Used to the standard of living of the modern world, I couldn't help but feel mildly threatened by the total darkness that penetrated the night.

With hardly any lights anywhere but on the sky littered with stars and two moons, the nights turned out to be far darker than anything I expected.

But it hardly was a bad thing.

With only the sounds of my two companions breathing through their sleep and the painful itch caused by the nail I was resting my back against, I finally had some time to sort out my thoughts.

The short four hours of sleep I got were barely enough for my brain to complete its synchronization. Still, it would take me some time to slowly grow used to all those new memories and knowledge hidden behind them.

And what could be a better opportunity for doing so than a two-hour-long watch?

In the end, tracking the time with just my guts alone turned out to be quite the challenge. That's why, rather than trying to accurately measure the passage of time with some random units I could observe, I ended up focusing on the state of the world outside of the window.

'If we are going to leave at the darkest hour of the night, I only need to wait for the outside to start turning brighter,' I decided before diving deep into the sea of my consciousness.

Between analyzing my new memories, sorting new knowledge, and paying attention to my surroundings, the two hours of my watch passed before I could even notice it. And as time was of the essence, once I made sure it wasn't just my perception of time going awry without a cellphone to check it, I stood up and went to wake my companions.

"We need to get going. Get up," I whispered to the kid's ear before looking over in the girl's direction.

Most likely sensing my movements, she already shook herself awake, now busy tracking my movements with her eyes.

'What a weirdo,' I thought, unable to shake off the weird feeling the girl gave me.

Still, now was not the time to waste on useless thoughts.

With my companions now awake, I moved over to the single bag that I carried out of the colosseum. A simple bag that contained all the necessities for a legionary. Namely, a bastard's straight sword, a saber with a gentle curve, and a round shield with a special handle that allowed me to carry it both on my hand and also on my back.

I locked the hook of the scabbards against the belt before tightening it around my waist. Then, I locked my shield on my back before turning around and looking at my companions.

Nay, the slave girl didn't move an inch from her spot. On the other hand, my younger brother properly took on arms, wielding a short sword in his main hand and protecting his fist with a small buckler. To top it all off, he pushed the handle of a small axe behind his belt before raising his eyes to me and nodding his head.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Let's go," I ordered in a short whisper before turning around and heading for the doors.

The second I opened them, my eyes somehow peered through the darkness of the corridor, all the way to a small pile of bloodied body parts.

'Huh?' I nearly stopped in my tracks, only saving the day by desperately jerking my body to the side, making it seem as if I made a sharp turn the second I walked out of the room.

'There's is no use revealing I saw it,' I decided while growing slightly mindful of the reaction of the two behind me.

Thanks to the slight angle of my position, I could catch my companions coming out from just the very corner of my eye. And while the kid walked out and followed me without a single clue…

Nay threw a quick glance to the opposite end of the corridor first before turning and heading after me.

'So that's what that noise was, back from when I was sleeping,' I took a note of what happened before turning my head, making sure the girl couldn't see my face.

I only knew a little about the institution of the imperial slaves.

A lovely mercenary of the lowest class like me had no reason to bother with things like that, as they were exclusively a part of the noble world.

All I knew was that imperial slaves were supposed to be an absolute elite, regardless of what position one would assign to them.

That's why, I wasn't all that surprised this feeble-looking girl could dispatch several thugs and cut them literally into pieces.

What I was curious about, though, was how I was supposed to react upon noticing something like that. And as I didn't know, I picked the route that allowed me to…

Well… To ignore the topic whatsoever!

'If you didn't see it, it might as well never happened,' I told myself a comforting lie before reaching the stairs and walking down to the main reception area of the Inn.

"Oh, good morning!"

To my surprise, the staff didn't all retreat for the night. And while there were some kids sleeping by the fireplace, a well-built man in the strength of his years stood behind the corner with a polite smile.

He also held a huge, glass cup in his hand, polishing its insides with a perfectly clean, white towel.

"Good morning," I nodded my head politely, "I was lead to believe I could get some help with…" my hand reached out to my pocket before pulling out and flashing the silvery token I received upon getting to the room.

My smile slightly intensified.

"With rapid departure from this city and all the necessary preparations for it."

The hand that moved the towel inside of the cup stopped.

The man then sighed and put both the cloth and the cup away.

"You've come to the right place!" Clearly taking a breath before putting on an enthusiastic facade, the man stepped out of the counter before approaching me, putting his hand on my back and gently pushing me towards one of the doors at the back of the counter. "We've been notified of your situation, and prepared the caravan accordingly."

Before I could even notice, the servant of the inn dragged me and my companions out of the building, only to put us in place before disappearing into storage hidden at its back.

When he returned, the poor man dragged his feet, burdened by several heavy sets of saddle bags, all bulging from all of the stuff hidden inside.

"I've already called for the guide," the man informed as he dropped the heavy cargo on the ground.

'I wonder when,' I couldn't help but question the man's statement, as I never saw him call for anyone.

Yet, as if to spite the face of my guessing, a group of five young men, all around fifteen to twenty years old, walked out of the inn and grabbed one of the leather bags each.

"They will guide you to the stables and convey… the level of cooperation you have with our company," the servant announced before stepping to the side and pointing at the door leading into the darkness of the back streets of the sleeping city.

"While it might inconvenience you a bit, I was told you would be happy to take the less noticeable path, especially amidst all the…" The man hesitated for the first time.

He then turned his eyes away, as if too scared of revealing something if he were to keep looking into my eyes.

"Especially amidst all the turmoil we've witnessed in the city during the night."