After four months had passed, the beginning of winter across Althea started. Since the southern tip of Midland was right above the center of the continent, only the northern regions would experience snow during the winter while the southern regions would barely have any snow.

A convoy of thirty wagons and a carriage was traveling across this northeastern edge of Midland. Three platoons of young infantry footmen escorted the convoy. It was a frontier area that was still being developed so the roads weren’t so friendly. The snow had begun to drop slightly but it wasn’t cold enough for the snow to stick.

This was known as the northern frontiers to the Midlanders. It was just three days east of Galdo City but it had taken them five days to cover that same distance with such a large group. The convoy didn’t struggle but it didn’t have an easy time across the small dirt road.

The soldiers were well equipped with long overcoats to keep them warm under their steel cuirass. A few young teenage merchants were directing the horses on the wagons filled with many different commodities. Ranging from food, building materials, specialized materials, and many other commodities.

After another hour of travel, the convoy arrived at a frontier village called Galmora. Under the gloomy gray weather, it was a depressing sight. The village had barely fifty buildings and a small population of about four hundred residents. There were no guards on the outskirts and the roads were vastly undeveloped. There was a stark difference between Galmora and Galdera.

Villagers who were thin and weak opened their doors and windows to see the sight of such a massive caravan arriving at their small village. Many looked on with awe and fear.

The caravan stopped in front of a manor with guards as they looked completely puzzled. They weren’t sure if they were being invaded or reinforced. One ran inside to report the arrival of the caravan to the lord of the village.

The lord of the village was a young eighteen-year-old noble named Herschel Umbridge. He was the eldest son of Lord Poma who was given this territory to oversee. The incompetent son wasn’t doing anything to cultivate the village into prosperity. Instead, he abused his position and committed atrocities against different residents.

Inside the lord’s manor, Herschel was counting his gold coins when a guard burst right through the door. “Damnit,” yelled Herschel, “How many times must I tell you to knock first you imbecile!”

“Apologies, Lord Herschel, but it appears a caravan has arrived out front with no banners or flags.” said the soldier as he bowed.

“It must be my reward for doing such an amazing job here. It’s likely a gift from my father!” exclaimed the lord as he rushed out of his office. The arrogant excuse of a lord arrived outside to see a few villagers gathered near one of the carts and a teenage merchant was handing out food to them. This angered Herschel as he realized the merchant was giving away what he thought was rightfully his.

“Hey,” yelled Herschel, “You, the boy on the wagon. You sorry excuse for a pathetic wagon driver. That’s mine. All of it.”

The teenage merchant ignored Herschel and continued to hand out food to more villagers as they began to come out into the cold in rags. Herschel couldn’t stand for such disrespect. He immediately yelled for his soldiers and guard captain to come.

Within a few seconds, twenty soldiers from the manor lined up and a chubby guard captain appeared. “Ulrich,” barked Herschel, “Arrest these merchants and any resident caught stealing.”

Ulrich was the guard captain of the village. He and his fifteen soldiers ran toward the crowd who immediately dispersed in fear of what the guards would do. The soldiers escorting the caravan were a bit further back and held their position at attention with no response.

The young merchant was grabbed and taken into custody along with a young teenage girl. The teenage girl had a six-year-old sister who cried out loud as her sister was being held, hostage.

The young merchant didn’t resist nor did he express any fear or concern. The teenage girl had tears falling from her eyes as two guards held her hostage for Herschel.

“Lord Herschel,” said Ulrich, “It’s Renia. The troublemaker from before.”

“Ah, you thieving bitch.” uttered Herschel as he walked over to her.

“The merchant said it was okay!” cried Renia, who was the girl taken hostage.

“You know you’re not allowed to take anything that arrives in this town until I say it’s okay,” stated Herschel.

“But, Milord, my sister and I haven’t eaten anything for days!” stated Renia as her raspy voice held grief.

“You aren’t allowed to commit such heinous crimes, you wench!” said Herschel as he was about to slap Renia.

“You’re disgusting,” said the merchant in custody, “Milord, your rule over this village is horrendous.”

An infuriated Herschel halted his hand before Renia and rushed over to kick the merchant in his stomach. The merchant didn’t cry out nor did his facial expression change. “You’re gonna have to do better than that to hurt me.” said the merchant.

“You piece of shit!” yelled Herschel as he started kicking the young merchant along with Ulrich. They kicked into him while the young merchant grabbed his arms to protect himself.

Renia’s heart broke at the young merchant being stomped on by Lord Herschel and his men for offering food to the starving people of the village. She cried out for them to stop and begged that she’d do anything for Lord Herschel.

The four men didn’t care, they just continued to stomp into the young merchant with his arms covering his head. The soldiers escorting the caravan holding attention started showing disgust and were fighting their hardest not to intervene. They were ordered to stand down until further orders were given.

As the violence continued, most of the villagers had gathered around the scene unfolding before them. They cried as misfortune had stolen their hopes away. They knew that some of them would die of starvation at this rate.

As the four men slowed their stomping to a stop. The young merchant giggled, causing all four men to pull out their swords to threaten the young merchant. Before any more violence could unfold, a loud commanding voice boomed into the area. “Enough.”

All the escort soldiers immediately rushed over and surrounded Lord Herschel and his twenty soldiers. The escort soldiers were smaller in size and their faces were hidden by winter face wraps and steel helms. Their eyes were filled with disgust.

Herschel and his group of soldiers were outnumbered by sixty of the ninety soldiers. “How dare you? My father will have your heads for this. Who was that?” cried Herschel.

A short figure in blacksteel armor made his way from the rear of the caravan. The blacksteel armor was lined with a brown overcoat and a red cape drawn behind his neck. He was accompanied by three other soldiers behind him.

The young merchant now free from the clutches of Herschel rose to reveal that he had been wearing armor and wasn’t injured at all or hurt. The young merchant continued to giggle as he returned to his wagon.

The figure in blacksteel armor approached Herschel and removed his helmet revealing that it was Arlan. Meaning the escorts were from the Banner of the Claw and the merchants were from the Eastvale Trade Company. The young merchant was Jovann with a protection enchantment.

Neither did Herschel nor his men recognize Arlan until they noticed his lion sigil across his overcoat’s collar. “Y-y-you’re from House Reeve?!” yelled Herschel with deep regret.

“I am Baron Arlan Reeve. Under Duke Louis Reeve's decree, I am now the Lord of Galmora. You and your father have been stripped of all titles for treason against the crown, surrender at once,” stated Arlan.

Ulrich knew of his crimes and immediately lunged after Arlan with his sword. Three Banner of the Claw soldiers immediately stabbed their spears into Ulrich before he could even get close to Arlan. Ulrich was still alive but barely as he looked Arlan deep into his eyes. He knew that the young lion was no ordinary boy now. He thought he could take the young boy hostage and get out easily.

But the Banner of the Claw was well trained. They reacted properly by holding down the Guard Captain with their spears. Herschel’s face was numb at what he saw. A spear was through Ulrich’s left thigh and two other spears penetrated his shoulders. Arlan knelt before the near-death Ulrich.

Arlan released his killing intent and a cold stare penetrated Ulrich’s soul. He knew retribution had come for all the crimes he committed against the people of Galmora. He had raped, assaulted, stolen, accepted bribery, and followed Herschel’s questionable orders. The young lion had an idea of this information already from a spy he had sent a few days prior, courtesy of the Eastvale Trade Company.

Ulrich tried to talk but blood only came out. Arlan looked into Ulrich’s eyes and used his steel dagger to slowly penetrate Ulrich’s left eye. Only gurgles could be heard as Ulrich fell into shock from the pain. Arlan removed his steel dagger after an inch in. It was time to remove his sight entirely and Arlan drove his dagger straight through into the right eye and back out.

Ulrich was still barely alive but he fell unconscious from the shock. Arlan looked at the three soldiers while wiping the blood off his steel dagger and nodded. That was the signal for Arlan’s soldiers to repeatedly stab their spears into Ulrich until his life was gone from the world. Just a lump of unrecognizable flesh lay before them.

Herschel was horrified at what he saw. He knew his life was in danger and if he had tried anything, he would be easily killed. Herschel’s henchmen all shared the same thought after seeing how Ulrich was killed and threw down their weapons. Arlan spun his dagger in one hand as he approached Herschel.

“That’ll be you if you decide to do anything. You understand?” stated Arlan coldly with fury in his eyes.

“Y-y-yes.” replied Herschel as Arlan backhanded Herschel across the face with his blacksteel gauntlet. Herschel cried in pain as his jaw was almost broken.

“That’s ‘Yes, Milord’ to you,” demanded Arlan.

“Yes, Milord,” answered Herschel.

Arlan turned to the twenty other soldiers and saw that they all deeply feared him. In a matter of a minute, the young lion established his ruthlessness against Herschel and his band. Arlan nodded at his soldiers and ordered them to escort the twenty soldiers and Herschel away to the prison in the barracks.

Ten Banner of the Claw soldiers escorted them away and Arlan turned to Renia. Who was also fearful of who Arlan was. Especially after seeing his ruthlessness firsthand against Ulrich. While she deeply hated Ulrich, she also harbored a deep hatred for nobles.

Arlan sheathed his dagger, retracted his killing intent, and approached Renia slowly. She feared for her life still. “Renia,” said Arlan as he knelt before her, “I’m Baron Arlan of House Reeve. I’m here to take over this town as the Lord. I will not commit any unjust behavior against the people. So you have nothing to worry about.”

Renia was still fearful as the entire village was now in the plaza before the Lord’s Manor. They watched in awe as Arlan removed his outer coat and wrapped it around Renia.

The warmth from Arlan’s coat was something Renia had never felt before. She relaxed just a little more. “It’s alright,” stated Arlan, “You can keep it for now. Go see my aide, Jovann at the wagon. He’ll give you some food for you and your little sister.”

Renia’s expression changed from fear to gratitude as she lunged her arms into Arlan. The young lion didn’t push her away, he instead returned her hug. Renia finally spoke, “Thank you, Lord Arlan. My sister Alya was starving and we didn’t know what to do!”

Alya was the younger sister who was in the crowd, she ran up to Arlan and hugged him as well after seeing Renia. The villagers' eyes all glimmered with hope as they had seen Arlan treat Renia with dignity and compassion. Their misfortune and depressed eyes almost cursed themselves after seeing Arlan dispatch Ulrich the way he did. They worried that Arlan would be worse.

But deep down, they all felt no remorse for Ulrich. He was a terrible human being for committing such atrocities against them. Many died or had their lives ruined by him. They felt the same hatred toward Herschel.

Arlan stood firm before the villagers to address them, “People of Galmora, Lord Herschel will no longer harm you. I’m Baron Arlan of House Reeve. I have been appointed as the new Lord of Galmora by Duke Louis himself. I will do you no wrongs but only require that you allow me the chance to win your hearts. You will no longer starve in this village. I have brought food and clothes for all of you. These are gifts that will help you survive the winter.”

The crowd cheered and hope returned to their hearts as Arlan had already removed Herschel from his position. Jovann and his merchants began handing out food and winter clothing to the villagers. The wagons had brought more than enough supplies for the relief effort.

Banner of the Claw soldiers helped with the operations by providing extra hands, security, and patrolling the village for anyone looking to cause trouble.

Renia and Alya were given the option to follow Arlan as they didn’t own a home to return to. Renia gladly accepted as she wanted the best for her sister. Arlan had brought along all four of his maids and he had them take the two sisters to bathe inside the Lord’s Manor. Knight Jocko was now permanently assigned to Arlan and had already scoured the Manor for security purposes and cataloged the inventory.

Dimitri, Trent, and Erin directed the Banner of the Claw’s three infantry platoons while Noah coordinated the Banner of the Claw’s supplies. Wren appeared before Jovann to direct the handling of the building materials. The blacksmith had joined Arlan’s retinue. Chrysta and Marie exited Arlan’s carriage and began directing a group of healers to inspect the villagers for diseases and injuries. WIth Arlan’s retinue of skilled retainers, a company of loyal soldiers, the backing of a trading company, and the status of a powerful house, Galmora was finally in good hands.

Before Arlan arrived at Galmora, Lancel High Academy sent its students home for the last four winter months. As Arlan was about to leave with Katalina for Galdo City, Duke Louis himself arrived in Auron City.

Duke Louis had a meeting with House Lansley but also had a task for Arlan. He was given Lordship over the frontier village of Galmora. Lord Poma’s son had been a tyrannical lord over Galmora and this information only surfaced after Arlan’s request for the investigation. Lord Poma was guilty of conspiring against the crown by accepting bribes from the Swora.

Lord Poma was stripped of all titles and was held in the Galdo City prison. His son was unaware of this and Arlan was tasked with arresting Herschel until further notice.

Duke Louis knew Arlan was a talented individual and Galmora held the potential to be prosperous. It was the untapped potential that the Duke knew his son could handle.

“I see you’ve grown stronger,” said Duke Louis as they ate dinner at the Reeve’s Manor in Auron City.

“I am honored by your words, father. But I lack the same combat experience as you do.”

“Arlan, my boy, you’ve done nothing but bring pride and honor to our House. I’m sorry I haven’t had the time to see you.”

“It’s understandable. I’m glad you came here before I departed for Galdo City.”

“Yes, I have a matter to discuss with House Lansley. I will arrange for you to meet with them after you return for the spring semester of Lancel High Academy. But you won’t be spending the winter in Galdo City.”

“Father, is there something you require of me?”

“Yes, Count Emile’s spies have confirmed Lord Poma of treason against the crown. He was accepting bribes from the Swora in exchange for information. Count Daxton has already apprehended him and stripped him of all titles. I’ve appointed Ser Trent to oversee Galdera temporarily. This was thanks to your intuition during the monster subjugation task.”

“I see and what are my orders?” asked Arlan.

“You are to take two days to assemble what you need to head to Galmora and arrest Lord Poma’s son, Herschel Umbridge. He is the current village lord and has committed atrocities against the people. You will spend your next four months there developing the Galmora as best you can. It is the final frontier of the north.”

“Who will preside over Galmora when I return to Lancel High Academy?”

“Knight Jocko will permanently join you as your aide. He’s taken a liking in serving under you and said that he sees why I adopted you. He will rule in your absence.”

“I’m happy that you’ve chosen him. Will I maintain the authority of my Baron status?”

Barons were highly ranked and held much more authority than a lord of a small village.

“Yes, you will be able to authorize trade, expansion, military action against non-foreign powers, and pass laws for your territory.”

“Thank you, father. I am allowed to appoint my retinue and bring the Banner of the Claw?”

“You can do as you please with your retinue. I will supply an extra three hundred gold for development usage. Your banner will act as the garrison until you’ve raised a sufficient guard force.”

“I will not let you down, father,” stated Arlan as he was about to leave the dinner table.

“Arlan, there’s one more matter,” exclaimed Duke Louis as he walked over to his son. Arlan turned to his father and before he could say anything, the Duke held his son close. The young lion had spent so much time away from his father, that he forgot what it was like to be held by Duke Louis.

It has been almost six months since Arlan was adopted by the Reeves. Where he stood in the halls of Highmane with the other nobles and Duke Louis took him in as his son. Much has happened in the last six months. The young lion was experiencing what Althea had to offer to experience the emotions he had never felt in his previous life.

Arlan at that moment felt the love of his father he had missed for the last four months. The maids nearby all smiled warmly as they knew of both Duke Louis' late family and Arlan’s orphanage days. The father and son saw in each other a bond that lifted them from their troubled past.

Duke Louis let go and patted his son’s head. The warm smile that welcomed Arlan wholeheartedly was something that the young lion could never get tired of.

I won’t let you down, father.

Arlan asked Marie to help him look for healers to move to Galmora. He also asked her to convince Chrysta to study under Marie. Arlan used his stockpile of resources from the Eastvale Trade Company to help fuel the development of Galmora. Jovann had become quite talented in the art of trade. Onas was to remain in Auron though while Jovann would only travel to Galmora just for this winter.

The Eastvale Trade Company would still hold its headquarters in Auron City. Arlan would eventually form the second branch in Galdo City but that was a priority for another time. The Banner of the Claw would rendezvous with Arlan’s caravan at Galdera, which was on the way to Galmora.

JD would still be at the Knight Academy for another four months so Arlan had to appoint Trent as the temporary second-in-command for the Banner of the Claw. Wren had been busy honing his skills and was able to convince a group of seasoned blacksmiths and craftsmen to join him in Galmora. This was important for the development of Galmora. Arlan offered twice the wage and many other benefits.

The young lion met with Yozac and convinced him to send a few Adventurer’s Guild staff a week after Arlan to set up a branch in Galmora. The northern-eastern frontiers would greatly benefit from having a stream of adventurers to help keep monsters at bay while providing a boon to the economy.

Arlan met with Katalina and sent her off back to Galdo City for the winter. The other nine Heracul Knights served as her escort. Before she left, she told him, “Arlan, I know you’re more than capable of this task. I will do my best to build myself up to support you and our house. Take care of Marie for me. I will see you again in four months! Oh, and I will pass on your love to my father for you.”

Finally, the last person Arlan had to say goodbye to was Iris. She knew that Arlan would have to leave for four months. The night before Arlan had to leave, Arlan used his brown cape outfit and snuck into the Hawkwell estate. As he climbed over the walls and avoided the many guards and maids, he climbed the side of a balcony that he knew was Iris’ room.

Right as he leaped onto the balcony, a tall figure dashed forward with a steel dagger in hand and almost struck Arlan’s neck. The young lion responded with his steel dagger to block the attack. Both blades just stuck at each other until Arlan realized it was Hector Hawkwell.

Once Hector recognized that it was Arlan, he lowered his dagger. “She’s on the way back from talking with our father,” stated Hector, “You’re the only one in our school who can stand up against my attacks. Are you here to say goodbye?”

“Yes, I’m here to say my goodbyes as I’m leaving Galdo City for the winter months. I didn’t expect you to be here in her room.”

“I noticed your presence when you got past the garden. My room is next door so it was quite easy to reposition myself to strike you at the balcony. I figured you were an assassin.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t alert any of the guards.”

“They would’ve been useless and I thought an assassin would’ve just gotten away. I’d rather lure him and kill him.”

“How many have you killed and why have you killed before Hector?” asked Arlan realizing that Hector was one of the few students at Lancel High Academy who had seen action.

“When I was two, I was kidnapped and sold off to a slave trader who took me all the way south to the Hanbi Sultanate. They trained me to become a gladiator in their arenas. I knew nothing but that lifestyle until my father finally rescued me when I was twelve. I never got to meet Iris till that moment.”

“This explains the look in your eyes. You’ve killed numerous times before.”

“Arlan, if you’re able to see that, it means you have to.”

“I have.”

“My sister has taken a liking to you. Because of that, I think it's okay for you to be around her. But don’t expect it to last forever.”

“I’m aware of that,” answered Arlan as Iris entered her room. She was surprised to see both her brother and Arlan. Hector quietly left for his room.

“Arlan, you’ve got a lot of guts sneaking in here. I’m surprised Hector let you stay” uttered Iris as she wrapped her arms around Arlan.

“I’m leaving tomorrow morning,” whispered Arlan, “And I just wanted to see you one last time.”

“I’ll write to you, Arlan. A letter once a month. You promise you’ll come back to Lancel High Academy?” said Iris.

“I promise,” replied Arlan.

The two shared a few more minutes of a close embrace. Iris leaned into Arlan’s lips for a kiss. As they let go, Arlan pulled his face mask on and jumped off her balcony.

Back in Galmora after Arlan had arrived. A meeting at the Lord’s Manor with a few community representatives and Arlan had begun. They informed their new lord of what had been happening with Herschel and the crimes he committed against them. This was the second step to earning their trust and rectifying as many wrongs as Arlan could.

The young lion wanted to rebuild their trust and loyalty to Midland. To do so, he had to pay reparations to each family that was wronged. Knight Jocko had been taking down a record of all reported crimes. It took an equivalent of about twenty gold coins to pay reparations back to the people.

Arlan’s next order of business was to take a massive catalog of everything in the village while going over a few different locations that served as potential building sites. To do this, he had Jovann delegate to his merchants.

Wren was able to direct the craftsmen who were skilled in construction to prepare blueprints for immediate construction the next day. The first few priorities that needed to be built were an Adventurer’s Guildhall, a proper barracks for the Banner of the Claw, and a large granary.

Arlan was only able to temporarily solve the hunger issue for this winter but he wanted Galmora to produce its surplus of food. He only brought enough food to last five months. So the young lion decided that a farming and hunting program after winter was necessary.

The next primary issue was giving the villagers multiple different jobs that would generate them their coins to spend while also gathering natural resources. Jovann sent out two specialists he hired from Galdo City to scout the area for natural resources. Arlan needed to create a thriving market, a healthy population growth, and enough jobs for the villagers to do.

The last major issue is for Galmora to create its garrison of guards to safe keep Galmora in the event the Banner of the Claw had to deploy elsewhere for war. Arlan knew this issue was the most easily addressed. Arlan explained to Knight Jocko what he wanted for the garrison and Knight Jocko was appointed to find a guard captain among the villagers.

After a long day of cataloging and inventory, the Lord’s Manor was used as a temporary barracks for the soldiers and healers. The only inn in town was full of the Eastvale Trade Company and Wren’s group. Marie reported to Arlan on the status of the general populace’s health.

She explained that if it weren’t for the food and healers, about three hundred people would’ve died this winter. Marie held a disgust for nobles like Herschel. Arlan agreed and sent Marie off to rest. Residents were given extra fire logs to burn in their homes for the night.

After paying for the materials, the wages of all his subordinates, reparations, and investments, Arlan had only two hundred and fifty gold coins left. This would only last four months. He had to figure out how to generate money without taxing the people for the winter. Exempting his people from taxes for the winter was the best way to fuel the exponential growth.

Arlan decided it was good enough for the day, they could only do so much on the first day with the limited knowledge they had. He left the office that was once used by Herschel to count his coins.

After returning the extra money that Herschel extorted from the people, there were only thirty gold coins and five hundred silver coins. It wasn’t much and Arlan wondered why Herschel would count these coins over and over again.

The young lion had to step over sleeping soldiers throughout the hall and opened a door to the master bedroom where he sent Renia and Alya. All four of his maids, Helga, Lynn, Maria, and Jeanette were here. Arlan didn’t require their services exactly and offered them to stay in Highmane. But each one vehemently refused and desired to follow the young lion wherever he went.

Renia and Alya had been cleaned up and dressed in spare clothing. Renia still wore Arlan’s brown overcoat. The young lion had a spare already on. “Milord, thank you again for taking us into your home,” said Renia as she and Alya bowed before Arlan.

“Just Arlan is fine, there’s no need for formalities. Where are your parents?” asked Arlan.

“Well they… died,” answered Renia with a tear, “They were killed by Ulrich for protecting me from being taken to his bed.”

That fucking bastard.

“I’m sorry,” said Arlan solemnly, “If only we had known about these acts sooner.”

Alya ran up to hug Arlan and said, “Sir, you made it better. Don’t be sad.”

“Alya! Don’t just simply run-up to the Lord!” yelled Renia as she rushed to pull her little sister off Arlan.

“Don’t worry,” said Arlan as the maids all giggled, “She’s quite the brave one. I figured she’d be scared of me.”

The maids started to help Arlan remove the blacksteel armor leaving only the quilted armor below. This was comfortable enough for Arlan to sleep in. As he was about to walk out, Renia and Alya were confused. Helga noticed and said, “Master Arlan, won’t be sleeping in here tonight. Renia and Alya, you will sleep on the bed.”

“Oh, we couldn't!” protested Renia.

Helga’s strict voice erupted out, “Do not question the young master’s wishes!”

Renia retreated and simply accepted her fate to the master bedroom. Arlan signaled for the four maids to stay in that room with the two girls as he left.

The young lion found a small storage room where no one was in. It was cold but Arlan had enough layers on and a blanket to suit. He even brought a pillow he took. After finding a comfortable position, Arlan was fast asleep. It had been a tiring day and he knew it would be a grueling next few months.

After about thirty minutes, the small storage room door silently crept open. The dark figure made its way quietly to the sleeping lion. The dark figure lifted the blanket and was about to lay down with its target.

Arlan shot up and used his left hand to grab the dark figure’s neck and his right hand to cast an illumination spell. The light revealed that it was Renia naked. Arlan immediately let go of her and was confused as to what she was doing in the small storage room with him. It only took a few seconds for Arlan to realize what Renia was trying to do. She probably felt like she had to repay Arlan somehow.

“Renia, we’re not going to do this.”

“Oh,” murmured Renia, “This is the only way I can repay you for what you’ve done for Alya.”

“If you want to repay me, we can figure something out but not this,” stated Arlan strictly as he thought of Iris.

“Is it because you don’t find me enough for you? I saw how well your maids look,” asked Renia.

Does she think? Oh, man.

“Renia, I haven’t… touched my maids like the way you think I have. And no, I think you’re quite beautiful for a young lady but I have someone else in my heart right now.”

Renia flustered in embarrassment as she realized she had assumed Arlan had already done those kinds of things. She immediately started crying and apologizing. “I’m so sorry, Arlan! I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!”

“Once again, it’s okay. I’m not offended,” said Arlan as he removed his blanket and wrapped it around her.

“I’m always so stupid…” murmured Renia as she slowly dozed off. Her head leaned against Arlan.

Shit, I don’t want to wake her up but this is no good if someone finds us in here tomorrow.

Arlan cast a small heatwave spell and warmed up the room more. He slowly scooted himself over against the wall as her head fell into his lap. The young lion tried to fight the fatigue but also fell prey to the sandman.