The portly knight hummed to himself, swinging his arms back and forth as he and his men escorted Ryu and Sylfie to the Guild Association Headquarters. The other knights towered over the party of three, making it difficult to take in their surroundings.

Ryu caught glimpses of the streets and marketplaces as they passed by, but the full wonder of the capital hadn’t presented itself to him yet—if there was such a thing. Aurora seemed to be enjoying the shade cast by the tall knights, lounging on Ryu’s head.

“Ahh, this is much better, nya,” she sighed.

“You can’t stay up there forever,” Ryu remarked.

“Let me enjoy sleeping on your head for a little bit, Ryu. Think of me as a hat! That’s it! I’m a hat cat now!” she said, stretching herself out.

The situation didn’t seem as dire as Sylfie had made it out to be. They hadn’t been cuffed and the portly knight made small talk with them as they made their way through packed streets without much resistance on account of their new friends in shining armor.

Strangely, this escort detail seemed to serve as their protection rather than their captors. Sylfie couldn’t have been more serious, however. Her eyes darted back and forth between the knights. Her hands twitched back as if she were ready to pull out her bow and start shooting arrows in every direction.

“What are you so worried about?” Ryu whispered to her. “Look, if it’s about paying taxes, I’ll figure something out. I'm sure they’ll cut me some slack if I tell them I’m from a different world.”

“You idiot! If it was taxes I was worried about I’d let you handle that on your own! What if they get you on harassment charges or public indecency? It’s not like you can deny it with that damning title of yours!” she whispered back harshly. “Keep your mouth shut until we can get some legal counsel.”

“You’re making a big deal out of nothing! How do we even know we’re under arrest? They haven’t said anything to us about charges against us—”

“Charges against you! I don’t steal panties!”

“It was one time! And I did it to save your life! If anything, you should be thanking me for stealing them.”

Sylfie sighed, placing a palm to her face. As much as she disliked it, she couldn’t deny it. The Demonic Panty Snatcher had saved her life. “Oh, thank you, great Panty Snatcher. Happy?” she said through gritted teeth.

“Very,” Ryu smiled smugly. “Here, to ease your worries, I’ll ask them myself.”

“Ryu I don’t think that’s a good—”

“Hey, mister knight?” Ryu called out to the portly knight.

“Hmm? Yes? What is it, Mr. Hirano?”

“I was simply wondering, are we under arrest?”

“Oh! No, no! Nothing of the sort!” the portly knight chuckled, clutching his belly. “We were, however, told to break your kneecaps, should you run. Lord Huxley isn’t one for dilly-dallying, you know. He doesn’t have time for games. When he requests your presence, you show up—that’s how it’s always been.”

“I see. Thank you for letting me know!” Ryu smiled pleasantly.

“My pleasure!” the portly knight smiled back.

Ryu leaned to the side, whispering into Sylfie’s ear. “Sylfie, I’m scared. Why do we always draw the attention of these wackos and nutjobs?!”

“Don’t look at me! Things were going smoothly for me until you showed up! No normal person gets into this much trouble!” she stressed.

“Erm, Ms. Nightshade, Mr. Hirano, we are here,” the portly knight informed them.

Ryu craned his neck, arching his head until it nearly touched his spine, taking in the grand architecture of the building. He was speechless as he walked through archways, guarded by knightly statues so intricate in their designs that he feared they would come to life. Each stone cut, marble tile, and oaken piece of furniture was meticulously constructed, down to the last detail.

“Dwarven masons; untouchable in the quality of their craft,” the portly knight remarked.

He led them to a large circular chamber, filled with rows of seats and tables that were occupied by adventurers and nobles alike. A raised platform was situated in the center. In front of it was a single row of podiums, elevated even higher than the center platform.

“You’ll be up there,” the portly knight stated, pointing them to the platform.

Sylfie groaned. As they made their way to the center, a wave of commotion spread throughout the chamber as excited conversations about the incoming arrivals popped up.

Ryu grimaced, picking out a few familiar faces from the raised podiums as they stepped onto the platform. Two, in particular, looked just as surprised as he did, scowling back at him. Agrius Fullbright, the self-proclaimed hero of Cerulia, and Mathias Huxley, the young lord-in-training, were none too pleased to see Ryu again.

The feeling’s mutual, jerks. He smiled at Sir Maxwell who had accompanied Mathias. The seasoned old butler returned a cordial nod towards Ryu. He’s so cool. I need to ask him about maids when I get the chance. Ryu noted to himself.

“Sylfie! My darling! You’re still traveling around with this fool?! Have you seen his title?! How could you knowingly spend time with such a barbarian!” Agrius exclaimed.

“Father, what’s this buffoon doing here?! I thought we were supposed to meet the hero who vanquished the Demon Lord’s Generals! You don’t expect me to believe it’s this man, do you?” Mathias voiced his grievances.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Silence, the both of you! You do this chamber a great disservice by leading with your mouths and not your minds!” a posh voice hissed.

The chamber went silent as a distinguished-looking gentleman took a seat at the center podium. Sir Reginald Huxley IV called to order the eightieth Guild Association meeting of the year.

“Colleagues, adventurers, and my fellow nobles, we have summoned here today the party of three that managed to survive an attack orchestrated by none other than two Generals of the Demon Lord’s army.”

A collection of gasps and side conversations erupted in the audience.

“Silence!” Sir Reginald ordered. The audience fell silent once more.

“Mr. Hirano, you in particular were named as the key factor in sending these Generals into an early retreat. Is that true?”

“Preposterous!” Mathias blurted.

“Silence, Mathias! I should not have to make it clear that interrupting the Grand Magistrate is grounds for ejection from this meeting!”

“Y-yes, father,” the young lord said meekly.

Ryu grinned. “Why of course! It was I, the lowly Novice Adventurer who defeated the Generals of the Demon Lord’s army.” He got a kick out of watching Agrius and Mathias fume as the members of the chamber fawned over him.

“Interesting. In the twenty years since the Demon Lord rose to power in the West, none have been able to defeat one of their Generals. Though we never thought to use such brutish tactics, it is clear we overlooked the cunning nature of the common peasant. How else would you have survived for so many years without the facilities we nobles have enjoyed?”

Sylfie ground her teeth. She didn’t take kindly to the slight. Before she could do anything rash, Ryu interjected.

“As flattered as I am by the compliment, it just begs the question, why haven’t any of you nobles been able to do a thing about these Generals if they’re such a problem? You say no one’s defeated them, but you have the ‘Hero of Cerulia’ at your beck and call!”

Ryu feigned a look of shock. “Could it be? Even the Great Hero wasn’t able to do what a Novice Adventurer could?”

Agrius made to climb over the podium, held back by a group of knights. His face grew a shade redder as Ryu reveled in the opportunity to mock him.

“You jest, but it is true. Sir Fullbright has yet to defeat a member of the Demon Lord’s army—not for a lack of trying, mind you, but a lack of opportunity,” Sir Reginald explained. “Sir Fullbright, I think it would be in your best interests to ask Mr. Hirano a few questions pertaining to the methods of these Generals.”

“Of course, I have plenty of questions! But first, answer this for me, you b*st*rd—”

“Mind your tongue, Sir Fullbright!”

“My apologies, Sir Reginald, but I need to know.” Agrius turned to Ryu. “What is your relationship with my darling?”

“Is that pertinent, Sir Fullbright?!” Sir Reginald exclaimed.

“It is to me!”

“You’re too late, Mister Hero,” Aurora spoke, still lounging on top of Ryu’s head. “They share a room together.”

“No!” Agrius clutched his chest.

“And there’s only one bed in there, nya.”

The Great Hero collapsed on the podium looking as though he would suffer an aneurysm if he heard any more.

You’re evil!

“Hehe, serves him right, nya. I don’t like bullies,” Aurora said.

Sir Reginald cleared his throat as knights carried Agrius away. “M-my apologies. I hadn’t expected the Great Hero of all people to have such an aversive reaction to your personal matters. Belated congratulations to you and your wife—”

“We’re not married, God d*mn it! What is wrong with you people?!” Sylfie burst, seething. “Stop wasting our time with all these frivolities! Just tell us what you wanted to say, so we can get the h*ll out of here!”

Sir Reginald was taken aback for a moment, but being the noble that he was, he regained his composure fairly quickly.

“Of course, Ms. Nightshade. It was rude of me to prolong this meeting to such lengths. I will get straight to the point. We called you here because you survived an encounter with the Demon Lord’s Generals. As such, we feel you would be the adventurers most capable of handling an issue we have been facing along the northern border.

The Dwarven Rulers of the Frostflame Mountains have come to us seeking aid as their forces crack down on the illegal smuggling of goods and trafficking of creatures from the Wildlands into their territory. Some of these species are considered invasive and have been wreaking havoc on their ecosystems.

We suspect one of the Demon Lord’s Generals is behind the smuggling and we would like you to put a stop to it. Granted, we don’t expect you to go it alone. We will supply you with additional resources and manpower to ensure your success, should you accept this quest.”

Ryu scratched his head. “Since when did Dwarves care about nature?”

“Oh, they are quite passionate about conservation these days, but damage to their local flora isn’t their biggest concern, I’m afraid,” Sir Reginald explained. “Ore Grazers have been set loose in their land. They've started to consume the twin mountains. If this carries on, the Dwarves may cease to have a home.”

Sylfie sighed, patting Ryu on the shoulder. “We’ll take it.”

Ryu gave her an inquisitive look.

“Remember Elder Chestnut? This coincides with the information he gave us about his saplings. If we accept the quest it’ll combine with the one we already have in our quest log,” she explained.

“We’d be doing the same thing, but for double the rewards,” Ryu realized.

“Exactly. You’re catching on quick,” Sylfie grinned.

“Wonderful!” Sir Reginald stated. “I shall not waste anymore of your time by keeping you here. This meeting is adjourned! We will send for you once preparations have been made. Expect a message in the coming weeks, brave adventurers.”

Ryu and Sylfie breathed a sigh of relief, leaving the chamber hastily. They sped towards the building’s exit, eager to see the sights of the city before meeting with Hazel’s supplier the following day. Just as they were about to leave—

“Hold it!”

Ryu groaned, turning around to face Mathias Huxley.

“So, you’re an adventurer and a Coffee Brewer? With that kind of title? Ha! I shouldn’t even give you the time of day, but because I’m a man of honor I shall humor your request!” he pointed at Ryu.

What the f*ck is this basket case talking about? Aren’t there any normal people in this world?

Aurora snickered. “You shouldn’t be talking, Ryu.”

“That’s why I was thinking. You would think your thoughts would be private!”

“Hey! You’re ignoring me again!” Mathias exclaimed.

Ryu massaged his temple, at his wit’s end with the pompous young lord’s spoiled attitude.

“Just tell me what you want so we can be on our way,” he said exasperatedly.

Mathias removed a glove and threw it on the ground. “You made me look like a fool in front of my father and the rest of the guild. I know what you were trying to do—you were trying to goad me. Well, I’ll give you exactly what you want!”

“And what do I want?” Ryu asked through gritted teeth.

“What everyone wants from me! I, Sir Mathias Huxley, accept your challenge for a Brew Battle!”