the slightest effort, and the kingdom’s capital was finally in view.

The nation’s capital was nestled between a tall mountain and the open ocean. A single spire represented the king’s castle and was visible from afar. Several tall buildings surrounded it and progressively got shorter as they stretched farther from the castle. An impressive stone wall spanned the city’s perimeter that wasn’t shielded by a cliff or fortified shoreline. Outside the walls was practically another city entirely. They adhered to the same laws, but their finances were too low to actually live within the capital. This area nearly doubled the city’s coverage, and it operated as an extra protective layer against threats.

Nation’s capital, Stresara, was a breathtaking sight to behold.