Marcus was whistling happily as he got ready to leave the royal palace. Or at least he was trying to whistle, since his lips weren't really suited for that activity. The result was more akin to a high pitched blow, but since it still worked as a way to express just how good his mood was he didn't really mind.

He had spent most of the afternoon relaxing in the bathtub while snacking on several types of tartare, which was already as close to perfection as possible for him. Moreover, he was about to visit Rennhafen, the first real city he had seen since he had arrived in this world, and he had a purse full of coins that he was going to use to buy whatever picked his fancy, be it food, clothes or anything else. Never in both of his lives he had ever enjoyed such luxuries.

“Man, I really do feel like a VIP.” He thought with a smirk. “And to think I used to look down on snotty rich folks in my past life… though now that I think of it, their problem was the snootiness, not the richness. Anyway this five star treatment feels even more amazing than I’d have thought. I just hope it won't go to my head and make me become as snooty as they were. However, that’s a problem for future me. For tonight I'm just going to enjoy myself and leave all existential conundrums for tomorrow!”

He walked out of his room, heading for the courtyard where a coach was waiting for him, ready to take him to the city. He quickly got there, finding the coachman standing in front of the vehicle.

“Good evening, countess.” The man bowed as the Vex Queen approached. “Everything is ready for your trip and your bodyguard is waiting inside the coach.”

“Thank you very much... uh, what's your name?” Marcus asked.

“Daniel, m'lady.”

“Well, thank you Daniel. And also, I'd be grateful if you could just call me Marcus. I'm still not used to all these titles and stuff.”

“That would be rather inappropriate.” The coachman replied. “However, if you wish, I could just call you with the honorific sir. Would that suffice?”

“Yeah, thank you.” Marcus nodded. “Oh, and by the way... do you have any idea where my friends Felix and Klara are? I told the guards at the gates to inform them that I'd be heading to the city tonight, but I haven't heard anything back.”

“I'm afraid that your servants haven't returned to the palace yet, sir.” Daniel said. “The last time they were seen is when they left for the city yesterday.”

Marcus blinked in surprise. It was a bit weird that they hadn't been back yet, but maybe they had just partied too hard the previous night and had decided to spend the night in some inn. After all, it was a long climb to get back to the palace from the city, and if one was hungover then getting there would be nothing short of torture.

“Well, it's not really a problem.” The Vex Queen shrugged. “They are old enough to stay the night out, and I'm perfectly capable of enjoying myself without them. Heck, maybe I'll even meet them in the Red Light District if they’re there.”

“No problem.” He said out loud. “I'll just go by myself. Oh, and the bodyguard too I guess.”

“Very well.” Daniel nodded. “In that case, we are ready to depart as soon as you get on the coach then.”

“Alright. Thank you again, Daniel.”

“You're welcome, sir.” The man bowed slightly, and then he opened the coach's door to let Marcus in.

The Vex Queen quickly climbed into the coach, and as soon as he got in he noticed another person already sitting inside, probably the bodyguard Danial had told him about.

“Hello, you must be...” He started to say, but then he stopped and his eyes went wide as he recognized that man. “Yasen!” He cried. “What are you doing here?”

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“Good evening, sir Marcus.” The Aura Master greeted him cheerfully. “Or is it countess now? Anyway, I'm your bodyguard for the night.”

For the first time since the Vex Queen had met him the Aura Master was wearing civilian clothes, an elegant blue jacket with gold trimmings, black pants and shiny leather boots, though his attitude and the scimitar he carried at his belt still gave him a rather martial look. But most damningly of all he literally radiated an aura of confidence and strength that made Marcus’s knees weak.

“Wait, what?” The Vex Queen stuttered, trying to make sense of the current situation. “Why?”

“Well, Eisen asked me to pick the best bodyguard in the Royal Knights to accompany you in town, and I just happened to be it.”

“But you're the bloody captain!” Marcus protested. “Surely you have better things to do!”

“Actually no, I'm pretty much free right now.” Yasen shrugged. “Besides, watching over you is actually a pretty big responsibility, you know? You're a really important person now, so there might be people who could try to exploit you for their own gains. But they would think twice about actually trying anything funny if the captain of the Royal Knights is with you.”

“Ehr...” Marcus stuttered, desperately trying to find a reason to refuse. “That's true, but... well, I'm pretty sure that I'd be fine on my own. I mean, I'm not going to look for trouble and I can look after myself. So I think that even a... well, a less skilled bodyguard than you would suffice.”

“I'm sure it would.” The captain nodded. “I didn't mean to belittle you, sir Marcus. I know that you can take care of yourself, and I'm sure that you'd be fine even on your own. It's just that Eisen was very insistent on the matter, and I also thought that perhaps you'd prefer someone you know as your bodyguard. However, if you prefer I can have one of my men accompany you instead.”

The Vex Queen would have very much preferred that, but by now he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. He knew that Yasen was only trying to be nice to him, and it wasn’t his fault that he made Marcus feel as if he was sitting on hot coals. Besides, he also kinda liked the captain as a person, so just bluntly refusing his offer without any explanation would have felt wrong. However, at the same time the Vex Queen would have rather eaten his own arm rather than actually tell Yasen the reason why he didn’t want to be around him, so he pretty much was at an impasse.

Marcus weighed his options for a few moments, before letting out a sigh of resignation.

“Aw, screw it!” He thought. “I didn't come so far by letting my instincts decide for me! I'll learn how to live with this awkwardness somehow.”

“No, you're right.” He forced himself to say. “You're definitely the best choice when it comes to picking a bodyguard.” He paused for a moment and decided to make just one more try: “I just don’t want to inconvenience you, so if there is anything else you have to do I’d rather you do that instead of wasting your time babysitting me.”

As he waited for a response, he hoped with every fibre of his being that the captain would somehow take a hint and leave. So naturally Yasen’s reply left him utterly disappointed.

“It's no inconvenience at all!” The Aura Master said cheerfully. “If anything, I should thank you for giving me an excuse to leave the palace! If I stayed here, my lieutenants would surely find a way to occupy my evening with some meaningless paperwork. And besides, it’s always a pleasure to spend time with you! We are comrades of battle after all!”

He then smiled brightly towards the Vex Queen, who at this point just gave up entirely. He didn’t have the heart to turn down Yasen’s honest, rugged friendship.

“Well, in that case I'm glad that we can help each other.” Marcus said in a rather resigned tone, trying his best to return a smile to the captain.

“The feeling is mutual, sir Marcus!” Yasen laughed. “So, where do you want to go first? Is there any place in particular you want to visit?”

“Uh... well...” The Vex Queen stuttered, trying to gather all of his courage to speak. “Felix told that the Red Light District is... well, interesting, and that it has a lot of attractions of the… tame kind. So I was kinda curious to see it. If you also think it's good, of course.”

“An excellent choice.” The captain approved. “And you're in luck! I know the Red Light District like the back of my hand, so you couldn't ask for a better guide than me!” He put his head out of the windows and cried: “Coachman! Bring us to the Red Light District!” He then returned to his seat and said: “Just wait and see, sir Marcus! We're going to have an awesome night tonight!”

“Yeah, let’s hope so.” Marcus replied in a flat tone.

He then sat down in front of Yasen, doing his best to ignore the uncomfortably tingly sensation in his lower parts caused by his presence. He looked outside the window as the coach left the gates, and saw the city lights shining in the twilight in the valley below, mirrored by the river which created the illusion of a huge, gem-studded velvet ribbon. It was a really beautiful sight, and somehow it managed to improve his mood.

“Eh, maybe with all the stuff that is going on down there I’ll be able to distract myself enough not to feel embarrassed.” He thought. “As long as nothing weird happens, this really should be an awesome night!”

And holding this hope tight to his heart, he kept watching out of the window as the coach started its slow descent towards Rennhafen.