It's daytime but it's still dark outside, like at sunset. I could hardly wake up to catch Sir Branford and Ms. Sophie in time at the guild.

I thought they would have already been adventurers, but they weren't. Did they have special training? I want to learn what they did to become that strong.

I want to leave this town too.

"Shall we eat something nice before leaving, Claud? I don't want to eat rations anymore..."

Sir Claud nodded before looking in my direction. Is he waiting for me to say something...?

Oh! I should recommend them a place to eat!

"I always see lots of adventurers gathering in the Dawn Bear Tavern! The town is really big and it's easy to get lost, I can lead the way!"

"Lead the way then~"

Yes! I did it! Ms. Sophie seems happy to hear my suggestion.

We entered the tavern where we were greeted by a large man with a beard.

"Ahah! Great timing! These two are the young ones who defeated the swarm of giant spiders and the night murderer! Give them a great welcome to Karreira!"

Cheers rang out throughout the tavern with unruly men boisterously yelling.

"Those tags you're wearing; you've joined the Adventurers' Guild I see."

"Yes. Claud and I are about to have a meal before heading out on a quest."

"Ah. Excellent. Working for your keep. Admirable!!"

"Admirable!" the other men cheered again.

"Hmm, is this your entire party?"

"Yes, Claud, Paige and I are hunting a Great Stag in the forest."

"A hunt quest for newcomers?! Were you not assigned an accompanying guardian? Ah, I suppose you wouldn't need one if you could take down an entire swarm of monsters... But still... It leaves me uneasy. New adventurers should always have a guardian in case of emergencies..."

After a moment of pondering, the guard captain slams his hands together in an epiphany.

"I shall join you!"

"Captain! You mustn't!"

"I, guard captain Hagen will serve as guardian for these newcomers' first quest!"

"Captain!"

"Argh! Hush! You lot ought to earn your keep like these young ones. Children, ignore their complaints. The guards are strong enough to hold down the fort in my absence. Now eat to your hearts' content, I will pay for your meals! An adult must never let a child starve!

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

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"My... my pay for the month... How did three children manage to eat so much food..."

I thought Sir Hagen was a little cold when we first met him. He's opened up a lot just because we helped catch a criminal. I suppose he's a good person on the inside just like Claud.

"Ahem, you two, I need to talk to you in private. Youngest boy you stay here."

"O-okay..."

What could he have to talk to us about?

Moving into the backrooms of the tavern, Sir Hagen began, "The guard stations received a telegraph from the East recently regarding a criminal. A boy had kidnapped a girl from Eindall and ran off in the middle of the night. Now I doubt that's the case, but I have to ask."

"Claud did not kidnap me. We left home on our own will."

"Mhm. As I thought. You two seemed very content journeying together... I'll send a new telegraph to the other stations out East. But that's not all I had to say... Here. The money from carving the spiders' parts."

"We can't accept your money..."

"Nonsense. You were the main contributor in killing them, we merely took their carcasses after. Think of this money as the guards buying the monsters from you. The parts will help greatly in restocking the armory."

"I see... In that case, it's ok I guess..."

"Take pride in earning money, youngsters. Not many can do it the way you can. I saw you on the plains, dodging and utilizing our artillery to help take down the mother spider. Twas very impressive... I apologize for firing upon the field. That was a command I gave knowing there were people trying to escape the horde."

"I-it's okay. Please raise your head. I'm sure you care for your city's safety a lot."

"That is merely an excuse. Forsaking people for the sake of the city was unacceptable. Without you, a lot more people would have been murdered. Thank you, once again. That is the true reason why I wish to accompany you. As atonement."

"I see..."

Looking at Claud, he shrugs his shoulders.

"We welcome your company, Sir Hagen."

"Glad to hear it! Alright, I should check whether you're prepared to enter the forest. Report the current status of your current equipment and supplies."

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They left me out of the conversation... I hope they're not talking about leaving me...

"What's wrong, boy? Young folk shouldn't have that kind of expression on their face."

The bartender was talking to me.

"Oh... it's nothing..."

"Is that so...? Do you want to see a magic trick?"

"O-ok."

"Keep your eyes on this coin, it's in my left hand... Now it's in my right and... Voila! Where did the coin go?"

"W-was that magic!?"

"It's a little sleight of hand. Most people won't be able to tell. You use your hands or any other flashy technique to misdirect their attention then slide the item like this and... It appears as if it has vanished."

"Wow~"

"Well now that you've seen the trick behind it, you'll be able to use it as long as you have a decent level of Dexterity. People with high Dexterity will be able to see through Misdirection. Don't go using it for anything naughty now, you hear?"

"O-of course not!"

-Learned new skill: Misdirection Lv1-

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"You're all armored very lightly, that's a major concern. Even if you have a high Vitality, having armor will give you a slight edge against certain types of attacks. That can be the difference between life and death."

True. I've been wanting to get proper armor for some time.

"I know that Eastern armor is more ornamental with magic serving as the actual protection. But Western armor is different. We use monster parts to craft our armor which has special traits. Though I'm sure you know about it. Electric resistant armor was used to protect against lightning magicians when the Empire attempted to annex Karreira."

"Umm..."

Of course, we didn't know a thing. For propaganda purposes, the history books of the Empire only ever criticized and condemned the enemy.

Perhaps due to the advanced technology of the Empire, a majority of its magicians practiced mostly lightning based magic leaning towards that aspect. If that was the case twenty years ago as well, the attacking magicians would have had lots of problems. And the Empire does not like advertising its failures for obvious reasons.

That's probably why this fortress is still standing.