Rowan,

I really hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. It has come to my attention that Sorry, been writing too many of these lately. You don’t want to know how stuffy nobles and royalty insist on acting. I really just want to

Didn’t send this letter to complain! Listen, things aren’t great in the kingdom right now. Even with our summoning, there’s a lot of tension and doubt that we can defend against the demon lord’s invasion this time.

A ton of stuff is happening in the background, and I’ve been sent on so many missions to track down demon sympathizers, cultists, and more. Who even really believes that ‘demons are just escaping a hostile world and we need to help them’? For real?

Anyway, the person who brought you the royal missive should have explained The Big Problem already. I know he can be a bit abrasive, but you can trust him, please believe that!

Just in case, though, here’s some details.

The invasion is happening much faster than it should. Months ahead of schedule, even. The mages have started detecting heightened demonic activity that precedes the arrival of a demon king, and the sudden rush of demons also broke through the defense line, threatening the civilians of a border barony.

You should know that already though, I think you’re in that territory, right? Baron Kayden?

Well, in response, the king can’t wait as long as he’d like for us to get ready. We need to do something about the problem now. That means that we’re all three of us getting deployed as quickly as possible. I have some loose ends I need to wrap up over here, but then I’ll be joining you and Kayla on the frontier.

Now, I know you didn’t get the best of heart cards. Don’t worry! I’m not going to let anything happen to either you or Kayla. I know they expect us to push deep into the demon territory and clear the path to their king so we can end him and his invasion.

So, that’s what I’m going to do.

I know the nobility will support me, so I’ll try to wrap this up as quickly as I possibly can. It’s going to be simple! My class is pretty much made for killing demons. Again, that means you don’t need to worry. Just hang in there, and I’ll make sure you guys can go home safely.

Sincerely,

Your best friend you butt

Blake

Rowan laughed, loud and sincere. Relief surged through him. Maybe everything was complicated with Kayla, but at least it seemed like Blake was the same kind, slightly goofy person he’d always been.

“Is this all some big joke to you? Hero Rowan?” Kayden growled.

“Sorry, I’m…” Rowan held up his letter. After the messenger left, Kayden had unrolled the scroll and discovered that a smaller letter with the royal missive. Seeing Blake’s name front and center on the letter, Kayden had handed it to Rowan. While the baron read and re-read the scroll, Rowan had busied himself with the letter.

“Just because the Radiant Hero sent you a letter doesn’t mean that the royal order is nullified,” Kayden said as he paced around the room.

“Uh, what’s the problem?” Rowan asked. “Wasn’t I supposed to go to the frontier anyways?”

Kayden whirled around and Rowan saw a kaleidoscope of emotions running through the man’s eyes. Anger seemed to be the primary ingredient, but there was also fear and anxiety.

“You think this is about you?” Kayden said through gritted teeth. He leaned forward into Rowan’s face.

Before Rowan could respond, he was saved by the door. In came both Olivia and her mother. Both paused when they saw the scene but Camilla thawed first.

“Oh what do we have here?” she asked.

“Royal decree,” Kayden sighed as he tossed the scroll to her. “Our hero is being sent to the frontier.”

“All of the heroes,” Rowan added softly. “Blake and Kayla are also going.”

“Oh.” A dark look flashed across Camilla’s face.

“Are things that bad?” Rowan asked.

“Hero Rowan and his party are expected at Rest’s Remorse within three weeks of reading this decree,” Camilla pulled open the scroll and read. “Hero Rowan will officially assume the role of leading the town upon his arrival. Additional information on your assignment and expectations will be available there.”

Rowan blinked. “That’s it?”

“That’s it,” the baroness confirmed.

“So what does that mean?”

“It means that something has gone very, very wrong. Rhys might not be a large kingdom but we are a civilized one,” Kayden replied, bringing his emotions under control. “The kingdom is duty-bound to give the hero proper training, to be presented before the envoys of different kingdoms when that’s done, and then sent with the best of the kingdom to the frontier.”

“And something changed,” Camilla said. “The kingdom can’t deploy the heroes to the frontier early unless there’s been a serious change that’s happened.”

“Maybe it was the recent wave?” Olivia offered. “We fought an epic tier demon at Felton’s Mill. It shouldn’t have gotten this deep when the invasion hasn’t even begun.”

“Blake mentioned it,” Rowan said and felt a slight panic when all the eyes in the room turned to him. “Apparently, demons are moving way ahead of schedule. They’re months ahead of where the kingdom thought they’d be at this point.”

Kayden stepped closer to Rowan. “Read me exactly what Hero Blake wrote. Word for word.”

Rowan began reading the letter. Only when he got the fact that the mages had detected heightened activity that precedes the arrival of a demon king did Kayden stop him.

“That’s bad,” the baron admitted with a sigh, dragging a chair close and collapsing into it.

“What are we going to do to improve our daughter’s chances of survival?” Camilla said, as serious as Rowan had ever seen the baroness. Olivia coughed forcefully, drawing her mother’s attention. “And the survival of our sponsored hero, of course.”

“We’re strong now,” Olivia said proudly. “I’m a [Combat Alchemist], a rare class. And Rowan’s close to getting to rare as well. We both have decks that synergize well.”

“But not epic.” Kayden traded a glance with his wife before turning to Rowan. “Before anything else, Rowan, I need to apologize. I didn’t think that there would be any true danger in Felton’s Mill. This was meant to be a break for you. Instead, you’ve been dealing with two demons that would have leveled this village. Thank you and I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay.” Rowan awkwardly put his hands out in front of him. “I’m glad I was able to help in the little ways that I could.”

“And the second part of my apology is about your tier. I was told that Hero Kayla played a role in defeating the demon. I’m sure that you’ve noticed that she’s already at the epic tier. It’s my fault that you’re not keeping pace with her. I insisted on ensuring that you had a foundation instead of relying on dungeons to level. You could have been at the peak of the rare tier by now.”

“It’s not on you,” Rowan said, also serious now. “You were there in the capital. No one else was willing to sponsor me. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be in an alley somewhere. Or I’d be dead to a minor monster I picked a fight with without even knowing how to fight. I owe the Sutton House a serious debt, one that I promise to repay.”

Kayden’s gaze on Rowan softened slightly, only to harden again when Olivia moved across the room to grab Rowan’s left hand, dragging it closer and giving it a soft squeeze. “You’ve done plenty, Rowan. There is a bit of good news. The kingdom still need to follow the rules put in place by the allied council. That means that every hero gets a town, and at least some funding. We might need to pry it out of the hands of whatever official is there, but it’s a start.”

Rowan tried to follow along. He really did. But Olivia's hand was making it really hard to focus. All he could think about was the cuddling, and the late-night talks, and the hand-holding…

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Are we an actual couple?

Olivia chose that moment to furrow her eyebrows and Rowan couldn’t help but notice the creases it formed. She was dealing with enough on her own that he didn’t need to add the extra struggle of managing a relationship on top of that.

Yeah, I’m not going to be a dense idiot. She likes me. But even if we cemented our status, what would we even do? Go demon hunting for our first date?

“Rowan? Hero Rowan,” the baron called out.

“Yeah, sorry. I got lost in my thoughts for a second,” Rowan said. His hand itched for his spear to clear his head of all the distracting thoughts.

“As I was saying,” Kayden continued. “This might actually turn out to be a good thing. The frontier is a place known for growth. If you can survive the initial period of deployment, your tier and level won’t be an issue.”

“But the issue is surviving that initial period,” Camilla added. “Rest’s Remorse. You’re being sent to the one town that was hit by the demons the hardest.”

Olivia, for once, was completely flabbergasted. “You mean the one frontier town that was almost left in ruins? The town you told us lost its leader to the horde that eventually made its way here? That town?”

It was almost funny how similar the resigned looks on Kayden and Camilla’s faces were.

“Yes. However, remember that I said this might actually be a good thing,” Kayden said. “When a hero takes over a town, they do so mostly in name. Their control over the town’s resources are tentative at most with actual power in the hands of the mayor. But with no one to contest your control at Rest’s Remorse, that won’t be the case.”

“Sure, but what’s there to control to begin with? Ruined buildings and corpses?” If bitterness were weaponizable, Rowan was pretty sure that Olivia could kill the demon king on the spot.

“The mayor is dead, yes, and the city heavily damaged,” Kayden said sternly. “However, there’s no talk about it being removed from the list of frontier towns. That means it’s still relatively if not fully functional.”

“So, we can expect to find more than just rubble upon arrival?” Rowan asked.

“Yes, Rowan, you can expect to find more than just rubble.” Camilla sounded amused, her hands falling to massage her husband’s tense shoulders as she spoke. “Make no mistake, it will take money and time to fix the town. However, once you’ve done that, you’ll own it because the town has no mayor. That’s a very rare opportunity. Other heroes usually are granted a frontier town after the invasion has been repelled. You’re getting one right now. That’s an opportunity. One that most nobles would be willing to risk life and limb for. You’d become a Duke.”

Rowan wasn’t sure how excited he was by the prospect. To begin with, he was a contractor. This wasn’t his world nor was this meant to be his life. If he could actually make it through everything, the death of the demon lord would mean an opportunity to head back home.

Even with all the awesome powers he’d gained in this new world, he wasn’t sure he could resist the urge to go back.

It wasn’t so much that he desperately missed his friends and family. Frankly, he didn’t have much of either. He did have his cat, though, and he did have safety. Security. The assurance of knowledge that people on Earth were unlikely to try and kill him.

In his new world, even if he chose to stay, he wasn’t sure what the king’s reaction would be. After all, the man had forced them into a death match upon their arrival, all based on some vague, supposed prophecy.

A prophecy Rowan wasn’t even sure was real.

“Rowan?” Olivia’s voice tiptoed its way into his head.

Rowan flinched a little, realizing that he’d wandered off into his own head again and missed at least part of the conversation. He found Olivia looking at him, all worried.

“I’m fine. Sorry. Just thinking. A lot’s happening, and I just needed a second.” Rowan assured her once again when her eyes narrowed, but thankfully for him, she didn’t push. “Really, I’m fine.”

“Is that all you wanted to talk to us about?” Olivia asked instead, turning her attention back to her parents. “You can see that he’s tired. The rest of us need a break after all of this too.”

“Ah yes, I’m sure you’d love to go off and rest together.” Her mother put emphasis on that particular word in a way that made the two of them blush scarlet and her father scowl. But it broke the serious mood that had been hanging over the room. “But we need to discuss your party arrangement.”

“Party arrangement?” Rowan asked. “What about it?” For some reason, Rowan felt very defensive. The twins were great and they’d already fought alongside each other enough times for him to trust them almost implicitly.

“Before we got caught up in everything, I was assembling a party for you,” Kayden said, twisting the scroll in his hand as if that was the source of his troubles. “The Sutton Barony may be small, but there are dozens if not hundreds of talented men and women that would be good pairings in your four member party. The timing might be a bit rushed with his decree, but we can still —”

“It’s fine,” Rowan cut in. He traded glanced with Olivia in almost the same way that the baron and baroness had done earlier. “Marcus and Milena are both good additions to the party. Marcus is an [Aura Guardian], a defensive class that pairs well with my [Reckless Spear] class. And Milena is a [Elder Shaman] and covers the gaps of [Combat Alchemist].”

“Those are surface qualities. There are dozens of other candidates that can accomplish the same thing.” Kayden paused. “The real question is whether you believe that you can trust them. Do you believe that Marcus and Milena will stand next to you as a wave of demons bears down upon you? Will their resolve waver? Or will they prove to be worthy of your trust?”

“I trust them,” Olivia said. “They were one of the few people who went outside the walls and fought with us in the first wave against a scouting demon. And when all was lost against the epic tier demon, they didn’t run. They fought until exhaustion and then some.”

“That’s well and all but I was asking our hero. Rowan?”

Rowan nodded. “I trust them. I want them in my party.”

For a second, Rowan thought that Kayden looked relieved. Then, the baron stood up from the chair and looked in Olivia’s direction. “Well, I guess that solves it. Can you go get the two? Might as well formalize everything now while we’re all here.”

A few moments later, Olivia returned with the twins in tow. Kayden gestured for them to take seats.

Marcus, sat with his tail clasped firmly in his hands like he could use it as a barrier between himself and what was about to happen. His wolf ears also twitched erratically.

Before Marcus could get more uncomfortable, Rowan spoke up. “Marcus, Milena. Would you like to join my party on a permanent basis?”

For a moment, the two looked more shocked than anything, then amusement snuck onto Milena’s face.

“Oh, I don’t know. It sounds like a lot of work,” Milena said with a wink.

Marcus immediately nodded. “Yeah, and a guaranteed place to stay, steady meals, and official recognition of the local authorities doesn’t sound very fun.”

“Okay, then, we won’t impose on you further.” Olivia immediately shot back.

“Sorry, too far?” Milena asked. “Of course, we’d be happy to. Who wouldn’t want to join the party?” Judging by the way Milena had leaned forward, letting her tail happily wag through the air behind her, she seemed pretty happy.

“Typically, people who don’t already have epic tier heart cards of their own.” Camilla’s cold voice cut through the air. “I’d like to know why two distinguished members of a major tribe would be this far from home.”

“Or working as mercenaries,” Kayden added. “Your classes are not something just anyone could just pick up. Your abilities not something that you’d see from the average beast kind. And your weapons, not something you find a normal blacksmith for.”

Milena pushed herself as deeply into the seat as she could. Which was most definitely not working considering the fact that she was taller than everyone else and the seat was made of wood. After realizing how futile it was, she spoke up.

“What do you want to know, exactly?”

“Why you’re here, for starters. Do you really expect us to believe your tribe was happy to let you go?” Kayden asked. Rowan chose to remain silent, realizing he’d seldom heard the baron sound so cold. “Usually, there’s only one reason that we see beast folk so close to the frontier.

“We weren’t banished,” Marcus hurriedly said. “I promise.”

“And?” Camilla said. Rowan realized that the baron and baroness made an incredible tag team. They could apply pressure just by being in the same room together.

“And our tribe has long held traditions, and well-developed class paths,” Milena said. “And here we are. I’m a shaman while Marcus is a guardian.”

Kayden gave the slightest of nods for Milena to go on.

“Life in our tribe came with certain expectations. Our home is harsh and unforgiving, the far north often is. Everyone has to do their part. Optimal, logical choices. The men are shamans while the women are guardians. Our physiques naturally make up for the shortcomings in the classes. I can bridge the dexterity gap with my height and Marcus can place fewer points into vitality due to his build. But neither of us were happy with our roles.”

“Didn’t like the idea of being a warrior?” Rowan asked, feeling a certain degree of kinship with the twins. After all, he hadn’t exactly volunteered for the [Spearman] class, either.

His heart card had made that choice for him.

“I hated it. I hated the training, the expectations, all of it. Marcus felt the same way about being a shaman. And then we got our heart cards,” Milena said. “Our clan has led the tribe for generations and we found heart cards that confirmed and strengthened our bond as siblings. And they didn’t bind us to something we didn’t like.”

“Exactly,” Marcus confirmed, his own tail wiggling in happiness from where he still had it in a death grip. He gestured at his shield and Milena’s staff. “So, we took our gifts and snuck away.”

“Wait,” Rowan said, looking between them. “That’s it? You just swapped your weapons?”

Milena nodded. “That’s our story. We ran away from home, and when they found us, we told them why we ran.”

“And that put a lid on their desire to bring us back. The chief’s children had deviated from the path,” Marcus said. “Point is, no one’s looking for me and my sister. And we didn’t do anything all that wrong to end up where we’re at.”

“And you’re okay with giving up your inheritance?” Kayden asked.

“An inheritance that neither of us are willing to pay the price for,” Milena answered.

“Then we have no qualms with you. Rowan?” Kayden said.

“None, welcome to the party, Marcus and Milena.”

—

What Rowan didn’t realize was how many details there were to official party members. Olivia had been a special case as the baron’s daughter and previously, both of the beast kind were temporary members, which meant a simplified process.

But for the formal process, Kayden had rolled up his sleeves and begun negotiating on the finer details of party membership. The baron circled out one of his territory’s settlements where the twins would have a small plot of land. And he was halfway through the loot distribution when Rowan stepped in.

“I hate to interrupt this but how long will it take us to get to the frontier town? Do the four of us need to start packing immediately?” Rowan asked.

“It will take us nearly the entire three weeks to get there, I’m afraid.” Camilla answered. “Rest’s Remorse is almost at the edge of the frontier. We’ll need to hurry. I truly hate traveling that far.”

Rowan paused. Something about the baroness’ words sounded off to him.

“What do you mean, we?” Olivia asked. “And why does it matter if you hate traveling, mother?”

“Come now, Olivia. Do you really think either of you are ready to handle this on your own? No, I’ll be coming with. You need someone to help run the town until you learn how to do it on your own.”

“Oh no. No, no, no,” Olivia squeaked out, obvious terror in her voice and eyes. “You can’t come.”

“Oh, I must. Besides, I wouldn’t dream of sending out the two of you without a chaperone.” Camilla’s smile suddenly turned very sharp. “It would be a shame if you two were without supervision and made a mistake. I’m not ready to be a grandmother yet.”

“Mother!”