What had transpired left me speechless. Those two arrogant bastards, who had thought themselves as high and mighty, were…seamlessly put in their place. Just who was that other guard?

“I’m sorry for any trouble they may have caused you,” the older guard unexpectedly said to me. Upon hearing this, I turned to face him, only to see him on both of his knees, bowing his head to the floor. This reaction completely caught me off guard.

“Hey, you don’t need to do any of that. Really, i-it’s fine,” I quickly said to hide my embarrassment. Seriously, there was no reason for him to do that. “In fact, I should be thanking you. You saved me back there.”

“No, all of their actions fall upon me,” the guard replied, still bowing his head. “You see, they are privates under my garrison. No matter how many times I’ve tried disciplining them, they always seem to relapse into old behaviors. I was monitoring another pair when those two suddenly disappeared. I’ve been looking for them for quite a while now. I’m just disappointed that I was unable to arrive on time.”

“…really, it’s alright. At least you made it.” Oh god, he was still bowing. I couldn’t take it anymore. “If I could make one request, could you please get up now?”

“…as you wish,” the guard answered, finally getting back onto his feet.

From there, he began to stare at my complexion, a concentrated look on his face. I couldn’t help but feel slightly on edge, as if I were being interrogated for a crime. I’ve already had two bozos do something similar. At least this time, I sensed no sort of hostility, so I guess I’d let this slide. In the meantime, I decided to do the same thing back.

The first thing I noticed was that the guard had a gentle face. I didn’t know how else to describe it, but his demeanor really made you feel at ease. Besides that, he had a large nose and brown eyes. Though a bit on the leaner side, he was muscular, nonetheless. Finally, his most noteworthy feature was his pristine mustache. It was trimmed and combed to perfection. Out of envy, I subconsciously touched the area above my lip, sensing no sort of facial development. Looks like I won’t be growing anything soon…wait why were my fingers wet?

Upon noticing my discovery, the guard asked, “Do you happen to need a handkerchief? You’re bleeding a bit through the nose.”

Ah, that’s right! With everything that occurred, I had completely forgotten. I quickly went to feel the top of my nose, checking if it was broken. To my relief, it wasn’t. I guess the impact only caused me to bleed for a bit. “Sure, I’ll take one.”

The guard pulled a handkerchief out from the breast pocket of his guard uniform and gave it to me. A green cloth embroidered with what appeared to be a large cat with a mane, the handkerchief seemed costly. Honestly, it was such a shame to use this for something as menial as a nose bleed. But I didn’t want to be rude, so I took it and held it to my nose for a few seconds until the bleeding stopped. The texture was silky and quite soothing.

“Thanks for that,” I told the guard, placing the now stained handkerchief in my back pocket. I assumed the guard probably wouldn’t want it back, considering the state it’s in.

“My pleasure,” the guard replied, bearing a warm grin. He paused for a moment, before remembering, “Ah, my apologies, I haven’t properly introduced myself.” All of a sudden, he proceeded to take a knee while simultaneously crossing both arms over his chest, forming an X. Projecting in a loud and formal voice, he recited, “I am First Knight Lieutenant Henderson Gerald of the Warriors Guild. My service lies within the Defenders Branch of the Lamorian army. I protect the home front of the kingdom to ensure that order is maintained from within. It’s an honor to make your acquaintance.” After that powerful introduction, he bowed once again.

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And just like that, I was also embarrassed all over again. “Yeah…I’m Galvin…I make deliveries…nice to meet you,” I awkwardly replied.

I felt my cheeks turn hot. Just how formal was this person? Seriously, if it were any other situation, I wouldn’t find myself actively engaging with him. In fact, I’d try to worm my way out of the conversation. However, since he did rescue me from peril, I suppose he deserved some friendly chatter. Although…could he please stop bowing?

Also, speaking of deliveries…

My heart sank as I suddenly remembered the other issue at hand. I glanced at the floor to see the ore still scattered all over the place. “Oh no,” I miserably uttered. “No no no!”

Despair couldn’t even begin to describe how I was feeling. After all of that walking. After every torturous and inconvenient possibility that could’ve occurred. All of it was for nothing. I sighed in anguish. Well, I had to at least bring back something…

I sullenly made my way over to the fallen basket with my head hung low. I picked it up and proceeded to collect the remnants of my delivery. My shoulders were slumped, and all sense of motivation was nowhere to be found.

“Ah, let me assist you with that,” I heard Henderson announce from behind. He rushed to my side and started helping. I barely took notice of what he was doing. I was too preoccupied with my self-centered misery to really care. However, before I knew it, we were finished. At the end, Henderson gathered the bulk of the ore. I kind of felt bad for contributing so little.

“Thank you again,” I said to him, disheartened. “I think I’ll be on my wa-” I cut myself off as I made another realization. I groaned in contempt, cursing my incompetence.

I really just can’t do anything right!

After taking a moment to compose myself, I deeply sighed, before asking, “Excuse me lieutenant…if you wouldn’t mind, could you please help one more time?”

“Certainly.” An immediate response from Henderson.

I felt bad for bothering him so much. I could’ve simply asked for navigational assistance back to Mr. Borris’s smithy, but instead, I ended up explaining my entire story. Every unfortunate event, the choices I decided to make in the heat of the moment. All of it. The more I went on, the more I began to realize that maybe this was all my fault. “I…I’m really sorry for all of the trouble I caused. I understand if you don’t want to help me anymore…”

Henderson was caught off guard by the statement. I mean, who wouldn’t? A stupid fellow such as I who’d take risks just for a quick drink. Having blamed everything on external complications when, in fact, I could’ve avoided these outcomes if I were to think properly. I had to face some sort of punishment. Just something. Anything would be justifiable for the trouble I’ve caused.

However, the next thing Henderson did was unexpected. He came over and, without a moment’s notice, patted my head, as if he were consoling a child. “As a warrior of the Lamorian kingdom, it is my duty to help its citizens in peril. Whether you’re the worst person in existence matters not to me. And you are not that Galvin. You’re young, so making mistakes is normal. Don’t get too hung up over it.”

“But—”

“Come on,” Henderson said before I could continue, “I’ll lead the way.” Thereafter, he moved in front of me and began to walk down the road. I stared at his figure slowly dematerialize into the nightly shadows. At first hesitant of whether I’d want to follow suit or not, I ultimately ended up following, carrying the ruined delivery in my arms. I was able to catch up to him after some brisk walking.

I was still unsure about my perception on today’s ordeal. A part of me still blamed myself for getting into conflict. But, I had to admit, Henderson did soften the blow a little bit.

“Thank goodness you’re okay,” Henderson mumbled ahead of me. He probably meant for it to be inaudible, but I overheard him, nonetheless. That alone made me smile for the first time today.

I guess my initial speculation was wrong. Good people actually did exist.