The group was weaving their way through the busy morning streets of Ironside, passing by shops, stores, and inns.

"It's good to see Ironside so lively this time of day. People bustling around all over the place." Sir George said as he looked up at the sky.

"With the goblin horde ended, the people of Ironside are starting to come out of hiding. This is the first time I've seen this much activity since we've come back." Percy said as he nodded in agreement.

"I'm not used to being around this many humans and dwarves. I feel like I need to be more vigilant." Dalia said as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot nervously.

"They're not going to attack us with Quin by our side, Dalia. So please relax." Rya said as she patted Dalia's shoulder.

"If you say so. But I still don't trust these people." Dalia said as she sighed.

"Yeah, I'm sure it isn't easy to forget being a battle slave for most of your life," Percy said as he looked at her with sympathy.

"You could say that," Dalia said as she scratched her cheek embarrassed. "But if things didn't go the way they did I wouldn't be here with you. So I suppose I should thank Alpha for that."

"Well if you want to thank me, you can stop having sex with Percy when we are sharing the same room, Dalia," Rya said as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, so Alpha was awake? Hehe. Did you enjoy the show? I know I did!" Dalia said with a grin.

'Dalia is getting more confident and shameless by the day.' Rya thought to herself. 'I don't know if I can stop her. But I should try for all our sakes.'

The Dark Elf prepared herself mentally so she could discipline the Wolfkin.

"Yeah. That's because you're bad at keeping your voice down!" Rya said as she put her hand on her hip.

Dalia smiled and came closer to Rya's ear to whisper, "I did that so you would be excited about mating with Beta."

Rya's strong front was suddenly broken and her face turned red. She was left speechless as the Wolfkin turned the tables on her.

"I can hear and see your thoughts, you know. Alpha is very excited right now," Dalia said in a quiet voice.

Rya gulped loudly as the thoughts of having Quinus touching her in all her sensitive places ran through her mind. It took everything she had to fight these thoughts from controlling her actions. The logical part of her mind was screaming at her to deny the Wolfkin and keep her male dignity.

"Are you crazy?!" Rya exclaimed in shock while regaining her composure.

"Hmm? Nope. But you've been acting weird ever since we stayed at Kishin." Dalia said with a smirk. She noticed how Rya was keeping her distance from Quinus and she wanted to help her just like how she helped her get Percy.

"What?! No, I haven't!" Rya said as she turned away.

"I saw how you were acting. You were staring at Beta when he wasn't looking... It's not healthy to hold it in, you know." Dalia said, not wanting to leave the matter alone.

'Damn! It's all the Goddesses' fault that I'm not on my A-game anymore!' Rya thought as she felt a headache coming on. She took a moment to regather herself and let out a big sigh to calm her racing mind.

"Well, there's been a lot on my mind, Dalia. I'm sorry that I've been acting off," Rya said as she rubbed the back of her head.

"I-It's alright Alpha. I know you're tired so we'll just keep moving for now," Dalia said as she held onto Rya's arm and started tugging her forward to catch up to the boys.

As Rya was being dragged by Dalia, she spotted something that caught her interest. Down a street, Rya noticed a building that had women in scantily clad clothing standing in front of the door. As they walk past, she notices the group of men that are waiting outside.

'Is that a brothel? Yes! That's it! I will go there to prove to myself that I'm still a guy on the inside.' Rya thought to herself as she tried to remember the name of the brothel which was called Bella's Place.

While Rya continues to be dragged by Dalia, she studies the place as best as she can before it is out of sight. So she can find her way back here without anyone noticing.

"We're almost a mile away from the palace gates," Quinus said as he put his hand on Rya's shoulder.

Rya refocused her attention on the group and noticed that Dalia was looking around the city with a nervous expression on her face.

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"Hm? What's wrong?" Rya asked as she turned to look at Dalia.

The Wolfkin doesn't answer and looks away.

"What happened, Dalia?" Rya asks again.

After a few seconds, Dalia answers, "This is a really big city. There are too many smells here! From all the food to the dirt and filth! It's all so fascinating! I'm having trouble controlling myself from shoving my nose everywhere! I think my senses are going to overload soon!"

"God, that's annoying... It's tough going through a roller coaster of emotions!" Rya exclaims as she pushes Dalia forward.

"W-What's a roller coaster? I don't think I've heard that word before. Is that bad, Alpha!?" Dalia asked as she stopped walking and looked at Rya.

'Crap! I opened my damn mouth again! How the hell am I going to explain this one?' Rya thought to herself as she felt embarrassed.

"A roller coaster of emotions is when you feel a range of feelings like joy, sadness, anger, and other emotions all at once. I guess it's pretty similar to what you're feeling right now, Lady Dalia." Quin said as he smirked at Rya.

"Oh. I see. I didn't know there was a word for this. Thanks, Beta!" Dalia said as she sighed in relief.

'Huh? Are there roller coasters on Tertius?... Maybe they do, right? I mean, there's magic in this world, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised... I guess?' Rya thought as she tried to imagine a theme park in a fantasy world setting. But it was hard for her to do at that moment, so she just shook her head to clear her mind to focus on the task at hand. 'Whatever. I need to focus on getting into the palace safely.'

***

They were on the final stretch of their journey to the palace, which started looking bigger the closer they got. Rya's thoughts kept drifting back to the brothel. She needed to test her hypothesis that she was still a male deep down and she was plotting about how she would try to get there without anyone noticing until her thoughts were interrupted by Sir George, who started talking about the culture of Ironside.

"So you see, all the buildings are made of stone because the climate is dry. They get enough rain to keep their crops alive with the purple slag, but not enough water for drinking or bathing purposes. So the city hires water mages to fill the underground reservoirs with water," Sir George explained.

"Hmm? How many Mages are in the Kingdom of Fiafyr? I don't recall seeing any during our travels," Rya asked as she looked at Sir George.

"They're uncommon at best, Lady Rya. Most of the population isn't born with a talent for magic, so most of the citizens of Fiafyr are farmers who rely on their families for help. And since the cities are so far apart, I'm sure there aren't that many mages in total. That makes you special," Sir George said as he looked at Rya.

'Awe... Sir George can be nice to me every once in a while. There might be hope for him yet,' Rya thought to herself as she smiled at the knight.

"So you can't use magic then? You can't cast spells?" Rya asked as she walked next to Sir George.

"No. But I can use mana to strengthen my body. I'm a stronger fighter than most men thanks to that," Sir George replies with a nod.

Rya nodded in understanding. "I see. So most people use mana to strengthen their bodies with physical training and workouts?"

"Yes. That's what most of us do here. We're a warrior nation by nature. The kingdom makes it mandatory for all citizens to see if they're capable of using magic. If not, they must do daily training and workouts to become strong enough to defend themselves. However, most people end up choosing another path in life. Either becoming a farmer, a merchant, or a craftsman."

"Wow! I had no idea. So you have to train your whole life to be able to use magic?" Dalia asks as she looks at Sir George.

"Yeah, that's if a mage notices your potential early on in life. But most children just learn how to fight with their fists and the other physical abilities their parents teach them." Sir George explains as he looks around the city.

"So how can Quin use magic when he's not a mage?" Rya asked while glancing at Quin.

The Crown Prince smirks before responding to Rya.

"Well yeah, I’m a half step away from being a Mage, but people like me and Sir George are called Maja. Our weapons and armor are the key that unlocks the power of mana... I can't cast magic without my weapon as a catalyst. I've been practicing daily so I can get better at controlling it. And it takes time and patience to be good at controlling your mana flow. Once I master the art of my mana flow. Then I’m able to use my sword with a different type of magic. It's more common to come across Maja than Mages… Percy's an early-stage Maja, and I think Lady Dalia might be one as well. Especially after seeing how easily she cut through metal and rock during our fights with the goblin hordes," Quinus says as he looks at the confused Wolfkin.

"Huh? I'm a Maja? I just thought I was good at using my mana to sharpen my claws. But you said Maja needs a catalyst? And I don't use any weapons? So how can that be?” Dalia asks as she frowns.

"Luckily your claws act like a catalyst like my sword. It seems you were born with a natural Maja ability to use mana. When you start learning to control it, you'll notice a difference in your body. I can give you a few pointers when we have free time," Quinus explains as he tilts his head.

"Awe!... Beta is the best!" Dalia exclaims as she smiles at him.

Percy looked a little worried when his friend, Quinus, offered to help his girlfriend with a few pointers. "L-Lady Dalia! I can give you a few pointers if you like!" the young ranger said in a shaky voice.

"Hehe. My little wolf is worried? Come here you big baby," Dalia giggles as she grabs the back of Percy's neck and pulls him into a hug.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! You're too much! B-But Dalia? You're only a year older than me... So I can't be a big baby," Percy laughed nervously as he hugged her back. His worries started to fade when she began to nuzzle her cheek against his.

"Pfft... I know, silly. So stop worrying about it... You're the only one who can mark me," Dalia said as she pushed him away in a joking manner and looked into his hazel eyes. "If you want to show me that you are my mate, then take me on one of those 'dates' you humans like to go on... We can go check out some of those shops... I have never been in a shop before?... Unless you have something better to do?"

"A DATE!?... I mean... O-Of course! We can go tomorrow after we meet with the Baron!" Percy said happily as he grinned ear to ear.

Sir George's mood soured when his former pupil was talking about going on a date and he cleared his throat loudly.

"Hey! We finally arrived at the palace gate. Everyone ready?" Sir George asked while looking at the group. He tried not to glare at Percy as he waited for everyone to respond.

Quinus, Rya, and the rest of the group nodded.

"Okay then, follow me to the castle," Sir George says as he walks towards the castle entrance.