The remaining interrogation focused on Elise’s history and contacts. How she came to the city and who supported her. How she was financed. Duncan asked a lot of questions and took notes. Apparently, there was a local merchant who funded Elise’s preaching. It took almost an hour until the investigator was finished.

Elise sat there, looking defeated. “What… what happens to me now?” She asked.

“You are a light mage. You will serve as a slave for five years in the local hospital. They can always use healers. Afterwards you will be free again.”

Elise nodded. She almost looked relieved. Duncan’s companions escorted the woman back to her cell.

“Sir, would it not be dangerous to have her heal people?” I asked. A healer could easily damage their patient.

“She won’t work on important people. It’s unlikely that she would harm a commoner. And I doubt that she would risk further punishment.” Duncan said.

“Sir, what happened to the other fighter she had with her?” Cassie asked.

“Ah, the one you hit with your alchemy. Quite a nasty thing you brewed there. He did not know much but cooperated fully. He will work in a mine for a year.” Duncan looked at me. “Good job Koyuki. I like how you used your undead. I will certainly inform the academy about your service.”

He gathered his papers and stood. “Now, excuse my quick exit but I have a lot of work to do, have a nice day students.” Then he left.

“That was interesting to watch.” Helena said. “He focused a lot on how she came here. I wouldn’t have expected questions about her time in Ilestria.”

“I am certain we have spies there. Maybe they can use the info.” Cassie suggested.

“Oh, you are right!” Helena agreed. “He was not just looking for targets here.”

“A year in the mines sounds pretty harsh for that fighter. If they were just hired help…” I said.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“If you want a light sentence you need to be a noble.” Skadi said.

“That is sadly true. Although, having the protection of someone influential can be enough as well. There is also a chance that he was offered a fine and could not pay it.” Helena added.

“Oh, and great job Nyx!” I praised her. Once again she had proven her intelligence. I wondered if there was a way to truly talk to her.

Nyx stretched, then jumped on my head again.

“What now?” Cassie asked.

“I think I saw a nice place for lunch.” Helena said.

“It’s not even 11:00 yet.” I pointed out.

“It’s fine, we can have beer until then. They call the place a beer garden! I have never been there, but it looks nice.” Helena said.

“Isn’t it a bit early?” Although I had to admit the idea did appeal to me. Seeing the collar trigger on Elise… Beer would certainly help with some memories.

“It’s never too early for beer.” Skadi said.

Cassie shrugged. “Some nobles have wine for breakfast. And we don’t have classes today.”

Since there was no real objection Helena led us there. The beer garden was an open area with wooden chairs and round tables. There were trees in between to provide some shade. Which was good, since it was a rather hot day.

A waiter welcomed us at the entrance. “Greetings! Table for… four? Your servant will have to wait outside.” He looked at the draugr.

“Um, sure. Can I bring Nyx?” I asked while pointing at my head.

He studied our uniform. “A small undead pet is fine.”

We were shown to a table and he handed us the menu. This is when I noticed that there was a tap built into the centre of the table. “Is this your first time here?” He asked.

“Yes.” I confirmed.

“The tap built inside the table tracks how much you consume. There is a counter here.” He pointed at a small dial. “We brew the beer ourselves. One mug costs 5 copper. If you want to drink something else you can order it from the menu.”

“This is genius!” Helena said.

The waiter smiled. “This establishment was founded by a dwarf and he is currently opening multiple restaurants around the country. We have only been in business for a year but it is quite popular.” Then he briefly left and returned with four mugs.

“Dwarfs have great ideas.” Skadi said while starting to fill the mugs.

“How did you find this place, Helena?” I asked.

“I just saw it from a distance. I liked the name. Beer garden. I did not know it was this cool!” She responded.

“Makes sense.” Cassie said. “We are sort of in a garden,” she pointed at the trees, “and they focus on beer.”

It was not the most creative name but it fit. And it did have a nice ring to it. The beer was cold and refreshing. It had a nice bitter taste I enjoyed.

“Are you alright, Koyuki?” Helena asked.

“Sure, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you saw someone get punished by a collar.” Helena said. She was very perceptive. “You have never told us much but I do know that your life was… hard.”

“It was rather unpleasant.” I confirmed. “Mostly it was just a strict school and a lot of chores. But the punishment for disobedience was... painful.”

“If you ever need to talk, we are here for you.” Helena said. Cassie and Skadi nodded.

Nyx jumped from my head into my lap. Then she looked at me.

I smiled at them and started petting Nyx. “You being here is enough for now. Let’s enjoy some beer together.”