"...isn't this just a bit excessive?" Rikuo asked, puzzled by what he just heard.

"You managed to pull out a powerful weapon that had been accumulating reward money for a long time, you managed to uncover a serial murder plot by those deranged cultists who worshipped the spear, and you even defeated them. This much reward should be expected".

The receptionist said such a thing.

"And considering you pulled out such a heroic and famous weapon, you have even been invited as guests of honor to the Imperial Capital. Several Dragon Knights are already coming here to escort you".

Althoguh her words were pleasant, Rikuo could tell the tone on her voice and her emotions were strained and forced. More then likely, she was trying to make it sound like a high honor and a choice, but...

"...we have no say in the matter, do we?"

"...I dont even have a say in the matter" she muttered.

It seemed that the situation was one where it was trouble for many people.

Considering his influence, should we assume Darius is the one pulling the strings to force this? On one hand, I would love to give him a good punch in the teeth...but I dont think we are in a position to do that yet.

It appeared the enemy was counteracting them. Although given the big deal it was, perhaps it was not Darius behind this at all.

...and there is still the man that gave me these glasses...considering they maintained themselves in my lightning aspect form, and given they seem to be syncing and working with my clothes and Ruuruu, both of which also were created using Divine Shards, it seems like they have a Divine Shard in them too.

"I understand then" Rikuo said with a sigh, accepting the reward. Incidentally, the actual coin amount he got was small. As it turned out, adventurer guilds also worked as a sort of bank and credit system, where reward money could be stored within the records, and therefore be used for bills and such by having the adventurer's guild be charged. Of course, businesses were that was capable had a device that could check to make sure an Adventurer's ID was correct and authentic, and if one tried to rip them off, they would end up having a bounty put on them. There were various checks and balances for the system.

That said, they got some of the reward money in coin, and Rikuo had stored it in his pockets. He was finding that the clothes made from the Divine Shard had quite a few uses, after all.

"Well, you heard her guys" Rikuo said, his tone having a whole "it couldn't be helped" vibe.

"Couldn't this end super badly for us?"

"No. If Darius was able to move overtly, they wouldn't have bothered to keep their operation as much of a secret. I dont think he will be able to attack us himself at the capital, he will have to use underlings".

"Well, yeah, there is that..." Herra admitted, but then she looked a bit sheepish still. "...but, doesn't that mean that we will be meeting with a bunch of nobles and royalty despite possessing no knowledge of the formalities of this world? I am a Thief, you were a slave of a Vampire, Arila was...whatever Arila was, definently not connected to nobility, Sora was a Dragon who had his memory meddled with, and Ruu is an actual spear".

Herra's damning statement really made them feel the gravity of the situation. A vampire, a thief, a Dragon, a warrior, and a spear.

If they made the wrong move, they could potentially lose their heads.

That was when Sora suddenly took something out. It appeared to be some sort of collar or choker, and he put it around his own neck.

"Sorry, I am not really used to this sort of thing, I am just Master's familiar".

"Same! I am just Master's Spirit Weapon, so I am not really skilled in this area!" Ruuruu mentioned.

"You are both abandoning us like this?!"

Such a retort seemed to fall on silent ears. It appeared that the one in most danger was Rikuo, who looked like he was about to cry.

"...if I use pressence supression, I will probably be okay myself" Herra muttered.

"Not you too!"

"Don't worry, as our leader, I will just direct everyone to you! Since you are the smartest after all!"

"Even Arila?!?!"

"Nobles are too bothersome~" Arila commented, continuing to eat the food in front of her.

As such, it appeared that Rikuo would be burdened with all the responsibility...and all of the danger. He began to brood a bit and consider all the possible things to look up, but he didn't get much chance to think about that as several armored people came into the Guild.

"Are you Rikuo and his party?"

They managed to identify him immediately, despite his title and appearance.

"Yes".

"Its time to go. I am Paladin Remarse, of the Imperial Dragon Knights, . We need to get to the Imperial Capital immediately. My Dragon should be large enough to carry everyone. I assume you properly packed up as requested".

"We are adventurers. Of course we have" Rikuo commented, trying to sound polite but also responsible and strong.

"Then come immediately. I have an order from the King to take you to him" Remarse said in a strict tone. Herra could tell, if they denied right now, they might just very well cut them down. The situation was tense, but they didn't want to start a fight with such foes.

And so keeping that in mind, they walked outside...

"Yo, mind if I hitch a ride as well?" a boy's voice asked.

The group turned around, and saw the S-Rank Adventurer, Ciel, standing against the wall.

"I actually have to finish a request requested of me by the king you see, and he wants the information as soon as possible. I was thinking of just running, but if you are taking them there, surely you have room for one more, correct?"

Paladin Remarse looked at him with some shock, but also with disinterest and disgust. He hand remained on the handle of his sword though, as he replied to the boy, or the person who appeared as a boy.

"You think I have..." he started to say, when suddenly he felt every hair stand on end. The atmosphere suddenly became dark and dangerous, and every instinct told him he was about to die. His Dragon was reacting too, suddenly confused, but his men or the other dragons didn't understand at all.

"Sir?"

One of the knights asked, finding it odd he suddenly stopped mid sentence. Even Rikuo's group felt nothing, but they saw his reaction as he broke into a cold sweat inside his golden armor.

It was as if the weight of the world was suddenly dropped on his shoulders, that was what he felt as the boy looked right into his eyes.

"...or are you saying, there is a specific reason why you cant bring me?"

Hearing that, the pressure he felt suddenly increased. He checked his Anti-Magic defense charm, as well as his Mental Protection charm, and both were still fine.

"...no, it should be fine. Very well, Ciel, you can travel with us".

When he said that, Ciel's face brightened with a smile, and the pressure Remarse felt suddenly dissipated.

That brat...no wonder he is an S-Rank adventurer!

"Well, its nice to see you again guys. And it looks like you made that spear nice and happy, Rikuo".

"Ah...yeah, thanks for the advice".

"No problem! Anyways, lets get going!"

Remarse quickly collected himself, and led the group to where his Dragon was. After everyone boarded successfully, he and the other Dragon Knights took off, heading for the Imperial Capital.

However, Remarse was not very happy about all this.

That brat...so he is Ciel, the childish old man and a supposed immortal. Did he purely use psychological warfare to make me feel that? Still, did he know...that Darius had ordered me to kill them or else? Either way, there is no way I can with an S-Rank Adventurer sitting so close to me.

As he thought that, Ciel shifted positions and such, and stood up even on the Dragon's back without issue while the others were holding on. He went up to his ear, and whispered something.

"And don't worry, I already know where your family is and how to save them as well".

Remarse once again went into shock, as Ciel went back to the back of the sadle and sat down, not holding onto anything, and smiled at the others.

He knew....and he already knew about them?! When, it happened this morning at the Imperial Capital! How can he possibly know?! No wonder he is named after the God of Status and Reincarnation, that boy...no, that man, is exceedingly capable!

"You know guys, you should probably open your eyes and take in the view" Ciel told them with a smile. Rikuo could not help but overlay the image of him and Ciel. The eyes were different, but otherwise they looked so much alike. And yet...the bone structure was slightly different. There was also a minor discrepency in the voice.

Still though, its eerie.

"Come on, come on. Look look!"

Prodded by the boy, they looked out the side...and immediately saw something beyond comprehension. They saw a massive forest, but also a beautiful mountainscape. With the light pouring in, it looked almost radiant. Even the clouds overhead, which were so much closer now, seemed to glow when basked in the light, as glowing birds flew right by them, barely percievable to the naked eye but beautiful beyond belief.

"That is a bird visible only up here. They have the amazing ability to roost at extremely high altitudes and eat the native plant life, so you wont ever see those specific birds near the ground. And due to their speed and appearance, spotting them from the ground is pretty much impossible".

"Amazing..."

"This scenery is beautiful".

"To think there were still views this beautiful we have not seen" Herra muttered in awe.

"This isn't even the best one yet...you have not seen the shimmering coral off the Bendrin Penisula, the rainbow storms of the Aurala region, and many other sights. This world is full of beauty. Its why I cant ever stop exploring, learning, and witnessing. Because new wonders are created and form all the time".

Ciel told them that as they watched the beautiful world in front of them.

The Imperial Capital. The streets were like no other, paved using special and hard to use magic that made them totally smooth, much like modern day streets, perhaps even more paved and excelent. The walls were high, and the buildings were not only tall, but there was a complexity to the city. Stone pathways platforms were built about four stories up, and it was made in such a way that it was like a city on top of a city. All the buildings were made of stone and metal, and the structural support was also great, but there were streets above the streets, criss crossing and providing a complex three dimensionality to the city.

The stonework was beautifully done though, with etchings and carvings put into the stone to make it decorative, without reducing its strength at all. Furthermore, the stone used itself was a one of the nicest and strongest stones in this world, Oberite, which had a sleek grey look to it. The buildings were also made of Oberite, although the interior walls and floors were made of wood in a number of cases for some of the buildings.

However, within this city, various children played happily, and there was quite a bit of prosperity. There were some homeless and orphans for sure, but compared to other cities it was far less. The markets, with there being a number of them, were always ripe with activity, and there was a grand adventurers guild there that had huge amounts of business.

And so, as the afternoon light shined through the stone, Raevin's carriage arrived at the gate to the noble district, where his family had an estate.

"Raevin Cromley, welcome to the Noble District. Please, enjoy your stay" the guard said in a humble tone. They were soon allowed to pass through the gate.

"Well that went easier then expected...probably would have been harder with the werewolf huh?"

"...do I really need to explain every reason every time?"

"No no, I get it, you want to investigate those people without them being aware of who you are. You already have one person sending assassins to kill you, it would be bad if you had two enemies".

"Indeed. And it was only a hunch, I didn't have any hard data he or any of them were Reincarnators...but, they definently were the good guys, the ones that I saved".

"So then, should we do some more investigating?" Iosi asked, checking out the window to be safe.

"I am thinking first, I would try to get another vassal. Thankfully, the Dragon Knight Academy and Barracks is here. It would be convienent if I could somehow recruit one the new ones".

"Well as a Margrave Household, it wouldn't be odd to have one or two" Iosi commented. "And considering this city has the Academy, it should be easy to find one".

"Then lets get there straight away tomorrow morning. We still have time to make some preparations before the party after all".

"Ahhhg...." a pained and screaming pain howled in the middleo f the woods, as Ardet and Arlit held him down. He was naked again, but a blanket had been placed over him as he was held down. "Please, no no!"

It wasn't normal to sleep naked in the woods, since adventurers needed to be prepared, but werewolves were sometimes exceptions due to their beast forms. However, this was especially true for werewolves who had nightmares.

That said, this situation was causing emotional distress for the teacher, Lutessa, who in no way wanted to sleep with her students in the nude. Her morals of the previous world were stronger then any other reincarnator, since she had spent more time in the other world then them.

"Fang! Its okay Fang!"

In that moment, Fang began to transform into a werewolf again. The blanket was flung from his body again as he thrashed about. Ardet and Arlit used Life Magic to strengthen their bodies, but the two twins didn't have much physical power originally anyways.

"Calm Mind".

Lutessa finished chanting her spell, and calmed the mind of Fang again. Once her spell was cast, he returned to his human form. Ardet and Arlit finally let go, although they were panting heavily.

That said, realizing the position Fang was in, Lutessa immediately looked away, and searched for a blanket to cover him that had been thrashed aside. She was rendered immobile though, when she felt a young body with a head that had fluffy ears hug her from behind, his body trembling.

"Please...dont leave".

"I am not...its just, as your teacher, you are naked and I want to maintain that sense of decency and show respect for you with our original world customs".

"You know teacher, I think given the unusualness and emergency of the situation..."

"...that no one will think of it as a breach of duties".

"Also, its really hot in the summer".

"So its better health wise".

As the twins said that, completing each other's thoughts again, Fang suddenly remembered the position he was in and was a bit embarrassed.

"You seem to be taking that position quite well Fang" Ardet then mentioned, not making things easier at all.

"Just standing there, hugging teacher in the nude".

"Can you please stop teasing me!" he said with a pout, seemingly flustered. "Its very confusing. Rather then having my old life and my current life happen one after another, it feels like they happened concurrently...my second life had gotten used to being a werewolf and ending up naked a lot, but my first life has yet to adapt...its very difficult".

As he used his tail and hands to cover himself again, Lutessa made sure to give him his clothes. To let him get peaceful sleep, Lutessa had been carrying him on her back usually, but they were finding that when her magic cut out, he would suddenly start transforming.

"...its a really good thing the twins read up on this, although it still feels weird to me as a teacher".

Either way, the imperial capital held a massive amount of markets, so it should have what they needed. It would help Fang deal with his condition, especially with his current mental state.

He definently got the short straw of this deal. But hopefully, they could find a way to deal with it.

...it seems like it would definently be best after all, looking for a way to return to our world.

"Ahhhh!"

Kotori screamed that as Rayheart carried him, while she and Yulari ran at speeds Kotori felt like he would never be able to obtain.

Frankly speaking, he felt that if they made a single misstep, his life would be in serious danger.

"Look at that! The Imperial Capital is within sight!"

"This is ridiculous!"

But with that, they were making great progress towards the Imperial Capital. The heroes were all converging upon a single spot.

And so would their enemies.