The summer sun shone brightly this time, but unlike before—when people would hide from its rays—this time, they came out in large groups, carrying banners and walking under the scorching sun. It was clearly a protest, and judging by the massive numbers, a large portion of Iveleth's residents were taking part.
"Protect the world of adventure! Protect our children!!" they shouted loudly.
"Protect Yavan forests and its people!!"
As the shouting continued, a few knights watched silently without doing anything. Soon, even shop owners began to join in, and the situation turned chaotic—not in a violent way, but rather an organized noise with a huge number of people. After a while, the crowd reached the Moon Goddess' temple, where the head priestess stood at the entrance, staring at them.
"Priestess Mylenna, do something! Send our message to the capital in the name of the temple!" the crowd shouted.
"Aren't you afraid your sister might die?!"
Mylenna, the dark elf, stood quietly, her yellow eyes staring at the growing crowd. It seemed the protest was no longer just about demanding an investigation into the Dark Eye case or killing the sleeping dragon Slytha. Now they were also demanding that the Iveleth temple speak on their behalf.
"Listen! It seems the kingdom is busy with the demons from Diablos. Ignoring these problems isn't their wish—you don't understand anything!" Mylenna finally said.
"Busy? Then why don't they send Gaziel? He's just sitting around in the princess' palace doing nothing."
"That's right. What do you say to that, priestess?"
Mylenna said nothing more and went back into the temple. At that, the protesters' voices grew louder, and the noise spread through all of Iveleth. After a while, they left the temple and continued circling the town. After three rounds, the sun began to set, their numbers dwindled, and most people left the protest.
"Send our message to the capital—Iveleth and Yavan are dying!!" they shouted one last time before everyone returned to their homes.
That marked the third consecutive day of protests. It seemed the people of Iveleth had had enough. the Dark Eye still killed adventurers, and many were losing their children, their relatives, even their families. Meanwhile, in Yavan, there was another story of suffering. Silence could no longer be tolerated. That's why protests like this were the only way to let the people's voices be heard in this region.
These protests also caught the attention of other duchies. In the past, towns in the Ethelas Duchy were known for peace and prosperity. But now, this duchy was the one suffering the most. It was a serious threat to the kingdom, which had lost prosperity in one of its most important regions.
"Maris, bring more cups!" shouted Barbara as she carried a plate with a roasted chicken.
"Right away, Fiona!" Maris replied as she entered the storeroom.
This is my life now that Laos went to Yavan. Honestly, it's not bad at all. Even though I still work just like I used to in the palace, the freedom added a special flavor to life. Thank you to everyone who gave this to me. Thank you, Laos... Every time I see myself here—working, then going to sleep, waking up, shopping, working, then sleeping again—I feel really happy.
I know repetition might sound boring, but for a former slave like me, even if this routine repeats for a thousand years, I won't get tired of it. I'll keep loving this life and every person who helped me get it, starting with Laos—my husband and the best person in this world. By the way, we haven't written to each other in a week. He also hasn't come to renew the license. What happened to him? Did he send Ponier again?
I just hope he hasn't fallen for another girl. I don't think Laos is that kind of guy. He's never been drawn to any woman since we escaped the palace—even when we were there. Even though he entered Tiana's room several times, he never fell for her. But still, I can't shake this bad feeling. He hasn't come to Iveleth for two weeks—maybe even more.
"Lady Maris, two berry pies over here please!" a customer called out.
"Coming!"
Even interacting with people here brings a little happiness. I thought I'd have a hard time with some of them—like bullies or something—but they all seem pretty nice. Well, not all, but most don't bother anyone—or at least, they don't bother me. That's thanks to the person I work with—Barbara. It seems everyone is scared of her, even high-ranking adventurers.
That's because of her past as a powerful adventurer who was once in the same party as the strongest adventurer in the kingdom—Gaziel. I never wanted to ask her about her past, because I think it might bring up bad memories. So there's no need to ask stupid questions about it. All that matters is that she's a kind person who takes care of me while my husband is away.
Work continued, and after a while, the customers began to leave, and a calm silence filled the tavern. That meant it was closing time. Everyone left, and I, Barbara, and some of the waitresses started cleaning up. As usual, there was one person left in the tavern—Paul. Always the same guy. He always drinks until he falls asleep, and now we have to wake him up.
"Who's waking him up this time?" one of the waitresses asked.
"Not me," said another as she slipped out of the tavern.
I walked over to him and tried to wake him. Besides being asleep, he was also drunk, so he could react badly—and maybe even be dangerous to whoever wakes him up. That's why we all hate doing it. After nudging him for a while, he finally woke up. He lifted his head, looked at me, and said: "Hey Fiona, sorry for falling asleep again."
He got up and headed to the exit, stumbling as he walked. It was clear he had forgotten the way home—he was just staring around, not moving. Ugh... I'll have to take him home again. Well, it's not a bad idea—I wanted to go for a night walk anyway. I guess this will be a nice little task to end my workday.
"Uhh… umm," Paul mumbled, trying to remember where his house was.
"You forgot the way, didn't you?" I asked.
"Yeah...?"
After that, I took him home quickly. The night was cold as usual. Summer in Iveleth is beautiful. I've never lived in a big town before, but I never imagined it would be this lovely. Life in small villages was always dark for me, but here... in Iveleth, it's a whole other life—a wonderful one I never dreamed of.
After dropping off Paul, while heading back, I ran into someone I knew well—Ponier! He was walking quietly on his own. So Laos sent him again! Why didn't he come himself? Does he not care about me anymore? I'll send him a letter to scold him. I quickly approached Ponier, and when he saw me, he stopped, smiled faintly, and said: "Hey Maris, how've you been?"
"I'm fine. Looks like you came again. Where's Laos?"
"..."
"Maris… Laos and I are no longer in the same party," Ponier answered.
"You're not in the same party anymore?? Why?!"
"Well, to be honest… I don't want to bother you with the details."
"Ponier, talk. What happened?!"
"Since we went to Yavan, Laos started killing wyverns. Over time, he began trading them. But it seems word got to the guild, so they expelled him."
"He's killing wyverns?... Laos, you lied to me..."
"Ponier… is he hanging around with another girl?"
"No, no. He's doing all this for you. Right now, he's trying to buy you a house. That's why he started making money through… less legal means."
That conversation shook me. I didn't expect it at all. How could Laos take such a reckless step?! Killing wyverns? That's insane! How did he become like this? He's risking his life—so much. Was he like this back in the palace? Yeah… yeah, he was. Laos always took risks… for me, or to reach his goals.
The first time, he appeared out of nowhere and defended me from Tiana. She stopped bothering me after that. Then he risked everything to escape the palace—and succeeded. And now he's risking his life against wyverns just to buy a house. Do I really have the right to stop him after all these successes? I don't know... Sorry, Laos. But my fear for you can't just trust in your success anymore…
"Good night, Ponier. Thank you for telling me this," I said as I headed back to the tavern.
"Good night."
Alright… now I need to write him a letter and tell him to stop risking himself like this. But think, idiot. His goal is to buy us a house. If he succeeds, we'll live a good life. Living in our own home… that would be amazing. But what if he dies?! Ugh… this is so hard. Should I ask him to stop or not?!
I returned to the tavern, still tangled in my thoughts. Should I do it or not? Yes—I should write the letter. Alright! Hmm… "Laos, I found out everything. You were expelled from the guild, and you've been hunting wyverns. Have you gone mad or what? I know you're trying hard to buy us a house, but doing it this way?! It really worries me, Laos…"
Ugh, what am I doing? I don't think this is a good letter. No, no!! Gah—should I send it or not? For some reason, I just don't want to go against his decisions. That's so weird. Even though I'm sure he's making a mistake… still… a part of me trusts Laos, and believes in his ability to reach his goals. But... I'll think about this more, and then decide whether to send it or not. Until then—don't you dare die, my dear husband.
◆ ◆ ◆
Inside one of the luxurious rooms, the candles burned softly alongside the moonlight. A spacious chamber adorned with statues and paintings of beautiful landscapes. In the center of the room, there were two couches. On one sat an old man with a white beard wearing fancy clothes—Avilat. On the other sat a foxen adventurer clad in leather armor—Ponier.
"Thank you," Avilat said.
"I'm the one who should be thanking you… So, any new missions?" asked Ponier.
"For now, we've gotten rid of some strong adventurers in Yavan. Our movements are perfect. This is a huge success!"
"Do you think my strength fits your plans?"
"Of course. You're currently the strongest adventurer in the town—maybe even in the entire kingdom."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Well, the goals we've achieved weren't easy at all. But despite the difficulty, we're still succeeding. So it's time to raise the challenge a little. Ponier, I don't think this will be easy at all… but I want you to carry out this mission more than any other," said Avilat.
"What is it?"
"Well, as you know, we suffered a major blow when the western dungeon was cleared by an adventurer from the Miracles guild. That adventurer has since moved to Yavan, formed a strong party, and now poses an even greater threat to us—especially since his next target is Slytha. And that's something I absolutely can't allow."
"Stop him from killing Slytha?"
"No, no… This time, Ponier, your mission is to kill Ralce and his party."
"You got it," the foxen muttered.
In the quiet of the night, between the houses of Iveleth and the silver glow of the moon, these two men spoke—men who held sinister intentions, plans that everyone would oppose. Plans that would destroy the peace of the town, and maybe of the entire duchy of Ethelas. But there he was, Avilat, master of the Alis guild, speaking with Ponier, the killer who spread fear among all adventurers—and yet no one had ever exposed him. They discussed their next move.
A move Ponier had never made before.
Killing the strongest party in the town.