“I can’t believe how uncomfortable these clothes can get,” Rowan grumbled. He thumbed the stiff collar of the suit he’d been forced into and tried to get more comfortable.
To be perfectly truthful, it wasn’t the suit that was bothering him. It was the manifestation of his nerves. It was hard not to be on edge when he could hear a loud and boisterous crowd just outside his door.
Things were moving far too quickly for his liking.
After being declared the official mayor of Rest’s Remorse the day before, Rowan had thought that Camilla would handle everything else. He could be mayor in name only and keep doing the things that he had been, adventuring and heroing. Those hopes had been dashed as soon as the sun rose the next day, when he was informed that he would be attending a ‘gathering’ with every notable figure in the town.
He wasn’t quite sure why they would all decide to attend. He did have a strong suspicion that they were eager to scope out their new mayor and his abilities. The biggest problem was, Rowan didn’t really have many abilities he was proud of.
“You’re really saying that? Really?” Milena growled, making Rowan wince as his eyes went briefly to the wolf kin.
The unfortunate woman was stuffed into a getup even worse than his. She had first been given a dress, but when the maids of the mayor’s manor saw the outcome, they dropped that idea faster than a hot pot. The suit that Milena wore now had a rather nice and flattering cut, but the way it made her fur puff out was a highly suspect fashion choice.
“They didn’t let you attend in a plain robe, huh?” Rowan sighed, shaking his head.
Milena just growled at him, her fangs snapping.
“Easy now, we’re all friends here,” Marcus laughed, looking even better in a suit than Rowan did. Which was frankly unfair, since the man had required a hole to be cut into his pants for his tail to poke through.
Milena huffed and turned away from them.
Truth be told, Rowan didn’t look too shabby himself. Despite how uncomfortable they could be, the suits for all three of them were about as high quality as one could hope for. They were dyed into a classic black with golden swirls that rimmed the sleeves of the jackets and had the baron’s crest embroidered on the backs.
Rowan didn’t begrudge Kayden for it. He had thrown in his lot with the baron and the extremely blatant sign of his allegiance would hopefully go a long way on keeping people from pushing too hard on certain matters.
There was only a single person in the room who seemed entirely unfazed by the impending gathering. The final member of his party.
“Relax, would you?” Olivia Sutton teased, green hair perfectly framing a face that bore just a hint of casual makeup. She was also dressed in black with gold accents and her family crest. Her dress, however, was much fancier than what the rest were wearing. The sleeves were puffy, trailing behind her as she walked, and the top of the dress had a luxurious amount of material. But as the dress came to her hips, it began to slim and accentuate her body before billowing out past her legs.
The dress was horribly impractical and Rowan was complete certain there was no way Olivia could manage to fight in it, even if her only job was chucking potions. It also made her look ethereal and beyond beautiful, which was extremely distracting when she was attached to his arm, hugging it gently to her side.
Maybe this world isn’t so bad after all.
“Easy for you to say. You actually look like you belong at one of these functions,” Milena said, her tail curling around her waist like she was trying to give herself a hug. Marcus was hiding his anxiety much better but it was obvious that he, too, didn’t think he belonged there.
“It’s not like we’re going to be meeting nobles,” Olivia sighed, looking the two over again. “They’re just mercenaries and famous adventurers.”
“Exactly, that’s worse than nobility,” Milena quipped, eyes narrowed.
“How does that make sense? Nobles are by far the more touchy, intimidating sort. No offense, Olivia,” Rowan asked.
“Well, you see, we actually care about what these people think about us, unlike with nobles.” Marcus jumped in. “They’ve all earned their power. They’re respected because of who they are. What if they don’t like us? What if they don’t think we can make it in the profession? Especially the Mercenary King. If he doesn’t like us…”
Just like that, Rowan felt a gulf open between him and the twins of his party. Like them, he had been thinking about life after being a hero. The twins were probably going back to living as mercenaries and this was their chance to impress the celebrities of their profession. But Rowan, for the first time, wondered if his choice of going back to Earth was the right one. Could he really just forget everything that happened here and live a normal life again?
“If it helps, I think that once they get to know you, they’ll be impressed,” Rowan said before his mind could fully process all the words coming out of his mouth. “I mean, I bet that not a lot of them ever stood up to an epic ranked demon before. And even if they did, they kind of lost, considering this is where the demon army broke through.”
That was a sobering thought and the group fell silent, staying that way until a side door opened, admitting Lady Sutton into the room.
While Rowan and the twins were obviously nervous and looked a little awkward in their clothing, Camilla’s flowing silver dress accentuated her beauty and gave a certain air of nobility to her bearing.
Instantly, he felt more than a little unprepared himself.
“They might have lost,” Camilla said as swept past them and positioned herself in front of the door like she was planning to protect them from what was beyond it. “But they have the men we need if you want to be the true leader of this town. Or to keep you safe when we venture into the demonic wastes. They’re important. Of them, the Mercenary King is the most important. He’s an epic, the only one in this town that isn’t on our side. We get him on our side and half the battle is won.”
Rowan nodded seriously. “Sorry, I meant it as a way to cheer us up.”
“But it’s a good thought to have.” Camilla’s tone inflected upward. “These are the men who lost against the demons. They deserve your time because of their resources but they don’t deserve your respect yet.”
“Got it.”
“Good. It’s time,” Camilla announced, fingering a dagger and tucking it into her dress. “Prepare yourselves.”
Rowan’s hand twitched for his spear. Without it, the world felt a little more threatening, like it was closing in on him. Even his thoughts felt slower and more fragile. He settled for the next best thing and threaded his arm through Olivia’s and relaxed when she patted his hand.
The door was pushed open, and the sounds of chatter and arguing intensified.
He took a deep breath and glanced at Olivia. With her there, he would make it through the gathering. Camilla stepped forward and pushed open the door.
“I present to you, Lord Rowan Clairfont, his party, and Lady Camilla Sutton, their advisor and guardian,” one of the servants announced.
The room they entered was large and well-lit. Tables edged the walls, covered in food and drink Rowan thought looked expensive. The men and women, too, were dressed in quality clothes.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel that the entire thing looked at least a little off. It reminded him of the reception he’d attended at the palace in form but there was something missing from the spirit of the gathering.
When Rowan took a closer look at the attendees, the difference hit him.
All of these men and women looked awkward in the clothing and finery. They held themselves stiffly, or moved like warriors rather than the nobility Rowan had seen before. There was a certain atmosphere that nobles had, which these people lacked.
And that difference was made plain when one of the attendants spoke up. “Well, well, well, we finally get to meet our new mayor. Shame what happened to the last one, of course, but I’m sure you’ll do much better.”
Rowan scanned the crowd and found the voice’s owner, a mercenary surrounded by a cadre of other men. The mercenary had a blade at his hip. The presence of weapons carried so openly threw Rowan off balance for a moment and he glanced at the baroness.
“Florin Zest. A pleasure to meet you,” Camilla said with an inflection in her voice that made it obvious she didn’t care much for the man. “I see that you’re armed to the teeth.”
“Oh this?” Florin pointed at his blade. “It’s nothing. Just a toothpick.”
“Still a toothpick that you shouldn’t have brought.” Camilla looked the man straight in his eye. “Do you see me or the hero carrying weapons? If we had known this was supposed to be a show of force, we’d have brought in the army.”
Florin's eyes flicked up and down. When he didn’t see a weapon on the baroness, he relaxed slightly. “Apologies, Lady Sutton. But you know me, [Blood Reaver] isn’t a class that deals in finesse.”
Even though Rowan had personally seen Camilla playing with a dagger just moments before she entered the room, he didn’t bother to speak up.
“We all have our flaws. I see you have your guild with you today. Your men have been causing trouble in the town. The townsfolk have been complaining,” Camilla stated.
“They’d be harping about chickens not laying eggs if they could.” Florin dismissed the concern. “We’re right at the edge of the demonic wastes. Things happen.”
“You should know that these days, a rare class doesn’t count for much,” Camilla said flatly. “We live in tumultuous times.”
Florin flushed red and gritted his teeth. Camilla smiled and turned away.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
But before Rowan could celebrate the minor victory that the baroness had won, a buttery smooth voice greeted them.
“It’s been a while since I’ve last seen you, Camilla. It’s good to know you are still so very… pleasant.”
Camilla paused, took a deep breath, and turned towards a woman in a wine-red dress who was trailed by two cloaked figures. “Tamara. It has been too long.”
The other woman tittered, her black eyes sparkling with amusement as she swirled a goblet of some kind of drink. Rowan noted that, out of the entire gathering, she was the one who looked most at ease in the setting.
“My gods, I haven’t seen you since I was last at the Mage Tower,” Tamara purred. “It’s a shame, really. The kingdom could really use my magic, especially for how destructive it can be. There’s beauty in strength.”
“I don’t speak for the king or the kingdom,” Camilla warned. “But I imagine that if you could control your class better, then they might look favorably at your situation. Instead, you’ve been here, taking on apprentices.”
“And deny the world of my [Mage] class variant? Never,” Tamara said in mock shock. “I must say, I’m surprised to see your family has managed to snag a hero. I thought that was reserved for truly powerful families.”
“Well, I’m not surprised you’re not well-informed, considering the fact that the Mage Tower sent out a notice with the consequences if you or your apprentices so much as dared to step foot in the kingdom,” Camilla retorted. “Say what you want, Tamara. I am a Sutton.”
Rowan noticed how the baroness hadn’t included mention of the woman’s surname.
Seems like the mages weren’t the only ones to disown her.
Now that she had vanquished the early troublemakers of the gathering, Camilla took a deep breath and turned toward the real power in the room. Situated near one of the tables and feasting at his leisure from a plate piled high with food was a man who looked like a miniature mountain. The man picked a slice of meat from his plate and gingerly took a bite. It almost seemed like he was there to eat free food.
But Rowan’s enhanced perception could see beyond the surface. For starters, there was a whole group of men and women who stood just a few paces away in a vaguely circle formation. Second, the man was perfectly comfortable with his size. His formal dress shirt had a couple buttons unbuttoned, revealing a stretch of well-toned muscles. Rowan got the feeling that the extra weight wasn’t a hindrance but rather part of the man’s strength.
When Camilla and the hero party drew closer, he paused mid-bite and smiled. Instead of greeting or disparaging them, he nodded at the food along the edges of the room.
That seemed to do the trick of stopping the baroness in her tracks.
“Mercenary King,” Camilla said coolly.
“Camilla, could I get a moment with the hero?” the man asked. “The roast here is absolutely delightful. We can talk after you eat. I’ll be here.”
Camilla stood still, taking measure of the man before her. The pressure built with every passing moment before her gaze swung to the food and she decided that the confrontation could wait. She glanced at Rowan and gave the slightest nod.
Marcus was the first to split, guiding his sister over to the food table and shooting the man a grin as he started to pile food together. Soon enough, his plate was almost as full. The living mountain laughed and nodded approvingly. Finally, both Camilla and Olivia stepped away, leaving just Rowan behind.
“So, you’re our new mayor?” the Mercenary King asked.
Rowan didn’t hear any hostility in the voice and took that as a good sign.
“Unfortunately.” Rowan decided to go for honestly, even if he could feel the baroness’s eyes digging into his back. “I’m here a bit ahead of schedule and the circumstances aren’t the best, as you’ll probably agree.”
The man laughed, nodding along. “True. The old mayor… well, it’s a shame what happened. I hear you’re not even at rare yet. Is that right?”
Rowan hid a wince. “Just a couple levels off. Turns out, beating two rare tier demons and surviving an epic doesn’t guarantee you’ll earn all that much experience.”
“Heh, don’t I know it.” The mercenary paused to shovel some more food into his mouth, looking Rowan over like he was searching for something. “At least you seem like a fighter. Got the physical build. Or the start of one.”
“Start of one?” The comment threw Rowan for a loop. Frankly, he was in the best shape of his life. The stats and exercise had worked miracles, giving him a toned, well-muscled body that managed to look balanced and natural in spite of his bulky stature.
“Aye, start of one. You’ll still need to exercise and work for it to get into the best condition, lad. Stats and fighting can do much, but they’re not a replacement for hard work. You should always keep in mind that stats enhance what you have,” the mercenary said.
Rowan could recall the baron giving him similar advice a long time ago. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, given how fond the man was of grueling training. But it did make sense.
“What would you recommend then? What should I do to train?” Rowan asked.
“First, figure out what sort of workout is best for you. What are you trying to build yourself up for? Speed? Endurance? Strength? Once you know that, you can introduce the right routine to your day. I’d advise you to stick to it, lad, no matter what else is happening. You’ll be able to push much harder than most with your stats and level. Especially when you hit rare. ”
Rowan nodded, giving the man’s muscles another look. He supposed the mercenary would know what he was talking about. “That does make sense.”
“Might just save your life one day,” the mercenary said. “Even being able to fight for a couple minutes longer can be the difference between life and death.”
Camilla walked up to the two of them with Olivia in tow. “As much as I hate to interrupt, we do need to talk about other matters, Lucius.”
“I suppose we do, Camilla. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, or Kayden.”
Behind Camilla, Olivia stiffened slightly. No one had said anything about the Mercenary King knowing her parents. Though with how Camilla knew Tamara, the uncontrollable mage, Rowan supposed that the baron family was a bit more well-connected than they let on.
“Yes, it has. I ate the food and waited while you had your conversation with Hero Rowan. Let’s talk business.” Camilla walked up next to Rowan. “You know why we’re all stuck here, Lucius. We’re going to need your help. I’m asking for your help.”
The mercenary put down his massive plate of food to properly face the baroness. “You know I can’t promise you that, Camilla. My oaths and my responsibilities lie with my men, first and foremost.”
“Yes, and those men were, as I recall, hired on to bolster the defenses of the kingdom against the coming wave of demons.”
“And that’s exactly what we’re doing. Why do you think the town didn’t fall? We were hired to defend it, and so we did. The building on the outskirts might be a little damaged, but all the civilians were safe, and the wave was diverted.”
“It was diverted into my family’s lands!” Camilla hissed, struggling not to let her voice rise further even though everyone in the room had been sneaking glances their way for a while. “They nearly broke through. Two villages. Gone. All lives lost. It would have been worse if it weren’t for these children and the assistance of another hero.”
“I’m sorry for that. I really am. But what was I supposed to do? Chase after the demons? Order my men to their death? We’re only being paid to defend this town, Camilla. Not to venture deeper into the wasteland, not to guard the borders. Just the town,” the mercenary said. His voice was soft but also determined.
For a few moments, Camilla stared at the man’s face. Her green eyes meeting his pale gray ones. Even from the side, Rowan knew that the mercenary wasn’t going to offer his men to help the expeditions.
“What about a job then?” Camilla said, calming down slightly. “I’ll hire your men. Or even you personally.”
“We’re already on a job. You know what that means. Until our pay dries up or we’re dismissed, we will stay our course.” The mercenary paused and glanced at Rowan. “If you want me to train them a little, I can do that. But that’s the most I can offer. I’m sorry if it’s not what you wanted to hear.”
“Fine, Lucius.” The baroness closed her eyes for a few quiet moments. She gestured at Rowan and the rest of the hero party. “We’ll find someone else.”
When they were far enough away, Marcus walked closer to Rowan. “So that was the Mercenary King. Scary.”
“He seemed nice enough, even if he wouldn’t help us,” Rowan said. “By the way, why is he called the Mercenary King?”
Marcus almost tripped mid-walk. “You haven’t heard of… Oh right, you’re not from here. He’s the most famous mercenary to live. When he was young, he was known as a madman who only took the most dangerous jobs on the frontier. He was a legend even back then. When he reached the rare tier, he decided to form a company.”
“The men around him?” Rowan asked as he shot the mercenaries a glance.
“Yeah. The Mercenary King isn’t just a title. It’s the name of his class. He single-handedly improved the status of mercenaries in the Rhys kingdom,” Marcus said. “Even his company takes after him. They do the most dangerous jobs.”
“He’s just a man,” Olivia said from the side. “Mom? What are we going to do now?”
“The Mercenary King isn’t the only one here,” Camilla said. “Florin and Tamara are the second- and third-largest independent powers. But there are more mercenaries here than just them.”
Over the next few minutes, Camilla realized that she had overplayed her hand. The smaller factions were more than willing to talk. They had nothing but praise and good words for their new mayor. But when the topic shifted to the expedition into demonic lands, the mercenaries immediately excused themselves.
After the fourth rejection, Rowan found Camilla staring at the far wall. There, both Florin and Tamara were lounging against the table and looking back with smirks. The man said something out of the side of his mouth that sent the mage into titters of laughter.
Camilla tried one more time. Even with her target pale-faced and stuttering, she couldn’t get them to say yes to adventuring outside the town. The baroness let out a long breath.
“Should we leave?” Rowan whispered to her.
“This was put together in your honor,” Camilla said wearily. Her eyes were duller than before.
“And I don’t care. If we’re not getting anywhere, I’d rather leave,” Rowan said.
She turned for the door. None of them said a word until they were back in their temporary home.
—
“We need more men,” Camilla said as she looked at the remaining town’s troops. “A lot more men. A frontier town has a garrison of at least a thousand.”
There were not a thousand men in front of them. Barely two hundred souls remained of the town’s army. And each and every one of them suffered some kind of injury. Rowan could see several slings, too many bandages to count, and even a couple of people struggling to stand on crutches.
The only silver lining was that the town’s training ground was remarkably undamaged. Racks of weapons stood arrayed on one side of the large courtyard, and dummies and all kinds of obstacles were clustered on the other. There was even a running track that stretched around the perimeter.
The stellar training ground was almost ironic compared to the men who now stood on it.
“Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair,” Rowan mumbled. The quote seemed fitting. Not even Olivia bothered to ask him what that was supposed to mean. But as he looked over the ranks, he found a strange strength in the men in front of him. These were people who had been battered by demons and monsters. Yet, they had chosen to stay, to fight again when they could have deserted or left the frontier.
Rowan cleared his throat and stepped forward. He could still hear Bron’s voice in his head. The mark of a good leader is someone who can inspire and to inspire requires an inner courage to face the difficulties head-on.
“Men. My name is Rowan Clairfont. You may know me as a hero blessed by Aristaeus, the god of soldiers. And that word, soldier, is exactly how I would describe you. I know you as the soldiers of Rest’s Remorse. As the soldiers who didn’t run when a group of demons and monsters were charging at you. As the soldiers who stood their ground and fought when things were at their darkest. As the soldiers who still continue to fight even when no one would blame you for retreating for rest.
“Our path ahead is not easy. I’m not going to stand here and downplay things. Until we slay the Demon King, there will be hard fighting. I will be there with you every step of the way. We will bleed. We will sacrifice. But we will triumph. A long time ago, I was told that the measure of a person isn’t what he does when things are easy but rather when times are hard. Seeing you all here when the future is dim, I can say for certain that you all are heroes.”
For a few seconds after Rowan’s speech, there was just silence. A small sweat began to form on the back of his neck.
Did I say the wrong thing? Did I just screw everything up?
A cheer rose from the front row. It was small but infectious. The other ranks began to add their voice to the cheer until the whole army was hollering for Rowan.
Nope. I said the right thing.
Rowan waved at his men and the cheering intensified. He felt both a weight leave his shoulders and a new one take its place. They weren’t alone in the town anymore but he now needed to figure out how to get the men back into fighting shape.
“Any chance you’ll be able to heal them up?” Rowan asked Olivia quietly. “I know it’s a lot of men but every bit helps.”
“Probably. Just not with the ingredients I have on me, though. We’ll need to head out into the town and look for some, or maybe ask your chamberlain to order in the ingredients.”
“Sounds like a date,” Rowan murmured before he remembered who was with him.
“A date, is it?” Camilla asked. “This is all you have left in terms of troops, and you’re still angling to seduce my daughter?”
“No, it’s…”
“No matter, after that speech, you get a pass. Your plan does have some merit.” Some light had snuck back into Camilla’s eyes as she looked at the remaining army of Rest’s Remorse. “Go on. Plan your outing with my daughter and make sure to procure enough materials for those potions. I’ll need them and more.”
Rowan shuddered. Something about Camilla’s words reminded him of Kayden and the brutal training he had undergone. The men weren’t going to have a fun time under the baroness’s care. The only question now was if that was also going to be his fate too.