The inn’s name was the “Mermaid’s kiss” apparently, the owner used to be a sailor.

We had eight injured soldiers and including the five knights with me, there were fourteen of us.

Since the capital has had some troubling times, there were only three guests here staying the night.

The owner, his wife, and Trish made it twenty people in total here.

I thought that being in doors was relatively safe but I can’t believe that I thought walls would stop demons.

That night was the start of many things but what I remember it for was the time I spent with her.

The injured had been given unoccupied rooms on the first floor, away from the other guests on the second floor.

I gave my men time to rest as we rotated shifts staying awake.

I figured that they were tired so I took the first shift and sat on at a table in the empty tavern.

“Hey”

I turned around and Trish placed some bread in front of me.

“Some food for you”

“Thank you, Ms. it’s much appreciated”

She smiled a little.

“Please just call me Trish. I couldn’t sleep and thought maybe you could use the company”

I nodded and pulled up a chair for her when . . .

“Ugh”

“Are you alright?”

I caught Trish as she stumbled a little and I noticed her clutching her injured hand.

She flashed me a pained smile and motioned that she was fine.

“It’s nothing, sometimes it still hurts. This is just one of those passing pains”

“If you need to, I happen to know some good doctors. They mostly deal with nobles but I’m sure—“

“Don’t worry about it and I already had it looked at. Even though the best doctors deal with nobles a lot, they won’t say no

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to someone with money”

“Oh, well . . . I wouldn’t have thought that”

“It doesn’t look like I would be able to afford it on a salary here huh? But I’m actually pretty well off”

“Really? And yet you still work despite your . . . condition?”

“Yes, the owner and his wife were the ones who helped me after I came to this city injured and alone. I was scared and

didn’t know what to do. But they helped me through it and now I’m enjoying life in a way I never thought I could”

“Well, at least things got better for you”

“What about you? Hm? What’s your story?”

“Not much to it, my parents were nobles and I was raised to do something befitting of my position. I chose to become a

knight and now I lead those men there”

“Must have been nice”

“?”

“Uh, I mean to have been born to a well-off family. I wasn’t born a noble and my father only happened to get lucky finding

gold on our farm. But my mom was already gone and then bandits took him too”

“I’m sorry for your loss”

“Don’t be, otherwise then I wouldn’t be here would I? I’d still be wandering around as the daughter of a farmer. I probably

would’ve gotten married, had kids, and that would’ve been the rest of my life. Instead I got my wish and now I’m free of that

life. I have the resources to do whatever I want. Too bad it cost me a hand . . . and some friendships”

She laughed bitterly after she said this.

I wanted to help her in any way that I could.

But I knew that all I could do was offer resources, and that just came from my family.

No, the root of the problem was the lawlessness of the area beyond our city.

Some mercenaries would always be paid to get rid of bandits but they’d keep coming back.

I heard that a thousand years ago, the empire had paved roads that went through the entire continent.

And to protect them, soldiers would constantly patrol.

The security they provided was enough to ward many from the bandit profession.

But these days, the countries would never agree to anything like that.

Greed has consumed their leaders and our king was a man brave enough to stand up to them.

Although, my father is also one of those leaders.

My grandfather gave our king his support by letting the king’s forces in to the capital of Karza, Len.

So, in exchange for letting him taking the country our family became a ducal house in Foren.

Emisia is a country born from lands taken from the surrounding countries.

Every ducal house is the same as well, they are all traitors that gave up their country.

Yet, they play both sides claiming to be both a proud supporter of our king and a citizen from their old country.

I was born here and this was all that I knew, so my loyalty is to my king.

I have to believe in his dream, that one day the land will be reunited again.

And people like Trish wouldn’t have to get hurt.

“Hey, are you okay? You’re spacing out”

“Huh? Oh, I was just thinking about why that had to happen to you. Our king is trying his best to keep everyone together

and make sure things like what happened to you don’t. But everyone doesn’t seem to want to stay together”

“I think if the other nobles think like you, then we wouldn’t have to worry, right?”

I apologized for bringing up heavy stuff and we talked for a bit more on other random topics.

But I sensed that Trish carried something heavy in her heart, she was putting up a false front.

Gia lied to me easily and so I couldn’t quite figure her out.

Trish might have thought that I didn’t notice, but I could see the fatigue on her face.

It was subtle and barely noticeable, though that was all it took for me to notice.

I think when she’s ready, she’ll open up to someone about it.

If that person happened to be me, I hope that I’m up to the task.