[Saturday] [09:33am]
[Location: Frein Empire]
[City: Twenet]
If Loverock was the third-largest city in the Empire, then Twenet would be considered the second-largest by population. Unlike Loverock, whose main focus was on economic growth, Twenet didn’t have any particular feature that made it stand out from the rest of the Empire’s cities.
However, as time went on, its sheer population meant it produced far more knights than any other region in the Empire, eventually leading to the city becoming a central hub for the headquarters of many of the Empire’s Clans. Geographically, Twenet sat roughly in the middle-west of the Empire, making it an ideal spot to concentrate knights, ready to be dispatched in any direction in case of conflict.
Over the years, Twenet became a beacon for individuals seeking to become knights. It naturally became a major hub for weapons sales, not only to individuals but to clans throughout the Empire. Mana tools and treasures from dungeons were also sold there, generating significant revenue from a single industry—unlike Loverock, which was viewed as the central business district due to its wide variety of business ventures.
Dragon Armories.
"So, this is the place," a voice muttered curiously, eyeing the signboard atop one of the shops. I was currently with Tim, both of us in formal attire: black battle suits, though unlike Tim, I had a sword hanging at my side.
We moved through the bustling streets of Twenet, and despite the early hour on a Saturday, there were already many people in suits walking around, likely knights. Unlike the average job that operated Monday through Friday, the role of a knight wasn’t so flexible.
Bounty hunting, monster subjugation, and all manner of dangerous jobs were assigned to them at any time. While the police maintained public order, they only stepped in for moderate cases, such as when a monster breached city limits or a dangerous criminal was on the loose. For more complex cases requiring highly trained individuals, knights were deployed.
Each Clan, though operating as its own organization, reported to the Guild, which was directly overseen by the Empire’s Royalty. This maintained order and ensured the Clans didn’t operate beyond control. In this way, although knights technically worked for their Clans, they were still ultimately in service to the Royals.
“There should be around thirty shops across the city, but I heard this is the most famous one,” I muttered to Tim, who nodded as he glanced through the glass windows, spotting a few individuals loitering inside.
Twenet was a very large city, and we were currently in its southern part. Although this area wasn’t as densely populated, many people still preferred to shop here since it was less crowded, even at irregular hours.
“Oh, but are you really okay with this? Isn’t this property of the Dragnoks?” Tim asked beside me and I simply shrugged. Although I had only told him we were doing some recon, he had already guessed this would be our target.
“It’s not really my problem,” I said, walking ahead of him and entering the shop.
A variety of weapons, from swords and spears to more modern firearms, were displayed throughout the place. While most items were just for display and not particularly valuable, they were still eye-catching nonetheless.
"Hehe, if you say so," Tim scoffed as he stepped in after me, glancing around the shop. His parents were also in the business of buying and selling weapons, so he was probably familiar with the atmosphere. Perhaps because of our age or because we were unfamiliar faces, we caught the attention of several individuals in the shop, who eyed us curiously. At the same time, one of the employees at the desk immediately approached us.
"Hi, welcome to Dragon Armories. How can we help you?" she asked, directing the question at Tim, who smiled in response. It seemed she assumed I was his bodyguard, or maybe Tim’s confident demeanor made him seem like the more important of the two of us.
"Oh, hey there. I was looking for some skill scrolls," he said casually, his hands in his pockets, and the employee froze for a moment.
"Ah… uh, right. Do you have a membership card, sir?" she asked, as if remembering something. Tim nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a black card with golden inscriptions around the edges, giving it a bright glow.
"Of course," he said, holding it up to her, and she looked momentarily taken aback. As I had mentioned, most of the 'real' merchandise was kept in a separate room—often called the 'Executive Room'—which was accessible only to loyal customers.
The employee stared at the card for a few more seconds in awe, prompting Tim to tilt his head. She quickly spoke up.
"R-right. Can we scan the card to ma—" she started, but Tim's expression suddenly shifted. The calm smile he wore turned into anger as he cut her off.
"What did you just say?" he asked in a cold tone, his voice drawing the attention of everyone in the shop.
The employee's face paled as she tried to explain, still visibly confused.
"Uh… I didn’t mean to offend you, sir. We just need to scan it to make sure that—" she stammered, but Tim cut in again, stepping closer and raising his voice.
"—make sure of what? Are you trying to insinuate something about me? Do you know who I am?" he snapped, going off on her. The employee's face darkened. In this line of work, you never knew who might walk through the door, so respect was essential. However, there were always a few troublesome or overly proud customers who found offense in anything. Right now, she was probably thinking just that, trying to deescalate the situation despite having done nothing wrong.
"S-sorry, sir. I really can’t do anything about that; we were instructed to—" she continued, but Tim interrupted her again.
"Why today? I’m here all the time and have never had to deal with this nonsense. Are you looking down on me?" he shot back, and I could see her beginning to break into a cold sweat as she replied.
"N-no, sir. I’m just trying to—" Her voice trailed off, her gaze dropping. But, as if sent by the gods, a voice cut in from behind us.
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"Is there a problem here?" A man approached, and Tim and I turned to face him, showing no sign of caution.
An older man in a black suit stood before us, his large, well-built frame honed to perfection. He wore a polite smile beneath a gray beard, though his eyes were sharp, an intelligent glint reflecting on them. Tim’s attitude remained unchanged as he looked at the man, his hands still in his pockets.
"Are you the one in charge of this rude girl?" Tim said bluntly, and the old man glanced at the girl.
"Ah, I..." she started but quickly fell silent. In this situation, the best approach was to stay quiet and listen to the customer's complaint; whether she was in the wrong would be dealt with internally.
"I apologize if she was rude to you. Let’s work together to resolve this—what seems to be the trouble?" the old man asked, his eyes landing on Tim, who showed his card again as he spoke.
"This rude girl doesn’t want to show us to the Executive Room," Tim said.
"Might I ask what you’re looking for?" the old man replied, his expression showing mild curiosity.
"Skill scrolls," Tim answered, and the man nodded a few times. For the first time since we entered, he glanced in my direction before returning his focus to Tim.
"I see. Is this gentleman accompanying you?" he asked. Tim tilted his head and shot back.
"Is it a problem if he does?" Tim said, and the old man simply shook his head.
"No. Please, follow me."
He immediately started to walk forward, and we quickly followed. We passed through the door behind the counter, typically used by employees, entering a long hallway tiled with small brown tiles and lined with about seven doors on each side.
The old man stopped at the first door, placing his hand on it, and as if not finding what he was looking for, moved on to the next door, repeating the action before moving again. Is it some kind of security feature? I wondered as I watched him. I wasn’t directly involved in the details of the break-in, so I wasn’t too concerned with whatever he was doing.
"Sorry for the wait," the old man said, finally opening one of the doors and gesturing for us to enter. As we stepped inside, the executive room came into view—a completely white space with multiple stands and glass cases, likely used for holding various items. But the scene wasn’t what we expected. More than twenty individuals stood guard inside, all in suits and equipped with different types of weapons, their gazes shifting to us as we entered.
However, that wasn’t the strangest part.
"What’s this?" Tim said, frowning as he looked around, but the old man replied in his usual tone.
"As you can see, we can’t sell any scrolls at the moment. Everything in the executive rooms of the southern Armories has been temporarily relocated to the west," he said, and we glanced again at the empty displays.
What’s Anthem thinking? I wondered as Tim gave the old man a puzzled look.
"Why?" he asked.
"It’s a small security issue, but you don’t have to worry. You can come back next week, and we guarantee you might find what you’re looking for," the old man explained, his tone almost casual.
"Why are you telling us this? If it's a security issue, shouldn’t you be keeping it a secret from everyone?" Tim asked curiously. If there was a security problem, openly telling customers that they had moved merchandise to the western Armories didn’t seem like a wise approach. (Western Armories - shops located at the west part of Twenet)
"Oh, in most cases, that might be true, but as I said, this is a very minor issue. And as a customer with a gold membership, we are obligated to ensure that you’re well-informed of any inconveniences that may affect you," the old man explained, and Tim nodded. The explanation made sense, but it was still a bit of a stretch, especially given the room's heavily guarded atmosphere.
"I see," Tim replied, not pressing further. He seemed to share the same suspicion—if everything was moved, why ramp up security? There was a chance they were lying and the merchandise was still in one of the other rooms. But if they had really moved it, was this a show of force? Or bait to lure attackers into still targeting the place?
Different possibilities played out in my mind, but I decided to push them aside, turning to Tim and saying,
"We’re leaving. Let’s go." I muttered, turning to leave.
Suddenly, a few of the men in suits positioned themselves at the door, their weapons still sheathed. Seeing this, I turned back to the old man.
"What’s this?" I asked, keeping my tone calm.
"Sorry, but we were instructed to detain you if you came here," he said casually, while the men in suits watched us warily.
So, he intended to keep me locked up here? It would certainly be easier to monitor me 24/7 this way than trying to do so at the academy.
"I see," I murmured, and the men seemed about to step forward when suddenly—
"S-Sir, it’s the young miss!" The employee from before burst in, drawing everyone’s attention to her.
So the employees know which room is the real one, Interesting...
I thought, watching her as she approached the old man and handed him a cellphone.
"Young Master Lily. Is there something I can assist you with?" the old man muttered, casting a glance my way as he spoke. He fell silent, listening to the person on the line, before replying,
"I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’m acting on Master Anthem’s orders," he said, his voice unwavering.
We were quite a distance away from him, so we couldn’t really hear what Lily was saying on the other end. However, whatever it was caused his expression to crack for a moment before he quickly composed himself and replied,
"Mmmh, I see. Then we will do as you say. I apologize if I caused you any trouble." He hung up and handed the phone back to the employee.
"The two of you are free to go," he said, and the men at the door immediately stepped aside. I nodded, and we both left. Just before entering the hallway, I turned back and gave the old man a final glance.
"I’m sure we’ll see each other soon, Mr. Frinnos," I said. He looked a bit surprised, then chuckled.
"So you knew who I am?" he replied. I just shrugged, not answering as we left. He wasn’t the regular manager here; he was likely here under Anthem’s orders for security reasons. Anthem’s handling of this was strange, but I could guess some of his intentions. Since I wasn’t the main player in all of this, I didn’t need to concern myself with every security measure.
After leaving the shop, we decided to spend the rest of the day gathering intelligence around town, carefully observing any subtle changes. Given Anthem’s ongoing efforts, it was hard to tell how [False Peace] might adjust their plans, but with the Dragon Princess absent, there was still hope for them.
The Dragnok mansion was located just a few hours north of Twenet City, which meant they could respond to any incidents fairly quickly. However, someone further north was likely approaching with an army, slowly nearing our northern borders.
With the Empire’s other 'special threat' focused on protecting the eastern borders against the demon continent, the responsibility of responding to the incident would naturally fall to the Dragnoks—both due to their proximity and because Aurora was at the center of the issue. In this situation, the Dragnoks would be instructed not to leave their mansion and to direct their attention to the northern borders.
Siddy’s move effectively locks the Empire into one sensible course of action: to recall Aurora to defend the northern border.
Trust may exist between powerful nations, but relying solely on a hypothetical outcome is simply unrealistic. If the Commander of Godlana reaches our borders, there’s no reason to believe he won’t launch an assault and begin ravaging the Empire. The cautious Royals would undoubtedly start calling Aurora, urging her to return to protect the Empire—a reasonable decision, given the alternative would involve diverting a powerful asset from the eastern border, leaving us vulnerable to a possible strike from Demon Lords, who are also watching the incident with interest.
Yet, Siddy’s move also indirectly helps [False Peace].
With the Dragnoks focused on the north, they won’t be able to monitor Twenet City, where trouble is brewing. And since Anthem has only the tip I gave him to go on, he can’t rely on the Empire’s help without concrete evidence of his concerns, especially with a much larger threat looming from Godlana.
image [https://i.imgur.com/Q8i85si.png]
Hiro, the leader of [False Peace].
What a troublesome opponent...