Deciding to be as respectful as possible, given our previous arrangements, and potentially strained relationship, I greeted her, but also got straight to the point. I didn’t really give a damn that nobles spent at least thirty minutes to an hour on pleasantries, before breaking into the topic they actually visited for. I wasn’t a noble.
“Good afternoon, Gwendolyn, I apologize for this abrupt disturbance, but we’ve got something important to discuss,” I said.
The hero’s party wanted to don hooded cloaks, but I told them it was pointless. No one appeared to have recognized the group on the main walk, though they did have on Kyushu clothing, not fancy armor. There was no fucking way I’d let them put that kind of burden on my griffin, even if Beakwing didn’t mind it.
Gwendolyn scrutinized the hero’s party behind me before speaking. “Follow me.” As we followed the redhead, she said, “I’m a little disappointed you’re not here for just a social visit.”
Sarcasm emitted from that, but I took it in stride, quipping back because I couldn’t help myself.
“If Milia didn’t kill me first, I’m pretty sure Sir Wingston would,” I said. “Not even my defenses could withstand that.”
The dryad rolled her eyes and gave me a playful look that probably said, “Laying it on too thick.” I shrugged. Having no fucks to give as usual, Ronica commented on the Red Star’s décor. Fortunately, they were compliments, not rude criticism that would certainly make the woman cough a hint to the approaching Black Cross. Even if I stood a chance against them, they were government law enforcement… Knights, right? If it was just me, I could vanish to another kingdom. But with my fiancée, pets, apprentices, and farmhand, well, the stakes grew to astronomical heights. At least if I made the wrong move. I’d go from a cheating potion maker who seemed to only have to toss ingredients into a cauldron, to number one enemy of the state.
As Gwendolyn led us to the table, I couldn’t help but wish she wasn’t…. so ‘noble-like.’ That was stating it nicely. Our first meeting consisted of me stopping her from damn near killing Mandi. Now, I’m not new to corporal punishment. However, whenever I goofed or my siblings did, we got simple whippings with belts or the occasional flipflops. There were groundings too, which sucked, as all electronics got taken away, replaced with textbooks. Pops was more lenient than Mom, but I wasn’t going to get into that. The point was, what Gwendolyn did to Mandi would get her arrested. On Earth. Unfortunately, I had to accept that noble families in this world did things differently, brutally. Drew had begged not to be sent back home to face his father, but considering the fact that he committed actual crimes, that didn’t get him on my list of people I wanted to advocate for.
“So what brings you back to our little city?” Gwendolyn asked after we took a seat. “You’ve certainly brought an interesting group of friends with you.” She raised an eyebrow.
I held nothing back, explaining the entire situation to the woman, from the hero’s party to the attacks on the town, and Drew’s slipup. Iris and Kelvin added things to round out the explanation, leaving Gwendolyn speechless. And worse: pale.
“It is an open secret in my social circle that the capital wanted to keep you under their care,” the Red Star said. “Turn you in to the Lord Ruler’s personal force, wed the hero to the princess, display a message to the world that the hero’s party and the kingdom are one. But you decided to flee from the fame and power for a multitude of reasons, including the extreme sense of danger, not just for the capital but everyone.”
“It is difficult to explain without Ramon himself telling you his inner thoughts,” Iris said. “He didn’t fully come clean to us, just gave us a vague warning that staying in the capital would result in everyone’s deaths.” She fixed Gwendolyn with a critical look. “You know how that one is. A womanizer who didn’t seem to care about anyone else but himself. We were astonished to see a signal to flee the capital emitted to us in the cover of night. For the first time, something spooked him to the point that he wanted to use lightning horses to get away as fast as possible, regardless of the consequences of breaking a promise with the Lord Ruler.”
I already heard this much, as the hero’s party couldn’t expect me to help without getting a full story.
“Sir Nate… this level of kindness could be seen as a weakness,” Gwendolyn said. “In fact, this is almost too kind.” There were implications in that voice, likely tying back to me taking Mandi in for training. A master magician accepting one of theirs. The Red Star tried to hide it, but her life was likely turned upside down. She probably found pride in Mandi training under me.
“Don’t misunderstand,” I said. “I’m only helping to protect my own interests and there’s profit to be made.”
Not even Milia looked convinced, but I continued, ignoring their eyerolls or blank stares. At least Kelvin and Maxus seemed to have taken my side, nodding or laughing at my words. I even voiced such, which only got me a tiny pinch from my fiancée underneath the table.
Of course, I really was doing this to keep hidden until my shop had something less embarrassing than an E-rank. You couldn’t blame me for feeling this way. The hard work, the ideas, the promise meant nothing in the face of reality. As if to kick a man while he was down, the system kindly expressed that Kyushu was nothing more than an F-ranked town.
Gwendolyn looked thoughtful for a moment, before speaking. “It’s reckless, downright irresponsible for the princess to send out the Black Cross just to retrieve one person. The Lord Ruler’s knights or court magicians should be enough to scout the entire kingdom. You’re incredibly fortunate that that tracking skill is extremely rare, or you would’ve been caught in the middle of your escape.”
“It sounds like you’ve come up with a solution already,” I said.
“I wouldn’t be the Red Star otherwise,” she said. “But don’t start calling me that. I don’t allow many to call me by my real name. You’re as valuable an asset to our family as we are to you.”
I chuckled, not surprised. Nobles being nobles, scheming, planning ahead. But that was why I knew to be careful around them. I didn’t have much to hide right now, but giving away too much would obviously make me predictable, an open book.
“Let’s just make things clear,” Milia said. “I’m well-versed on how nobility use others to help navigate the game of houses. Do try to keep my Nate out of it. He does not wish to be your competition.”
Gwendolyn seemed to understand something in Milia’s tone that I didn’t pick up, because she simply shrugged.
“You’re exactly right, Lady Milia. I understand you’re in an interesting position too, and do not wish to wilt our friendship on a matter like this. Especially with our current arrangements. Even we wouldn’t be able to afford it if you start charging the value.”
I ignored that comment, not placing a price on my redheaded apprentice. Given that she was just a girl trying to fit in, while getting bullied vigorously by family members, yet still wanted to impress her mother spoke volumes.
“So what’s the plan?” Ronica asked, her patience seeming to be dwindled.
“There’s a likelihood that the Black Cross won’t bother stopping here if they’re actively tracking you,” Gwendolyn said. “So I’ll just burn away the traces of mana that makes up your trail. It will force them to start searching here. But you can create a new false trail, perhaps from the northern gate. They’re coming from the west. My best scouts will keep an eye out on the skies and ground, and their auras for miles on out.”
“Wow! You can do all of that?” Ronica awed.
Gwendolyn smiled. “I may be the lady of a small city, but I have ambitions that are as large as our kingdom. If I can’t do this much, then what good am I? But don’t get me wrong. I’m doing this solely for Lord Nate and only because he asked. If it were up to me, I’d simply stay neutral and allow those brutes to move past my city uninterrupted.” She frowned. “Do keep this here, for if word gets out about our meeting, all of our heads could come rolling.”
“That goes without saying, Lady Red Star,” Maxus said.
Milia nodded. “Agreed. Thank you for helping.”
“Thank you,” I said to the Red Star. She seemed a bit flustered at getting thanks, but quickly covered it up. People of this world really sucked at manners.
“Of course,” she said. “Your safety is my safety. Or at least my daughter’s. She may not see it, but I’ve sacrificed a lot to keep vultures from taking advantage of her mortal state. She’s what one would call a late bloomer, but the magic is dormant within her, as well as my blood.”
“So… what do you mean by burn away—”
“That means you’ll be coming with me,” Gwendolyn interrupted Ronica. “You’ll lead me to the trail of your mana, and I’ll do the rest. My sphere of influence can affect the area for hundreds of miles, overloading everything with traces of fire mana. Mortals will feel nothing of course, but if the Black Cross are close, they may detect an oddity in the air.”
“You’ll almost become a literal Red Star,” I said, chuckling. Gwendolyn had a look of pride from the minor praise of her title.
“Let’s get this over with it,” she said. “I’m certain someone like you, Sir Shopkeep, has more important things on his plate.”
We ended up taking Beakwing just fifteen minutes outside of the city. There, Ronica took the Red Star to what she called a trail that felt too fresh. Gwendolyn placed her hands on the ground, closed her eyes, and became what I could only describe as an inferno of solid glowing orange.
Andros and the Black Cross flew for days, following the mana trail, certain this was going to be the easiest job they’ve ever had. The hero’s party would certainly not be foolish enough to fight against them. The thought of getting a few bonuses almost made Andros consider learning how to smile again.
Maybe he’d finally save up enough to afford the C-ranked Robes of Protection to give to each of his remaining family.
If the hero’s party somehow broke their bottlenecks, growing stronger over the time they were gone, Andros and his men would actually have to consider getting serious. Without the Inquisition around to annoy the Black Cross, they’d teach these kids the meaning of pitch-black agony.
The thought of bashing that cocky hero’s face into a tree again and again almost excited Andros.
His revenge fantasy was interrupted when a blast of aura briefly engulfed the entire area. Even while in the sky, he felt some disorientation, not that it would slow him down.
However…
Andros’s eyes widened. Wanda’s ass, this couldn’t be. Just what the hell was this?
“The trail… it’s gone!”
He tilted his thumb downward at the ground. Following his signal, they all landed as a group.
“Lord Andros, I believe that was fire aura.”
Andros turned to him. “You think? Obvious things aside, what could possibly be the cause? This isn’t near any fire creature territory.” He paused, his thoughts blasting into overdrive as he came to a conclusion. But… why? They were miles away from Wingston, so why now, randomly? Did something happen? Or did the Red Star’s anger normally explode like this? “Let’s keep going to Wingston. Speed up. If they’re under attack, kill any invader.”
“Acknowledged, sir!”
It wasn’t a perfect solution and likely alerted the bastards, but with their trail lost, the Black Knight and his merry men would have a significantly more difficult time locating the hero’s party. So we thanked the Red Star before taking off, hopeful that they’d give up.
Okay, I wasn’t feeling one hundred percent confident in this plan with them likely very close, and expressed that before we left. The Red Star claimed she had everything under control, forcing us to leave it at that.
That evening, Milia and I decided to lay beneath the stars with the pets, chatting, and cuddling. Earlier wasn’t the perfect solution, but something was better than nothing.
“Have you come up with an idea regarding the spirit coins?” Milia asked.
“Not really,” I told her, wondering how I found myself using her legs as a lap pillow. She refused to allow me to move, kissing me every time I did. Cheetara seemed to be getting annoyed after the sixth time because the kitten plopped right onto my chest, giving a warning meow to Milia. Wolverine let out a noise of embarrassment, briefly covering his face. Beakwing snorted, though he didn’t mind us laying against him. “What about you?”
“Potentially,” Milia said. “I’ve been thinking of one during the ride, but I’ll need more time to mull over things. If I believe it’s worth trying, we’ll have to go visit Emiris.”
I blinked at her. “Ah, now I remember. The snake goddess of war.”
“She’s not a goddess,” Milia deadpanned. “She’s a very skilled warrior of the Huntress Lamia Clan. You be nice to her.”
Cheetara meowed as if agreeing with Milia. I whistled, causing Wolverine to rush over and snuggle into me.
“Oh my,” Milia said. She scratched the adorable sunlight wolf beneath in his chin. What a peaceful night. Hey, it wasn’t like the Black Knights were after us. Despite the lack of a direct threat, the system still decided to hit me with a curveball.
[You have earned a generated quest! Lucky you! You may never see this opportunity again, so pray for your good fortune.]
[Quest: Your shop sells 100 items tomorrow. Rank: F. Reward: 1 new MMABS option. Failure of this quest will result in the Black Knight knowing your location and your involvement with hiding the hero’s party. Good luck! Failure will likely mean death.]
“Milia,” I said.
“Hmm?” she replied, tilted her head.
“Let’s make some candy and start selling tomorrow,” I said.
Her eyes widened, though in excitement, not shock. “Right now?”
“Right now. And I’ll let you eat some,” I told her. “I want to challenge myself tomorrow. Sell one hundred items.”
“That could be a little challenging, but if you price the candy at just a copper, we should sell out quickly,” Milia said.
“I also want to give the cheap potions a shot at the limelight for a while,” I told her.
A new option for the cube could be anything. Failure of my very first quest wouldn’t be an option. Sure, the system was kind of a dick for that, but the F-ranked difficultly meant it gave me a break. A warning probably.
If I generated another quest, the difficulty could be shot up to S or even impossible with a bullshit condition meant to delete me once and for all. Okay, maybe that was a little paranoid. A little.
We already had the ingredients, lots of sugar, and plenty of laughs within us. During the sixth batch, Milia pulled out some wine from the cold storage. Four glasses later, she showed me a dance from her dryad homeland, though it was meant to be an after-wedding private affair. In good fun, I let her continue, as it mixed grace and provocativeness smoothly. I had a lot to learn about this otherworldly culture.
And plenty of time on my hands, assuming I didn’t get myself killed in a dungeon trying to gain spirit coins.
Speaking of which, when we finally finished making the little candies and stored them in the cold storage, I decided to glance at the red cube options a bit in hope for a little inspiration. Specifically, buildings.
[Current options. Buildings. Tools. Garden. Forges. Equipment and Devices.]
[Projects: 1. Farm: Acquire animals and feed from Mandi. In progress.]
Curious, I selected buildings.
[Buildings. Currently unlocked: 1. F-ranked Shed. Price: 15 spirit coins.
2. F-ranked Special Lookout Tower. Price: 400 spirit coins.
3. F-ranked Spiritual Room. Price: 1,500 spirit coins.
4. E-ranked Wine Cellar. Price: 10,000 spirit coins.
5. F-ranked Magic Lab. Price: 150,000 spirit coins.
6. F-ranked mana tower. Price: 100,000,000 spirit coins.
7. E-ranked Mana Forge. Price: 300,000 spirit coins.]
Why the hell would anyone waste fifteen spirit coins on a shed? I could just build that myself, probably in a day. The lookout tower also felt pointless without first fixing the guard situation. That magic lab—I so fucking needed it! I didn’t give a damn if it was just F-ranked, that only meant the building… or room would be upgradable.
Another option I overlooked earlier due to the over-the-top spirit coin cost was the mana tower. I couldn’t, for the life of me, guess its purpose. If the system wanted to sell this item, it could at the very least provide some details, motivate me to purchase as quickly as possible.
I glanced back at the shed. What use would I get from upgrading it? It seemed meaningless, yet the price tag told me otherwise. The farm equipment cost way less, despite my ability to build those too.
Deciding to close the cube for now, I called it a night with meditation on my Dao, a good warm bath, and some bedside conversation. Tomorrow would be my first quest. With a reward that good, the system couldn’t have been kidding about quest generation being rare.
Why was it rare? Why did it exist? This whole thing felt as if the gods or whatever was behind this was treating my life like some kind of video game. I just hoped the system truly thought carefully before pushing me too far. Because if they fucked with me, I’d find a way to the administrator. What? I wanted a peaceful life. Don’t judge me. Punching someone for interfering with that was fine!
