Chester approached the attendant.

"When do I get my necklace?"

After a startled glance at Chester's blood-dripping armor, the referee answered his question.

"After some quick paperwork together upstairs, I can hand it over to you. Follow me."

"So be it."

As he slowly climbed the stairs to the upper floor, a drop of blood slowly trickled down his armor with each step. Yigmir was right behind him with the attendant.

"Your victory was quite... impressive. If we cross paths again, remind me not to piss you off."

"Who said I was angry? I was testing a few things, and tought a lesson she won't forget..."

What he said was actually true. The blows hard enough to break all the bones of a normal human being in an instant would have been weak against this tiny cat girl. Attacks that could cause physical trauma were perhaps too weak in this world. Yigmir didn't seem convinced, but she didn't open his mouth again. Mag had done some analysis during the fight and was relaying it.

"If everyone is that strong, we're in trouble. The daggers she threw at you were almost as fast as a bullet, she also had superhuman speed herself, even when she was badly wounded and in a bad position she could generate around 300 kilos of force with his arms. As extraordinary as we think these things are, if you didn't have this armor on and if I hadn't accelerated your reflexes...

"Well, you'd probably be something less symmetrical."

"And will there be a price for this intervention?"

"If you're talking about a painful side-effect -I WISH THERE WAS- no, these little adjustments of mine don't seem to be having much of an effect on you, at least not yet."

It was the first live test of an experimental armor. Of course, the long-term effects would become clear in the future.

Upstairs, the white armors suddenly took up half the hall, asking questions of some people around, looking for the old Chester who matched the description. Chester, despite his new blood-covered armor, made it upstairs without any problems and managed to get his necklace after he was cleaned. Just as he was about to step out of the building, Yigmir had already been noticed, arrested and handcuffed without resistance, while Chester was asked to be detained as a possible suspect for a few questions, and since he agreed without any problem, they let him go without handcuffs, but confiscated his sword and gun.

As he was led through the streets of the city towards the palace, the citizens looked curiously at him, and when Chester looked back, the small exchange of glances ended in an instant.

"Let's hope there's no trouble"

"As long as you don't cause us any difficulties, there will be no problems."

After a long walk they arrived at the gates of the magnificent palace built on a large hill and were handed over to the palace guards and taken directly to the palace dungeons. Contrary to what Chester had imagined, the cells were well lit and surprisingly clean. As Yigmir and Chester were put in the same cell, they realized that Eela and Rim had been captured from the cell opposite.

Rim approached the bars, sounding a little disappointed. Eela was lying against a wall.

"So you've been caught too."

A bored Eela answered from where she was lying.

"After we gave the papers to the healers, a group of soldiers said we should come with us and brought us here."

Rim with a bitter smile through the bars;

"At least we're together."

But Yigmir spoke in a firm and serious voice.

"You'd better not be too happy. We're in the royal dungeons. If there's no mistake, it looks like we're in for something serious."

"But we only defended ourselves, we did nothing wrong!"

"Now we will know what they want when they question us."

Chester leaned against the wall, listening and thinking over the conversation.

The palace prison should have been for more special cases and people. What special case could they be holding him for?

"Contrary to what we think, we are not here because of the murder, it would not be right to make assumptions without more data."

"Mag is right, there's something else involved. We're supposed to be in the city jail."

"Excuse me, but who's that with you and what's that talking eye?"

Yigmir thought they had already noticed.

"This is Chester and his magical asistant Mag."

Eela didn't seem surprised, but Rim was quite surprised and liked the new look.

"It is true that the first rule of being a member of the Knowledge Guild is to be a good disguiser."

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

After talking a little more about what had happened, they were warned by the guards and silenced.

While Mag presents their emergency escape plans to Chester, he decided to switch to armor that would allow him to run at the speed of a mach and flee the palace in less than ten seconds without a backward glance. After hours in the cell, a group of gleaming palace guards lined the iron bars of the cell. At least twenty guards were lined up like ropes in the narrow corridor.

From among them came a crowned demon with a fiery countenance, white clothes with elegant gold embroidery with masterful jewelry.

Everyone in the cell bowed their heads in reverence at once, but Chester was a little late in bowing. No one spoke, waiting for the magic word. Eela Rim and Yigmir were very uneasy about this unexpected person. Chester's displeasure at this situation was almost outwardly visible. He took it to mean that he had to deal with a noble or a king.

"You may raise your head."

After a quick glance at everyone's faces, his eyes fell on Chester. He could see that his helmet was bothering him. He gave the guards a quick, unhappy look.

"Why are the prisoners still wearing their equipment?"

"Sir, we took all the prisoners weapons and tools, but we couldn't get his armor, and he said it was impossible to remove it because of a curse. And when we tried, we were indeed unable to remove his armor."

"Is it true?"

"Yes, I'm afraid I can't take off my armor, sir."

Chester didn't know how to address him, but he thought he was getting away with it.

The demon, after a skeptical look, turned his gaze back to the general.

"I, Chi'Gil'Rolth, demon ruler of Diomarl, am here to get answers to some questions."

I heard you citizens got some "misfortune" in our city. Were attacked and fought back because of life-threatening situation. I don't see anything wrong with that, so I'm letting all of you go..."

Everyone rejoiced, still trying to grasp what was happening. But his words were still going on. His hand was pointing at Chester.

"Except for that busybody. I need to have a private talk with him. Guards, tie his hands and take him to the interrogation room, and send the others away with a bag of gold."

As Chester was taken to the interrogation room, Yigmir and the others watched him being led away with bewildered eyes and awkwardly parted ways.

"We're being taken in person for questioning by a fancy demon king. You're a magnet for trouble, Chester."

It wasn't the time or the place. Chester would have ripped Mag's eye out if he could.

The interrogation room looked more like a torture chamber but for the moment it was securely fastened to a steel column. The king looked at him with a smiling face as only four people remained in the room, the rest of them outside the outer door. He sat in the center of the room on a fiery throne he had made with the snap of his fingers.

Chester looked puzzled and the King stared at him for a while longer. After shuffling from foot to foot, he began to speak.

"First, let's get rid of the formal suffixes. I want quick and precise answers. What's your name, busybody?"

"Chester."

"That's an unusual name. You seem experienced and smart. If you tell me what I want to know and cooperate, you can leave this place without any problems. It will be very profitable for you too. For example, I don't have to use the tools in this room."

Chester waited in silence for Rolth to say something. Chester was preparing to flee at any moment, depending on what was wanted.

Eleven... A number that can be a lot or a little depending on what it is, a little in copper, a lot in bandits, especially for one person."

He got up from his seat and went to his sword and gun on the table.

"Where do you get this sword and... tell me, where do you get such strange wands?"

Chester had it figured out. What he wanted was his weapons.

If he had the intention of asking some silly questions like his motivation, he could have given them what they wanted, but he wasn't about to give away his biggest trump card to some freak. If what they wanted was important, it had to be indispensable. He had to be the trump card.

"I made it myself."

Chi'Gil'Rolth was surprised.

"A busybody and a master blacksmith. An unusual combination.." He picked up his sword from the table and approached Chester.

"If I hadn't seen it myself yesterday, I would have said this sword was just a bad piece of iron."

After a little swinging around, he turned back to Chester

"Tell me how to enchant and activate it."

"Only I can do it. Only I can wield my sword and my staff."

Chi'Gil'Rolth was once again surprised.

"Personalized weapons, then... A very advanced enchantment technique."

After gesturing with his hand, the king handed the sword to the person he guessed to be a sorcerer, and after some whispering, he cast a spell on them.

"Sir... there doesn't seem to be any enchantment or magic on these."

He was back in Chester. He was making up some nonsense.

"It is a special enchantment technique that only I can use. No one else can break it"

Chi'Gil'Rolth's face suddenly fell.

"Tell me, where exactly do you come from?"

"From a town just outside the city."

Chi'Gil'Rolth let out a laugh.

"I would never have guessed that someone could be a blacksmith skilled enough to forge great weapons, a highly skilled fighter, but also foolish enough to try to lie to a demon."

Mag was speaking in Chester's mind with a quick intervention.

"According to my analysis, Chi'Gil'Rolth somehow seems to be able to understand lies, but not distorted information. Give answers that lack clarity!"

"Forgive me your majesty. I did it involuntarily to keep my secret."

Chi'Gil'Rolth was back on his throne.

"Because I'm a compassionate person, I'll overlook your disrespect this one time. Next time you lie, your head will be on the ground. Now. Answer me again. How to break the sword's enchantment?"

"It doesn't break."

It was technically correct. A non-existent enchantment could not be broken.

He didn't seem satisfied with the answer, but moved on to his next question.

"Where do you come from and where is this forge?"

"Actually, Your Majesty, I come from far away, but that doesn't matter. I can make these weapons anywhere."

He had to deflect the question, it didn't matter where he came from, what mattered was his weapons.

After a thoughtful glance, this time he was examining his submachine gun. He was looking down the barrel with one hand on the trigger in a way that would have blown his head off if not for the biometric locking trigger. After a while he put the gun down on the table and looked at the papers the guard had given him. His back was turned.

"According to the information I received, you have no work history, no civilian record, no description, no entry record, no presence, no existence. There is no information about you. Are you an agent? How did you enter the city?"

"No, Your Majesty, my entry into the city was purely accidental and I am not an agent. I mean you or this country no harm. I was brought here when I was about to leave the city as soon as possible."

He threw the papers on the floor. He hadn't even bothered to put them on the table.

"We will cut off the hands of any trespasser who enters my city, but if you make me these swords for my army, I will make an exception and give you a good forge, a place to stay, an apprentice and spare your life. Or I will cut off your hands here and expel you."

"But even if I grant your majesty's request, these swords will be useless to anyone but me in a few hours."

After a brief moment of surprise and irritation, he calmed down and went back to his thoughts.

"Are you confident in fighting, Chester?"

Chester answered after a phase of hesitant thought. He probably wouldn't have liked the aftermath, but here he had to surprise.

"Yes, in fact I would say I'm probably more talented than most people in the city."

Chi'Gil'Rolth had the smile of a predator on his face. Now it was the face of a true demon.

"Good. Then I'll make a deal with you."