Astaroth’s jaw snapped open, a monstrous roar shaking the Earth. Unbridled fear coursed through the veins of all, except for Mason, who seemed immune to this roar's effects. Every combatant dropped to their knees, sweat streaming down their foreheads as this rumble rendered all of them paralyzed. The thin, translucent barrier surrounding the carriage snapped, falling to the ground like shards of glass before fading out of existence. The roar resounded for a few seconds, Astaroth releasing strings of electricity into the sky as a show of power and dominance.

An instant later, lightning fell, striking six warriors kneeling throughout the wrecked landscape. Each of those struck wore black robes with a similarly colored cloth mask, covering everything but their eyes. The attack was swift, appearing and disappearing in a heartbeat, leaving these helpless assassins as charred corpses. Their lifeless bodies collapsed, and Astaroth ceased his roar, restricting his body's release of lighting, and lowering his wings to his side.

Mason took a deep breath, calming his mind. He knew he needed to analyze the situation, something Astaroth had already accomplished with the weird vibration he sent out moments earlier. He looked down from atop his summons head.

He saw a swordsman and a spearman a few dozen meters from either side of the carriage. Both wore intricate black armor with patches of inky leather. Surrounding both of them, scattered randomly were the scorched corpses of three assassins. The dirt around their bodies was blackened from the intense heat of the lightning. Mason watched as they struggled to their feet, stumbling to the carriage as the effect of Astaroth’s power still lingered within.

“I might as well go say hi,” Mason said, raising his voice even louder, “Stay in your dragon form until I say otherwise. Just, aah…look menacing.” More familiar with skills, Mason quickly used teleport, materializing a few meters from one of the carriage doors. The two guards rushed over, dust clinging to their ankles as they slid to a halt.

The features of these two became clearer. Both were mature, easily in their twenties, and toned muscles were evident under their thick armor. They stood at least a head taller than Mason,

“Stop!” The guard on the left yelled through ragged gasps, his back hunched as his calloused hands loosely gripped his spear, the quality of which seemed profound, the complex design made it look like a legendary item from a video game. Short, spikey red hair barely reached the tops of his ears. His features were sharp, with a unique, piercing gaze in his eyes.

This man cares for the girl inside, Mason thought, a tinge of worry mixed in with the red hair's intensity.

“You idiot!” A finger flew into the red-haired guard's forehead, causing him to jump back and raise a hand to it in pain. The culprit was the guard on the right. He had an almost identical build but was slightly taller. His features were equally sharp, and straight black hair came down just below his ears, slightly covering his right eye. A sheathed sword was visible on his back,

“They saved us and now you’re trying to attack them?” The man immediately changed his attitude, leaving no room for his fellow guard to reply. He turned toward Mason, giving a deep bow, “My name is Jonah. I can’t think of the proper words to express my gratitude.” The red-haired guard seemed to realize, and after a sharp glare from Jonah, he bowed,

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“My name is Lucas. Thank you!” He shouted, sneaking a look at the mountainous Dragon behind their savior. Fearing he would be caught, he quickly returned his gaze to the ground.

“I’m Mason,” Mason chuckled awkwardly, astounded at all the bowing he received since coming to this world, “You guys don’t have to bow. We were just passing by and it looked like you needed some help.”

The two guards, Lucas and Jonah looked visibly shocked. Why would such a powerful force help us? Do they know the identity of the princess? Those thoughts repeated in their minds, eyes wide, sweat falling to the dirt below before being absorbed by it. Mason noticed this even with their heads down. He decided to be honest, doubted they would think twice about accepting his request, especially with Astaroth towering above them like a skyscraper.

“Well, that’s not the whole truth,” Mason said, “We wanted to help you guys and probably would have either way. But…we’re kinda poor. If you could lend us some money, even just enough for a week at a cheap inn,” Mason smiled, and noticed Jonah and Lucas giving each other a bewildered look. They continued to bow in silence, utterly perplexed at the insanity that had transpired in the past few minutes.

A rusty creak interrupted the quit. Slowly, the door to the carriage, its windows covered by curtains, slid open. Mason knew the girl inside undoubtedly heard the conversation. He wasn’t worried though. The sheer intimidation from Astaroth would probably prompt her to give a large sum, much more than Mason could imagine. His last words were simply an act to present himself as benevolent.

A woman wearing the same guard attire as Lucas and Jonah was visible. She opened the door halfway, slipping through, and walking down the carriage's three, thin wooden steps. She entered a bow,

“My name is Blair, and…Thank you, sir!” She blurted out, “You not only saved my life, but the life of my fellow guards, and most importantly, the person I have dedicated everything to protect.”

“Oh…aah, no problem,” Mason gave another awkward smile, somewhat embarrassed by all the courtesy thrown his way. Blair shot up from her bow, turning and pulling open the carriage door as far as its hinges could withstand.

A girl was sitting venerably on the white cushions in the far left corner. Her blonde hair fell past her shoulders, streaming down her lavish blue dress with golden lining. This incredible dress seemed more expensive than the carriage itself.

She stood with royal majesty like someone experienced in noble affairs. Softly, she strode to the door, bending over just enough to clear the top of the carriage, and gracefully descended the steps.

Her heels clicked against the dirt, and deep blue eyes stared up toward Mason. She seemed young and was a head shorter than him. Mason’s heart skipped a beat. If he tried to say something then, nothing but mumbling and stuttering would come out of his mouth. This was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

“My name is Claire Kendall, princess of the Aurean Empire. You have saved my life and the lives of my most precious guards. Whatever is in my power to obtain, I will do so. I owe you a great debt of gratitude.” Claire said, bowing.

A new pressure seemed to overtake the area. The eyes of Claire's three guards shot open, and beads of sweat visibly fell down their foreheads. Blair opened her mouth to speak but shut it before saying anything. Mason noted the change and understood the significance of Claire's words.

“Aaah, I’m Mason,” Mason said, watching as Claire stopped her bow, turned just enough to face Astaroth, lowering her head once again, “You don’t have to do all that. We just need a little bit of money.”

Damn, why is everyone in this world so polite, Mason thought, giving an awkward smile. Claire brought her head up, turning back to Mason.

“As you wish, although I do not believe a ‘little bit of money’ will erase the debt I owe you,” Claire smiled, and Mason noticed the pearly whites behind her lips, “The city we were headed to is not far. If you don’t mind, you could join us and talk further. We also don’t carry much money with us, so we would have to visit the noble of the city to obtain an adequate payment.”

“Sounds good,” Mason nodded, turning towards Astaroth’s titanic form, “Come on.” Mason brought his hand up and motioned for Astaroth to join them. A perplexed look forced itself on the face of Claire and her guards.

“Um, I apologize, but I think it would be best if-” A surge of wind slammed into everyone, interrupting Claire's words. Blair swiftly jumped in front of the Princess, wrapping her arms around her. Lucas and Jonah covered their faces with their hands as they were almost knocked to the ground. The carriage tilted, two of its wheels lifting a few inches. Mason saw this coming and braced himself accordingly, kneeling, lowering his center of gravity, and bringing his remaining hand before his eyes.