"You are probably wondering why we would discuss something so delicate in your presence, Lord Ives." Soren looked at Arthur as well.

  "Moderately." Arthur shrugged. "You most probably assumed that I would need to decide what side I will take in whatever shit storm is going to hit this nation. Assuming you have done your homework, you know what I have done from the moment I appeared in Saftia, and you decided that I'm your ally."

  "Well..." Soren shook his head. "If I weren't impressed already, I would have been now."

  "There is one problem with your theory," Arthur said and crossed his arms in front of him. "I'm not a kid from your backyard. I'm not even from this continent. I don't have to do anything."

  "Oh, please..." Soren rolled his eyes. "Arcadia? No one believes that..."

  Arthur laughed dryly and took out his scroll. He gave it to the Director who looked at him as if he saw through Arthur's little game.

  "Try to say now that my home doesn't exist." Arthur chuckled.

  "All right I'll entertain you..." Soren shrugged and looked at the scroll. His eyes bulged and he opened and closed his mouth a few times, before gently putting the scroll on the table, and tried again, but to no avail. "What's the meaning of this?!"

  "Arcadia is real." Arthur laughed and again hid the scroll in his storage. "It's just not on this continent."

  The man was covered in sweat as he looked at Val'narii. "You knew about this?!"

  "I saw the scroll but no..." She admitted and shook her head. "I just accepted his claims. It's much easier that way."

  "I guess..." The Director shook his head in disbelief.

  "As you can see, I don't have to do anything..." Arthur calmly nodded. "However, let's not insult anyone. I will need supplies, information, and more to return home, so I want you to be honest with me, Soren. How much time do we have before the civil war?"

  "Honestly, I don't know." He slowly shook his head and sighed. After a moment he took out a strange cylinder and lit up its end. "Want a smoke?"

  "Not really..." Arthur waved his hand. The smell was already irritating him. "What is it anyway?"

  "It's called a cigarette. It's made of tobacco leaves. It's popular around here. You don't have it in Arcadia? It's one of the prime export items of Saftia!"

  "No." Arthur shook his head in denial and his eyes shone with mana as he used one of his skills. "That shit is harmful, Soren... Very harmful, and not only for you but everyone around you. I seriously doubt it would pass any inspections at home, so you should think about other stuff you would like to trade with the Empire."

  "Shit..." The man ruffled the back of his head. "You are serious about it... I mean, the Empire of Arcadia, and that you are some kind of ambassador?"

  "Nothing that serious... Think of me as a foreign eccentric noble who likes hunting and travelling." Arthur chuckled. "In my free time, I also look into what we could trade if my Emperor decided to establish a peaceful relationship."

  "Damn..." Soren inhaled his cigarette. "I was so certain that you were bluffing and now you have excellent grounds for invasion..."

  "I don't want to spoil your mood, but the slavery in your country was enough to justify the invasion." Arthur shrugged. "So... Now that we have everything explained, you can tell me why, exactly, you wanted to see us in private."

  "Right..." Soren finished his cigarette and put it out on the table's surface. "Before I learnt how wrong I was, I hoped to ask you for a favour in exchange for making you A-rank. I know that he is at least S-rank, Val'narii, but you don't know about the newest bullshit. All S-rank Adventurers were ordered to gather in the capital. Supposedly, the King has a job for them."

  "What?!" The Dark Elf tensed.

  "He probably wants to scout as many as he can for whatever he is planning. I’m afraid that he might order the rest on some suicide mission…"

  "Damn..." She shook her head.

  "Keeping our new friend A-rank would let him hunt what he wants anyway."

  "What favour?" Arthur asked and used Purification to clear the air in the room of the smoke.

  "I wanted you to help us investigate the ruins with Val'narii." Soren sighed.

  "Why me?" The Dark Elf was shocked.

  "Well, I need you to disappear for a while but I don't want to lose you. I want to see for myself where things are going before I make you run for your life." Soren explained. "I owe your father... So I wanted to attach you to the expedition party with Lord Ives. Now, however..."

  "I want to investigate the ruins as well," Arthur said quietly. "I believe that I might be able to return home using them."

  "So will you accept the quest to protect the investigation team?!" Soren looked at him with hope.

  "How big is the team?"

  "Two scholars and Val'narii, who knows not only the local ruins a bit, but also the ancient language. I would like to send four or five more guards..."

  "I don't need more guards." Arthur shook his head. "If you want Val'narii to disappear, she will just be another guard. The bigger the group, the harder it is to protect everyone."

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  "I know that you are strong, but if the Temple sends Templars after you, you won't be able to protect yourself."

  "Umm... About that..." Val'narii cleared her throat. "He and his party killed five templars already who were after him during the quest to hunt the Armoured Lion. He also took down Griss Vul's Organisation. Alone."

  Soren looked at Arthur with shock mixed with respect. "I'll be damned. So Gods exist after all... You have no idea how long we have been praying for someone like you."

  "I'm not here to fight your wars." Arthur shook his head.

  "It's not like it's going to break out tomorrow." Soren shrugged. "What will you do if you manage to get home?"

  Arthur shrugged. "I will certainly deliver the report about Saftia to my Emperor."

  "And what would your Emperor do?" Soren asked quietly.

  "That, I don't know," Arthur answered with a blank expression.

  "You don't know, or you just don't want to tell us?" Soren demanded, then sighed as he backed down after an awkward moment. "I'm sorry... I'm constantly on edge lately. Slavery, the rise of crime, the disappearance of Adventurers, and whatever the Temple is trying to do with the Dark Elves... The last thing I need to learn is that an army of people like you will descend upon Saftia and support the King... You alone are plenty enough to give me nightmares."

  "No... That is the last thing you have to be worried about." Arthur sighed and ruffled his blonde hair. "I already said that. Slavery is a crime in Arcadia."

  "Then..." Soren brightened.

  "Then what? Let's stop what-if-ing because we will lose a whole day and get nowhere. Let's focus on the here and now." Arthur said with a hint of his patience running out. "Ruins."

  "Right..." The Director sighed and lowered his head. "I will return with the Scholars in two weeks. They are safe in Leredes but it's a long trek from here. Stay safe until then, Val'narii. If anything happens, can she run to you, Lord Ives?"

  "I believe so..." Arthur shrugged. "However, we will have to create an excuse for this."

  "Hmmm... I could bring you interesting quests to clear. I could even bicker a little bit that "that noble thinks it's my job to bring him quests". I remember something similar happened a few years ago in the capital when one of the nobles wanted to be an adventurer." Val'narii looked at them. "But why?"

  "Because I don't want you to run with the pursuers on your heels. So you will have to make it believable enough or even drop everything and join our party if you decide it's too dangerous. To be honest... Hmmm..."

  "I don't like your 'Hmmm', Lord Ives..." The Dark Elf looked at him slightly alarmed.

  "You said, Soren, that you are conducting an audit here..."

  "Yes?"

  "Hmmm..." Val'narii put together her hands and leaned back.

  "Why is everyone humming suddenly?!" Soren looked at them angrily.

  "If I resign from being a branch manager, could I join your party, Lord Ives?" Val'narii asked.

  "I don't see why not." Arthur nodded.

  "Why?!" Soren looked at her in shock.

  "You told me yourself that sooner or later I would have to run for my life. I don't know if I want to run and hide like the rest of my people." The woman crossed her arms in front of her. "But maybe I wouldn't have to? If Lord Ives wants to investigate ruins, I can be useful to him. In exchange for his protection, I will aid him with my help."

  "Oh... That's for that hmmm was..." Soren sighed and rubbed his face. "But I don't want to remove you, Val'narii."

  "You don't have to. I will resign."

  "Yeah? Under what excuse?" Soren looked at her but she simply grinned.

  "The arguments that most of the adventurers won't argue with. Money." She grinned and pointed at Arthur. "You can complain that I was scouted by this crazy noble and, supposedly, the pay was too good to pass up. You wouldn't even need to lie. Being protected by someone like Lord Ives will drastically increase my chances of survival."

  "Hmmm... I will need someone to run this circus for the next two weeks." Soren rubbed his chin. "After that, I will take over..."

  Arthur ignored their discussion and looked at the borderline bored Ben, Silfa, and surprisingly, Catherine. So far, the Nekomi has always been vigilant and paid attention to everything around them, mostly for his sake. It was true that they were caught by the slightly overwhelming pace of events and they rarely had time to speak but, a few times already, Cate had informed him about things he otherwise wouldn't know. That's why her current behaviour worried him. However, Ben and Silfa weren't any better. They stifled their yawns and seemed ready to fall asleep anytime now. Then, the realisation hit him. They weren’t bored. Cate was exhausted; it was something he could mitigate with his enhanced endurance and absurdly high level in comparison to most other people. He looked softly at the woman whose presence alone was strangely calming...

  His heart skipped a beat and he violently shook his head. He shouldn't...

  He took a deep breath and looked at Val'narii and Soren.

  "I believe that we should continue our discussion later. Preferably when you decide what you plan to do next. I assume that I'm registered as an A-rank adventurer?" Arthur stood up, followed by his companions, and offered his arm to Catherine who rubbed her face. She had been dozing off.

  "Yes, of course! Val'narii will bring you the identification tag in the morning, Lord Ives." Sion stood up and shook his head with a guilty expression. "I'm so sorry... You must be tired after everything."

  "My companions here certainly are. I tend to forget about something so trivial as tiredness during important situations." Arthur nodded with a neutral smile. "Till the morning then. I will inform the guards at the Baron's mansion that you might be visiting."

  "Of course!" Soren tried his best to bow.

  "Thank you, Lord Ives, for your help." Val'narii smiled cutely.

  "We will help each other." He smiled as well and left the guild.

  Catherine was basically already asleep, so he lifted her into his arms for the trek home. She was startled at first, but quickly gave up as her eyes slid closed. She was soundly sleeping even before they left the main square. The siblings were yawning and rubbing their faces but thankfully the centre was very close to the Baron's manor. No one stopped them, or even asked how it went, and Arthur sent Ben and Silfa directly to their room. Once he reached the apartment and put Catherine in the bed, he decided to take a bath. He looked at the unfamiliar sky through the window and let out a long sigh.

  "We need a base, Shade..."

  "Maybe you do." The Fenrir's amused voice came out from a nearby dark spot. "I'm comfortable in your shadow, my Friend."

  "Perhaps..." Arthur agreed. "I heard the news about the Bishop."

  "About that." Shade's voice became serious. "That cat everyone talks about wasn't me. It arrived after I dealt with the bad guys and certainly helped to cover my pawwork. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't as big as everyone claims. Anyway... I grabbed the Bishop and his helpers and dragged them into the Shadow Land. Despite being unusually talkative, they knew surprisingly little. However, something is going on with the ruins you want to investigate and the Dark Elves are connected with them. The Temple is trying to capture the Elves, so the Bullman you killed interpreted the orders he received in his own way."

  "Hmmm... What a shame that those ruins are so far away from the city..." Arthur mused with a short laugh. "Good job, Shade."

  "Thanks. I will return to watch over your Kitten. She is amusing to observe."

  "She’s not mine…"

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to and who edited the chapter!