Michael woke up the following morning and had breakfast at the town hall with Mayor Toto. He notified the mayor that the goblins’ growth was likely due to the escaping soldiers. Mayor Toto thanked him for the information and said he would pass it on.

“You have your guild card, correct?” The mayor asked.

“Yes.” Michael pulled it out.

“Excellent.” To Michael’s confusion, the mayor held his hand forward. “Oh. Did they not explain the job completion process?” He asked.

Michael shook his head, feeling a bit disappointed in Martin.

“Oh, dear… Alright.” Mayor Toto gave Michael the rundown.

The process was simple. Channel mana into the guild card, and use the command ‘Jobs’ to bring up the menu. State the command for which job, in this case, was ‘Extermination. Goblins. Hallibrush.’

Mayor Toto had Michael hold his card out to him, taking one of the corners between his fingers and charging his mana into the card.

“I certify, via Divine Oath testimony, that this job has been completed satisfactorily. Note: I recommend a bonus for sealing the cave.” Mayor Toto finished and released the card.

Michael noticed that the small floating screen was updated with what the mayor had said.

“And that is how it is done. Now, if you ever run into a situation where the client or their representative is unavailable or refuses, you can use a Divine Oath at the guild to prove your completion. Such things do happen.” Mayor Toto informed Michael.

“What happens to clients who refuse?” Michael asked as he put his card away.

“Depends on the situation. There are usually fines, but on some occasions, the client would be blacklisted.” Mayor Toto answered.

Michael thanked the mayor and informed him that he planned to return to Galgalake today.

“I see. Please let us all see you off this time.” Mayor Toto requested, to which Michael agreed.

The mayor sent word out of Michael’s departure. But then, something stirred in his memory. The mayor tried to remember what it was, but it slipped from his grasp. He was sure it was something he wanted to notify Michael about, but the memory was just out of reach. It must not have been too critical.

Within an hour, the central plaza was packed full of people, with Michael and the mayor near the main road that led toward the exit.

Michael had his Magic Cycle out, ready to go.

Rana approached them with a wrapped-up parcel. “Here. My daughter and I put together a lunch for you.”

“Thanks, Rana.” Michael accepted it and moved it to his storage.

“Master Caeldaemos.” Mayor Toto began, drawing the attention of everyone present. “You have not only saved us once, but twice now. We owe you a great debt. Know that you will always be accepted here in Hallibrush as a family. Thank you for your benevolence.” Mayor Toto bowed his head to Michael.

The rest of the people present shouted in unison, “Thank you for your benevolence!”

Michael felt fulfilled. The kindness of the people of Hallibrush filled his heart.

“Thank you all. If I ever hear that you are troubled, I promise to return. Goodbye, my friends! Till next time!” Michael bellowed.

Mounting his Magic Cycle, Michael rode out of Hallibrush, happiness in his heart.

The crowd began to disperse, happily speaking to each other about Michael.

“Ah!” Mayor Toto cried out.

“What is it, mayor?” Rana asked him.

“I just remembered what I wanted to tell him. Darn, my mind!” Mayor playfully tapped his head.

“What was it?” Rana asked curiously.

“Oh. Do you remember the last time he left? There was that one demon who raised a big fuss over missing him.” Mayor Toto replied.

It took a moment for her to remember. “Yes. I remember it was a female demon. She seemed rather upset over missing him.

“Ho, ho, ho.” The mayor laughed. “Looks like you have many rivals for his affection, Rana. I wish you the best of luck on your trip.”

Rana smiled at the mayor. “I think my motherly wiles will pull through.”

They shared a laugh and went about their business.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“WHAT THE HELLS DO YOU MEAN HE LEFT FOR HALLIBRUSH!?” A shout came from the counter in the Mercenary Guild.

Martin was taken aback by the angry demon woman standing before him. “I’m sorry, Miss Listamati, but he left a day ago. I heard he uses a Magic Cycle for travel, so he will likely arrive there in a week and a half. Then depending on how long the job takes, he may not be back in the city for a month.” Martin apologized.

Listamati slipped down the counter to her knees in despair. She wanted to cry.

After Listamati found out about Caeldaemos, the one man capable of resisting her abilities, she pursued him. The fact that he resisted her natural temptation made him even more desirable.

She stood up, a dark look on her face. “You said a month, correct?”

Martin shivered. “Y-Yes, ma’am!”

“Good. Then I shall return in a month.” Listamati quietly left the counter and exited the guild building.

Liara approached the counter. “You okay, Martin?” She asked.

“Y-Yeah. Phew. That was one crazy demon.” Martin sighed in relief that she was gone.

“What was she asking about?” Liara asked.

“Apparently, your boyfriend,” Martin replied.

“Cael?” Liara slipped into thought. “He doesn’t seem like the cheating type. Maybe a crazy ex?”

“That sounds feasible. You have a Crys-Link, right? Why don’t you call him?” Martin offered the idea.

“Shit. I forgot to ask him about it, but he might not have one. Do you know anyone who has a connection to someone in Hallibrush?” She asked.

Martin thought for a moment. “I do! Well, a friend of a friend. Her husband is from there and probably stays in contact with them. I think he worked for the bank?”

Martin promised he would contact his friend when he got off his shift.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael was riding the river of darkness on his way back to Galgalake. But then, for a moment, he heard a scream. Stopping his flow, he returned to where he heard the scream and sounds of battle.

Looking out a shadow, Michael found a sizable force of twenty people attacking a dwindling group of twelve. The smaller group was trying to guard a heavily armored carriage resembling a military APC from Michael’s old world.

Using his info screen, Michael gathered that the attackers were criminals, some of whom had familiar armor.

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“Survivors of the attack of Hallibrush? Looks like they joined up with brigands than to return to their home country and face judgment.” Michael thought aloud.

Spreading his wings, Michael launched himself into the sky.

Charging up several fireballs, Michael began his continuous bombardment of the attackers.

“Ah!” “There! A demon!” “Run for it!”

Any attackers that tried to run were impaled on Michael’s earthen spikes. He was not going to let them get away again.

Michael raised a protective wall around the defending troops, yelling for them to finish off the ones inside the perimeter.

The defenders cheered their reply and continued their easier battle.

The one-sided battle was finished within five minutes, and Michael came down to land before the defending troops.

Michael felt annoyed when he saw they were human and also on guard against him. Before he could say something, a voice called out from inside the armored carriage.

“Why are all of you treating our savior in such a way?” A woman called out.

The door to the carriage unlocked with a heavy thunk, and the door opened. A woman in butler attire hopped out and unfolded a staircase from the side of the carriage.

Holding her hand up, she helped a beautiful woman down from the carriage. She wore a modest dress from modern times and a wide-brimmed hat over her shining brown hair. She had healthy proportions and alluring curves.

“Your ma… Your grace, it is unsafe. We don’t know the purpose of this thing!” The commander stated.

“He is not a thing. He is a person and our savior. Step aside.” The woman moved with grace and dignity, which put Michael on edge. He didn’t want to embarrass himself.

She performed an elegant curtsy. “Thank you, good sir, for the rescue. If you had not arrived, I would not want to imagine what would have happened to us. Might I know the name of our savior?” She asked.

“Oh, my name is Caeldaemos, a mercenary based out of Galgalake.” Michael stiffly bowed.

“A pleasure to make you acquaintance, Sir Caeldaemos.” She curtsied once more. “You may address me as Lady Alicia.”

Lady Alicia’s attendant cleared her throat. Alicia looked at her attendant with a bit of annoyance.

“Or you may address me as your grace.” Lady Alicia huffed.

Seeing the attendant, Michael felt which one was better to use. “Thank you, your grace.”

The attendant had a small but triumphant smile on her face that made Lady Alicia annoyed.

“You said you were based out of Galgalake. Might you be heading in that direction?” Lady Alicia asked.

“Your grace, you can’t mean to?” The commander asked.

“We lost over half our forces in that ambush, and he easily saved us. If we want our mission to succeed, we must arrive safely.” She replied, showing she would not accept any further arguments.

“Um, yes, I was heading back home. I finished breaking down my camp in the forest when I heard the battle.” Michael answered the question to her.

“Very good. I would like to request you for a job. All you must do is successfully escort me to Galgalake. Your reward will be 100T Tress upon our arrival. I swear in the name of the Five Divine.” A haze of light flowed over her.

Ten thousand Tress sounded good. Michael accepted while swearing he meant no harm to them so long as they meant none to him.

“Fantastic! You have my gratitude, Sir Caeldaemos. Commander, since it is late in the day, let us recover what we can and… bury our compatriots.” Lady Alicia had a solemn and sad expression.

“I’ll deal with the bandit bodies. You guys look after your own.” Michael said, stepping away.

He heard some of the soldiers calling him greedy, but he didn’t care. Lady Alicia didn’t seem to mind he was a demon.

Michael finished looting the bodies and piled the corpses into a deep pit. He set the bodies in the hole on fire to reduce them to ashes.

As he was being watched by the soldiers, Michael was using two levels of fire spells. He used a regular orange fire near the surface, but he used blue beneath.

Once the bodies were ashes, Michael filled the hole and notified Lady Alicia he would be nearby, just in the forest. She said she understood, and Michael headed into the woods, where he used One with Darkness.

“I don’t get the princess. How can she trust that monster?” A soldier asked the commander.

“That doesn’t matter now. He will be with us until we arrive in Galgalake in five days.” The commander replied, frustrated.

“But shouldn’t we do something? He is too powerful.” Another soldier commented.

The commander looked at one of his soldiers. “You have that drug, do you not?”

The soldier nodded.

“Good. Add small amounts to his food. It will weaken him and make him more manageable. Don’t get noticed.” The commander ordered.

Inside the armored carriage, Lady Alicia rested.

“My Lady, are you sure this is okay? The soldiers are on edge because of Sir Caeldaemos.” Her attendant asked.

“It is their fault for not noticing he is unlike other demons. Besides working as a diplomat between countries, I have had to deal with demons. They truly are not all that different than us, Miya. It would be wrong to treat them as monsters.” Lady Alicia huffed.

“I thought they would relax after Sir Caeldaemos took a Divine Oath, but it seems to have done little.” Miya looked a bit sad.

Lady Alicia cupped her attendant’s cheek. “I don’t think you should worry for Sir Caeldaemos. He is more than strong enough to look after himself. Besides, if those fools truly tried to do something against our savior, I would never forgive them.”

Michael let out a long and heavy sigh. He was roped into escorting a princess on a diplomatic mission to Galgalake. He assumed they must be from the neighboring empire whose baron invaded the lands. Annoyed over the soldiers’ plans, he checked the drug the commander mentioned. It wasn’t addictive but a laxative. Smirking, Michael decided to put a Curse of Clumsiness on the soldier assigned to the task, making it so the spiked food would always end up with someone other than Michael for the rest of the trip.

The soldiers could get a couple of their damaged carriages running again, and they were back on the road. Michael chose to ride alongside them on his cycle. Lady Alicia found him amusing with how much he enjoyed riding it.

“It is quite a freeing feeling, your grace,” Michael said with a wide smile.

“It does seem fun. Would it be possible to ride it?” She asked.

Michael knew the soldiers would not stand for her riding with him, so he asked Miya if she knew how to operate one.

“I do sir,” Miya responded.

Michael summoned his cycle and let the two ride it as the sun went down. The soldiers were suspicious of Michael as the two enjoyed riding his cycle but did not protest.

The two ladies brought the cycle back, and he put it away.

“My goodness! You may have awakened a new hobby for me, Sir Caeldaemos.” Lady Alicia giggled.

Michael apologized to Miya, who gave a resigned smile and shrug.

A soldier brought over their meals. Michael made sure to check them with his info screen. He had miscalculated his curse, and Miya suffered after one of the meals. He felt terrible for her and secretly used Panacea on her from a shadow.

Michael adjusted the curse so that it would only affect the soldiers.

It was a petty thing to do, and it cost them time. At the rate they were going, they would be a day later than their arrival. So, Michael opened the bottle of laxative and spilled it in the soldier’s bag without him knowing. With it gone, the soldiers gave up trying to drug Michael, suspicious that he had something to do with their suffering. Michael didn’t mind their stares. It was their own damn fault, in his mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mayor Toto’s Crys-Link began to ring, and he picked up.

“Roger, so good to hear from you. How is Galgalake?” The mayor’s face brightened.

“Good, elder. I apologize for not calling more often.” Roger replied.

“It is fine. I understand things get busy in the city.” The mayor laughed.

“Anyway, Elder, do you know anything about a crazy female demon looking for a demon named Caeldaemos?” Roger asked.

“Oh, you must mean Listamati? Yes, she was quite upset when Master Caeldaemos left last time. What of her?” The mayor asked.

“Some friends of Caeldaemos were concerned for him as she showed up here in Galgalake looking for him. They said she seemed a little… obsessed. Do you know anything about her? And could you warn Caeldaemos about her when he arrives?” Roger asked.

“Oh, dear. Master Caeldaemos has already left.” Mayor Toto reported.

“What?” Roger was stunned.

“Yes, he arrived two days ago and cleared the goblin nest the same day. He left yesterday morning.”

“Okay. I will let his friends know. What can you tell me about this Listamati?” Roger asked.

“Not much to say. I believe she is a rare High Demon. I think there was a rumor that she was highly desired for a while, but she let it get to her head and abandoned the societal norms of demon society. It made her undesirable to prominent families, and she became ostracized. They sent her to a remote town like Venture because her skills were still useful. I remember Vexaloy cheering joyfully when she told him she was leaving.”

“That stuck-up old man? Really? Please tell me you have a recording of it.” Roger asked.

Mayor Toto chuckled mischievously, “Of course I do. It will help us next time we have our annual competition.”

Roger laughed and thanked Mayor Toto for the information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roger put his Crys-Link away and updated Liara and Martin, who were with him in his office.

“Thank you for doing this, Roger.” Liara thanked him.

“No problem. Caeldaemos is one of my clients, so I wanted to help him since he seems like a good guy.” Roger smiled brightly.

Roger turned to Martin. “Hey, my wife’s friend said you were single, right?” Roger asked.

“Um, yes,” Martin responded nervously.

“I have a co-worker who… may or may not be interested in you. You didn’t hear it from me.” Roger said.

“What are they like?” Liara asked.

“Are you going to meddle in my love life again?” Martin asked, annoyed.

“He is a hopeless romantic like you. Has two dogs and a kid. He is responsible and works hard. I can try to set something up.” Roger said.

“Really? I’ll help in any way I can.” Liara offered.

Martin demanded she stays out of it.

The three continued their conversation before going on their ways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The convoy finally arrived at the entrance of Galgalake. A soldier finished checking Michael’s ID and checked on Lady Alicia.

Lady Alicia showed the soldier a unique marker and some paperwork. After calling his captain, their group was escorted into the city.

They stopped in a courtyard just inside the city. Miya exited the armored carriage and approached Michael as he put his Magic Cycle away.

“Sir Caeldaemos. My lady is truly appreciative of your assistance.” Miya handed him a sealed letter and held up a bank card. “Transfer Funds: 100T Tress,” Miya stated to her card, lighting it up.

Michael pulled out his card. “Receive Funds: 100T Tress.” His card lit up, and they tapped the card together.

Both cards briefly displayed ‘Transfer Complete.’ Michael thanked Miya.

“The letter is for the guild. It will notify them that you accepted our emergent job and have been compensated. This is so that they will be able to log your completion.” Miya informed him.

“Thanks. I guess is where we go our separate ways?” Michael asked.

Miya bowed her head. “We truly appreciate your help Sir Caeldaemos. We will remember your name well.”

After saying farewell, Lady Alicia’s convoy made its way toward the palace.