Tristan and the group finally arrived at the gates of Wyrmford. Before entering, Brady and his team changed into more inconspicuous attire to avoid drawing attention.

"At last, we've reached the city," said Blake, one of the friendlier members of Team 1, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Finally, we can get some rest," Lyra, one of female knight on the team, chimed in.

"We've been running from sunrise to sunset nonstop," complained Gaiden, whose perpetually drowsy face looked even wearier than usual.

"Stop whining already. This is our job as knights specializing in swift mobility," scolded Barden, the largest and most imposing member of the group.

"Alright then," Liliana, the team's vice-captain, interjected. "Captain, I'll scout for the best inn in the area. I'll notify everyone once I find a suitable place."

"Understood. Let us know as soon as you've found one," Brady replied.

"Will do, Captain," Liliana nodded. She was about to head off when Tristan spoke up.

"Wait, can I come with you?" he asked, causing the five knights to freeze momentarily. Memories of their initial encounter with Tristan flashed in their minds, sending chills down their spines.

"Su-sure, of course," Liliana replied, trying to mask her hesitation.

"Not just me," Tristan added, gesturing to Sheyla. "She should come too. Sheyla looks utterly exhausted. It'd be better for her to find a place to rest right away." His tone carried genuine concern.

The five knights exchanged confused glances, their earlier apprehension melting into disbelief. Internally, they all thought the same thing: 'This kid… he's actually kind and considerate.' Their expressions relaxed as a collective sense of relief swept over them.

"That's a great idea," Brady agreed, nodding approvingly. Turning to Sheyla, he added, "Lady Sheyla, please accompany Liliana and rest as soon as you've secured an inn."

"Alright, Brady," Sheyla replied, her exhaustion evident in her voice.

With that, the group split into two. Liliana, Tristan, and Sheyla headed off to search for an inn, while the rest of Brady's team stayed behind to look for a comfortable and reliable carriage for Sheyla's journey.

Tristan, Liliana, and Sheyla strolled through the streets of Wyrmford, searching for the best inn.

"So, where exactly are we looking for the inn, Sister Liliana?" Tristan asked.

"I don't know either. We'll just keep walking until we find one," Liliana replied nonchalantly.

'What kind of person is she? She doesn't even ask around while looking for an inn? Is she really trying to find one, or just wandering aimlessly?' Tristan thought, incredulous.

"Umm, Sister," he began cautiously, "there's a saying: 'Those who don't ask for directions get lost.' How about we ask one of the locals for guidance?"

"Oh, you're right! Let's ask that fruit vendor over there," Liliana said, pointing toward a stall on the side of the road.

'How did someone like this become the vice-captain of Team 1?' Tristan thought, shaking his head in disbelief.

They approached the fruit vendor, who kindly pointed them toward the best inn in the area. Wasting no time, they made their way there.

"Ooh, this place looks pretty nice," Liliana remarked as they arrived.

"You're right, Sister," Tristan agreed.

"Let's go in and book some rooms," Liliana said as they entered.

Inside, as they arranged accommodations, Tristan suggested, "It would be safer for Sheyla to share a room with you or Sister Lyra, for her protection."

"That's a good point," Liliana agreed. She booked four rooms: one for Liliana, Sheyla, and Lyra; one for Tristan and Brady; and two more rooms for the other knights, with two sharing each.

"Alright, it's done. Let's take Sheyla to her room," Liliana said.

"Okay, Sister," Tristan replied. Then he asked, "By the way, where can I report an incident to the local authorities?"

"What do you want to report?" Liliana asked curiously.

"I want to report what happened in Allrose Village," Tristan replied solemnly.

"Oh, for something like that, Commander Brady will handle the report." Liliana explained.

"Good, that's a relief," Tristan said, visibly relaxed.

As they escorted Sheyla to her room, Liliana thought to herself, 'Despite his cold and harsh demeanor earlier, he's actually a good kid at heart.'

"I'll head to my room first. Which one is it?" Tristan asked Liliana.

"This one, right next to ours," Liliana replied.

"Got it," Tristan said before entering his room.

Inside, he sat on the bed, his mind quickly consumed by thoughts of Brighthold. "How am I going to get information about Brighthold? The quickest way would be to ask Uncle Lucien for help when I meet him. But I don't know anything about his personality. Sheyla says he deeply cares for his family, but I doubt he'd help if I tell him I'm looking for a hero. Guess I'll just have to go with the flow when we meet. If that fails, I'll head to Brighthold myself and search for Cheryl."

As Tristan sank deeper into his thoughts, a knock came at the door.

Knock, knock.

"Tristan, it's me, Brady," came a voice from the other side.

"Come in, Uncle Brady," Tristan called.

Brady entered the room, looking around. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing much uncle, just thinking about a few things," Tristan replied.

"Does this mean you've started to open up to me now?" Brady asked with a smile.

"What makes you say that?" Tristan retorted.

"Because you called me 'Uncle,' haha!" Brady chuckled heartily.

Tristan smirked. "Yeah, well, I acted cold when we first met because of the circumstances. Now that I know you're an ally, not an enemy, I thought I'd try to be more polite."

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"Good to hear that!" Brady said with a grin. "Anyway, let's head downstairs. Everyone's waiting for you for dinner."

"Alright, Uncle Brady. Let's go," Tristan replied, standing up.

The two of them made their way down to the inn's bar on the first floor, where the rest of the group was waiting.

***

A few moments before Brady went to see Tristan, Liliana gathered the entire team and addressed them.

"Listen, everyone. From now on, we need to treat Tristan better."

"Why? Aren't you afraid he might lop your head off later?" Blake quipped, his tone casual and blunt.

Liliana rolled her eyes. "I'm not afraid because I'm not his enemy. Sheyla told me earlier that Tristan only acts cold and ruthless toward monsters or his enemies. Two days ago, Sheyla witnessed him torturing a dark mage who had slaughtered and tormented a family Tristan considered his own. Do you know what he said to that dark mage?"

The group fell silent, shaking their heads in unison.

Liliana cleared her throat, preparing to mimic Tristan as described by Sheyla. "'Don't worry, Uncle. I'll make this bastard pay a hundred, no, a thousand times over for what he did to Dheryl and Auntie.'"

Her voice softened as she added, "And he said that while smiling at his uncle to reassure him. What do you think? Pretty cool, right? At his core, Tristan is a good kid. It's just his circumstances that have shaped him into what he is now. Honestly, it breaks my heart to see someone his age, who should be playing or studying, burdened with such pain and vigilance. What do you all think?"

Barden nodded, his face thoughtful. "I agree. You can see he's a good person from the way how he treats Lady Sheyla."

Lyra chimed in, "Same here. I wouldn't want to make Tristan an enemy either. Even Team 2 couldn't land a single hit on him. And you all know Team 2 is almost as skilled as we are, except for Captain, right?."

The rest of the group, including Brady, nodded in agreement, their expressions carrying a hint of unease.

Liliana clapped her hands together, sealing her point. "Alright then, it's settled. From now on, let's stop being afraid and treat Tristan kindly, okay? Unless, of course, you're a traitor, haha."

"Understood," the team replied in unison.

"Captain, could you please go fetch Tristan for dinner? You've had the most interaction with him since the beginning," Liliana requested.

"Alright," Brady said, rising and heading upstairs to Tristan's room.

***

As Tristan and Brady reached the ground floor, they were greeted warmly by the team.

"Good evening, Tristan. Come join us for dinner before resting," Barden said with a big smile.

"Of course, Uncle Barden," Tristan replied, smiling back.

"Sit here, Tristan," Liliana said, patting the chair beside her.

"Alright, Sis," Tristan replied, sitting between Liliana and Blake.

Blake grinned and asked, "What would you like to eat, Tristan? Is there something specific you prefer?"

"I can eat anything, Uncle. Just order the same as everyone else," Tristan replied.

"Sure." Blake ordering the food and then continued, "but why do you call me Uncle while calling Liliana Sis? That's not fair," Blake complained.

"Well, that's because Sis Liliana looks younger than you, Uncle," Tristan said with a smile.

"What? Younger? Hahaha! Do you know Liliana's actual age—" Blake began, but he didn't get to finish. Liliana tugged hard on his ear and interjected.

"I'm thrilled you think I'm young, Tristan," Liliana said, beaming at him. Then, with a scowl directed at Blake, she added, "But this jerk dared to laugh at me and comment on my age!"

Blake winced, trying to explain, while Lyra awkwardly stepped in to mediate. The rest of the team shook their heads and sighed, used to the antics.

Suddenly, Tristan burst into hearty laughter, catching everyone's attention. The group turned to him, stunned at the rare display of joy that Tristan showed. Realizing he had laughed too loudly, Tristan composed himself and said, "Haha, sorry! I couldn't hold it in. It's been such a long time since I've felt this kind of peaceful atmosphere."

He stood up from his seat, bowed slightly, and addressed the group. "I also want to apologize for how I treated you all earlier. Please, let's work together from now on, Uncle Brady, Uncle Barden, Sis Lyra, Bro Blake, Bro Gaiden, and Sis Liliana."

Everyone looked at Tristan in shock, seeing this new side of him, open, respectful, and warm.

Liliana was the first to respond. "Of course, Tristan. From now on, think of us as your family."

"That's right! If you ever need anything, you can count on your big bro here!" Blake said proudly, thumbing his chest.

"Let's work together, Tristan," Lyra added with a smile.

"Yeah... looking forward to it," Gaiden said, stifling a yawn.

"Don't hesitate to ask for help when you need it," Barden said, his smile kind and reassuring.

"Welcome to Team 1, the elite squad of House Roussanne, Tristan," Brady said warmly.

Their camaraderie was interrupted by Sheyla's arrival, her expression pouty. "How dare you all have fun without waking me up?"

"Haha, we were just about to wake you, Sheyla," Brady lied, scratching the back of his head.

"No, you definitely forgot about me," Sheyla accused, pointing at Liliana.

"Not at all," Liliana replied with a sheepish laugh.

"Sorry about that, Sheyla. How can we make it up to you?" Barden asked earnestly.

"If Tristan cooks me a meal, I'll forgive you all," Sheyla declared, crossing her arms and turning away.

"Tristan's cooking?" The team looked confused.

"Just so you know, Tristan's cooking is better than the chefs at House Roussanne," Sheyla boasted.

"Haha, I can't cook right now since we're at an inn. But I promise to make something for you once we're in Redwatch," Tristan said with a grin.

"Promise?" Sheyla asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Promise," Tristan affirmed.

"Alright then, I forgive you all," Sheyla said, finally relenting.

The group shared a laugh, settling down to eat dinner together, their conversation flowing easily and warmly.

After finishing their meal, everyone went upstairs, bidding each other goodnight before retreating to their respective rooms.

Inside their shared room, Tristan and Brady prepared to sleep. As they settled in, Brady turned to Tristan with a curious look.

"By the way, Tristan, a few months ago, when I passed by the area near your cave, I saw dozens of orc corpses. Were you the one who killed them all?"

"Yes, Uncle," Tristan replied. "Back then, I thought they were chasing me since they were heading directly in my direction. I set up numerous traps and managed to eliminate half of them. But eventually, I found myself cornered and nearly gave up. That's when their commander stepped forward and challenged me to a one-on-one fight."

Brady raised an eyebrow and interrupted, "Wait, the orc spoke to you?"

"Yes, Uncle. He spoke just like a human would," Tristan confirmed.

"In that case, he must've been an awakened orc, an orc warrior on par with a knight captain like me," Brady said, his tone serious.

"No, Uncle. Now that I've met you, I realize you're far stronger than that orc. But back then, I didn't have the ability to gauge an opponent's strength properly. Besides, he underestimated me," Tristan clarified.

"Still, any orc that can speak has undergone awakening. They typically possess special abilities, like the life-force berserk skill, which turns their bodies red and boosts their strength exponentially," Brady explained.

"That's right, Uncle. During our fight, he used that exact ability," Tristan said, nodding.

"And you managed to defeat him?" Brady asked, astonished.

"Fortunately, yes," Tristan said. "He underestimated me. When he had me in his grasp, he deactivated his skill, thinking the fight was already over. That gave me the opportunity to throw a goblin knife into his eye. Then, I grabbed a bone spear I had found earlier and stabbed his neck repeatedly until he fell."

Brady stared at Tristan, clearly impressed. "You're incredible, Tristan. Even a few months ago, your skills were already comparable to mine. Now, you must be far stronger."

"Thank you, Uncle," Tristan said. "I had to survive alone in that forest for months. I used every trick I could think of and stayed constantly alert."

"Your survival story is fascinating, Tristan. You'll have to share more of your experiences with me sometime," Brady said with a smile.

"I'd be happy to, Uncle, whenever we have time to relax together," Tristan replied.

"Alright then, sleep well, Tristan. Goodnight," Brady said warmly.

"Goodnight, Uncle," Tristan responded, lying back on his bed.

The room grew quiet as both of them drifted off to sleep, ready for the challenges awaiting them tomorrow.

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(Tristan Ciyane-Level 58**)