By noon, the inn was bustling with life. Every table was full, the smell of food filled the air, and the maids moved briskly between guests, all smiles and quick steps.
Then the door slammed open. A short, round man with a bulging belly waddled inside, followed by six armed guards.
The flamboyant innkeeper's smile froze instantly. He hurried forward, voice suddenly syrupy sweet.
"Oh, if it isn't Lord Qiu Liannu! What an honor, my lord!"
Qiu Liannu stroked his thick beard as his beady eyes swept over the room. "Business seems to be booming," he said, his tone heavy with mock approval.
"Ah, yes, my lord," the innkeeper said hastily, bowing low. "But as you can see, it's quite full right now. Perhaps you could come back—"
"Hmm?" The tax collector narrowed his eyes dangerously and gestured behind him.
At once, the six guards sneered and drew their wands, their tips glowing faintly.
The other customers froze, then began to scatter from their seats, not wanting trouble. Within seconds, the dining room emptied.
Qiu Liannu burst into loud, wheezing laughter. "Ha! It's true—no guests at all. Perfect." He waddled toward a table and plopped down into a chair. "Now then—bring me your best wine, your finest food, and tell Jessica to serve me personally. Oh, and the Queen's tax. Let me think… that'll be one hundred gold coins."
The innkeeper's face twisted. "My lord, we already paid last week. Surely you remember?"
"Did I?" Qiu Liannu said with mock surprise.
A guard behind him leaned in. "No, my lord. They did not pay."
"Oh, so you don't want to pay your tax, is that it?" The fat man slammed a pudgy hand on the table and glared. "Do you need a demonstration of what happens to those who refuse the Queen's taxes?"
Two of his men raised their wands, the tips sparking red—Fireball magic.
The innkeeper knew what that meant. He'd heard about the last tavern that stood its ground; it burned to ashes within minutes. His face drained of color.
"W-We'll pay! At once, my lord!"
Qiu Liannu smirked in satisfaction. "Good. That's what I like to hear. Loyal subjects of the crown."
At his nod, the men lowered their wands and took seats nearby, grinning smugly.
"Well? Where's my food and wine?" Qiu Liannu barked after a moment. "And where's Jessica? Don't tell me she's hiding from me."
The maids huddled together behind the counter, trembling. One of them glanced anxiously at the door.
Jessica, of course, had slipped out the moment she'd seen Qiu Liannu enter. She ran straight to the market to find Sora—and Louise, who joined her as soon as she heard about a nobleman extorting civilians in the Queen's name.
Moments later, the inn's door creaked open again. Brilliant sunlight spilled in, casting a tall shadow across the floor.
Qiu Liannu frowned and turned. "Who the hell—"
"The knight commissioned by Her Highness, Sora," came the calm reply.
"The Queen's knight?!" The fat man blanched, suddenly uncertain. "Wh-what business do you have here?"
Louise stepped forward from behind Sora and pointed her wand directly at him.
"How dare you collect false taxes in Her Highness's name!" she shouted. "You're a disgrace to the crown!"
"Yah Faile Albrick!"
Her fire spell flared before the tax collector's men could even react.
With a deafening boom, the ground beside Qiu Liannu's table erupted, scattering chairs and sending pebbles flying. Screaming, he ducked under the table—but not before a shard struck his forehead, leaving him bleeding.
"Ow! I'm hurt! It hurts!" he howled.
"Kill her!" he bellowed to his men.
Four guards rushed to obey, leveling their wands. Four orange fireballs crackled to life, aimed straight at Louise.
She didn't flinch. She'd seen this before.
Sora stepped smoothly in front of her, drawing Delphlinka in one swift motion. The jewel-engraved mark on his left hand pulsed with light.
"Now, old friend," he muttered to the sword.
"Oh, leave it to me, buddy," came Delphlinka's cheerful voice.
As the fireballs launched forward, Sora swung once—then again. Each flaming orb was sliced from the air, swallowed whole by the glowing blade.
"Ugh... disgusting," Delphlinka groaned. "Fire spells are always so bitter."
The guards froze in disbelief, sweat beading on their foreheads.
Sora moved in. In a blur of motion, he flipped the sword to strike with the flat edge, cracking one man across the neck and sending him collapsing to the ground. Another tried to raise a wand; Sora caught his wrist, spun behind, and hit him in the back of the head.
Two more fired Fireballs in panic. Sora swung again—this time loosing two flaming arcs from his sword that collided midair with their spells, exploding between them in a burst of heat and light.
Before the smoke cleared, Sora dashed through the blast and struck both in quick succession.
In under a minute, all six of Qiu Liannu's men were unconscious on the floor.
A collective gasp sounded from the hiding maids.
Qiu Liannu, who'd just crawled out from under a table, bolted for the door. Louise lifted her wand, trying to chant—but panic tangled her words.
Jessica intercepted him instead, spinning and snapping her leg upward in a powerful kick that landed squarely on his forehead. The fat man yelped and tumbled backward, landing flat on his back.
Sora caught up in two steps, planting his boot on the man's chest and pressing his sword lightly to his neck. A thin line of blood trickled down his skin.
"Don't—don't kill me!" Qiu Liannu gasped, trembling. "Please! I'm a noble! I have money—lots of money! I'll pay you, just don't kill me!"
Sora tilted his head and snorted. "Shut up."
The man immediately slapped his hands over his mouth, shaking like a leaf.
Sora turned casually to Louise. "You good?"
"I'm fine," she said softly, shaking her head.
Louise stepped closer, gazing down at the trembling official. "We'll hand him over to Her Highness. She'll decide how to punish him."
Qiu Liannu's face brightened slightly, and he nodded frantically in agreement.
Sora, however, pressed Delphlinka a little harder. The shallow cut deepened, and the man went rigid. A dark stain spread down his trousers as he collapsed into complete humiliation.
The maids covered their mouths, stifling laughter.
"Before that," Sora said coolly, "return every coin you stole."
"Yes, yes!" The man scrambled for his pockets, hauling out one pouch after another and tossing them at Sora's feet.
"Jessica," Sora said, "take back what he stole from your inn."
"Thank you, Sora." Jessica knelt and counted quickly. "Two hundred gold coins—that's everything he took from us."
Four or five bulging moneybags remained, each stuffed with at least five hundred gold pieces.
"The rest is yours, Louise," Sora said.
"Mine?" she blinked, surprised.
"Yours," he repeated. "Take Jessica and return the money to the nearby shops this man robbed. I'll take him to Princess Anrietta myself."
Louise hesitated, then nodded with quiet resolve. "Alright."
Sora glanced around the wrecked inn. "Tie up the rest of these lackeys. I'll deal with them once I return."
"Yes, sir!" the maids chorused, emboldened now. They bound the stunned guards tightly and locked them in a back room.
Sora gave Qiu Liannu a solid kick, slid Delphlinka back into its sheath, and hauled the fat man to his feet.
"Alright, nobleman," Sora said tersely. "Time to meet the Princess."
He shoved him toward the door. Louise watched him go, then turned to Jessica. "Let's get started."
Together, they left the Fairy Pavilion behind—one headed for justice, the other for redemption.