The next day is spent in preparations, everyone is running around getting last minute details taken care of. The only thing I need to do is patch and repair my armor, although it is in fairly bad shape. I really need to find someone who can make me armor from the drake hide and scales.

I really hope I can find a master level leatherworker in Illium. Come to think of it, why was Mercy only counting twenty-seven heroes? There were a lot more than that standing in that circle when I was first summoned.

Zamart says "Come in, Lord Ash. What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to ask you about the summoned heroes. When we were talking about the heroes we were counting them down from twenty seven, shouldn't there be fifty?"

Zamart says "There were forty-nine summoned not counting you. The other twenty-two were non-combat classes so we didn't count them as possible enemies."

"So what happened to those other heroes?"

Zamart says "The king basically discarded them, some were sent to the various craft guilds while others were sent to farm."

"So they are still in the kingdom?"

Zamart says "No, not anymore. The ones in the guilds were moved to Illium when we spread the news of the king's plans. The others were snuck out of the kingdom by the rebels and most now live in Illium."

"Good, that means my best chance of finding a master level leatherworker should be in Illium."

Zamart says "Yes, that should be true. But why do you need a master level leatherworker?"

"I want to have armor made from drake leather and scales."

Zamart says "Drake? As in an actual drake?! Please tell me about it!"

So I sit down and have tea with Zamart as I tell of the battle with the drake. Zamart asks me a lot of questions about the drake, how it moved, how its strength was, and what its anatomy was like. It seems like he is just interested in expanding his knowledge.

Of course I don't tell him anything about the trials, just that I fell into a cavern while playing tag with the soldiers. Since the trials are meant for demi-gods I don't think the goddesses would want knowledge of them to spread. Even though I trust Zamart somewhat, it is better to be safe than sorry.

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Zamart says "This is amazing! Who knew such a powerful creature slept beneath our kingdom!"

"Trust me, I found it quite surprising!"

Zamart says "Haha! I bet you did! But it is good that you defeated it, if it had woken up and attacked, the entire kingdom would probably have fallen."

"I was extremely lucky, I barely survived."

Zamart says "Yes, I can tell from the scars on your armor."

"Hence why I want to get new armor made."

Zamart says "The master of the mage's guild is a friend of mine, I will send him a message and have him look for a master level leatherworker for you."

"Thank you! One other favor, could you also ask him to look for someone capable of repairing an artifact?"

Zamart says "Of course! Could I see the artifact?"

When I take the medallion out from under my armor and hand it to Zamart his eyes go wide in surprise. He shows a lot of excitement as he examines the medallion. I am not sure if it is because of the medallion itself or just because it is something new to Zamart.

Zamart says "I can't believe it! This actually contains a contract for a great spirit! It is so powerful it is even repairing itself!"

"Really? That's great! I was so worried I wouldn't be able to get it repaired!"

Zamart says "That's the good news, the bad news is it will take about a hundred years."

"Ugh, that's too long! What can I do to speed that up?"

Zamart says "Honestly I don't know. I've never seen a contract artifact before. I will forward the information to my friend and have him research it. Hopefully he will have something for you by the time you arrive."

"Thank you for your assistance!"

Zamart says "Don't even mention it. This is nothing compared to what you have given me! I will do anything within my power to aid you for the rest of my life!"

"Ah, you don't have to go that far!"

Zamart says "Yes, actually I do. So just accept it!"

"Alright, alright."

Hawk says "Excuse me!"

Zamart says "What is it Hawk?"

Hawk says "The scouts have reported, the enemy will reach the forest early tomorrow. Alexa has ordered everyone to sleep early."

Zamart says "Alright, let's have tea again after the battle, Lord Ash."

"Sounds good, I will look forward to it."

Hawk says "Lord Ash, the princess would like to see you before you retire for the night."

"Oh, alright. I will head over there right now."

As I walk through the rebel camp, I am surprised at how quiet it is already. Being told to sleep early and actually doing it shows good discipline and trust in the officers. That isn't very common in normal armies, it means the rebel's officers are all of good quality.

As I am walking I suddenly feel eyes on me so I stop and look around. The feeling is coming from the forest but I can't spot anything out of place anywhere in sight. The feeling follows me all the way to the princess' tent.

Guard says "Princess, Lord Ash is here."

Mercy says "Send him in."

"You wanted to see me, Mercy?"

Mercy says "Yes, thank you for coming. I want to discuss tomorrow's battle with you."

"By all means!"

Mercy says "I want you to wait to launch your attack on the rear until they enter this clearing."

"This is where you plan to stage the final fight?"

Mercy says "Correct. At this point they will have suffered through all the traps and ambushes. This way when you split their attention it will give us the greatest advantage."

"Alright, I can do that."

Mercy says "Good. Just be careful, you are very important to the future."

"I will. Goodnight Mercy."

Mercy says "Goodnight!"