Medea said she would require only one hour to bathe, rest, and then be ready to leave. After she left the basement and Lanter followed her, Sir Azarah and Achilles were alone for a moment.

"Sorry about last night," said Sir Azarah. "I knew my traitorous servant was still around, so it would've been unwise to say anything delicate. I have the freedom now to tell you the truth."

Achilles frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The Emperor did not take kindly to your father's resignation. He thought we should use the eldritch blade ourselves to destroy the demons once and for all. We couldn't make him understand how dangerous it was to even draw on its power."

He continued. "When your father announced he would take it into hiding, the Emperor warned him he would lose his knighthood and all his wealth and power. More harm might have come to him, but the rest of the Silver Circle said they would resign if their comrade's wishes were not honored, so your father took his family to the south, penniless."

Achilles had been poor his entire life. Living in such limited circumstances as the village, never even seeing a town after they moved away from the city, he had never considered that a knight would be, well, rich.

It simply had not occurred to him that Sir Azarah's great wealth would result from his station as an Imperial Knight.

This realization that his father and mother had given up such incredible wealth for the sake of doing what they believed was the right thing stirred a strange emotion in Achilles's heart.

He felt pride that they had done this, but he felt anger toward the Emperor. His mother had always taught him that the Emperor was a just man, blessed by the gods with the responsibility of ruling well over all humans.

Then why did it now sound as though he had acted like a child, throwing a tantrum and cursing his loyal knight to a life of poverty simply because he didn't do what the Emperor wanted?

said Virgil.

Achilles nodded slowly. "Thank you for telling me, Sir Azarah. I don't know what to think."

"Does this change your perspective of the Emperor?" Sir Azarah asked.

"I don't know. I still want to become an Imperial Knight. My mother always said that the Emperor did good for humans, even making trade deals with the closest demons to protect the people on the borderlands. I don't know that I can think worse of him because of one thing he did that hurt my family. Maybe he even regrets it, or there was more to the story. I can't decide now."

Sir Azarah seemed very interested in this answer.

"To put it bluntly, Achilles, you've acted naively and foolishly in your fighting so far. If you didn't have Virgil's power, you'd be dead several times over by now. Yet what you just said was more mature than I'd expect from someone a decade older than you."

The knight laughed. "Or maybe you're just incredibly idealistic and there's nothing mature about it at all!"

Achilles flushed, feeling a little confused. "I'm just trying to do the right thing."

"Yes, of course. If you keep getting stronger and resist the corruption of the eldritch blade, your path will take you close to the four other members of the Silver Circle. They'll recognize Virgil on sight. I won't say they'd murder you to take Virgil and use his power, but they may try to manipulate you into doing what they want."

Achilles frowned. "What do you mean?"

"They may try to tempt you into using more power than you can handle, for example. If they believe you'll give into corruption, they will be well within their rights to kill you immediately. Then they will take Virgil from your corpse."

said Virgil.

Virgil suddenly warped into a plain-looking longsword.

Its blade was undecorated, but its hilt was formed of a gleaming black wood that curved elegantly down to protect Achilles's fingers. A shining amethyst gleamed in the pommel.

Sir Azarah nodded. "Very good! An elegant weapon, but it certainly doesn't look like the eldritch blade itself."

Then they ascended the stairs and ate a silent breakfast. Lanter served hotcakes with marmalade, sausage, and fresh milk.

Achilles secretly thought his own mother's cooking was better, but was grateful for the much larger portions than he ever got to eat, except on holidays.

Medea did not join them.

After breakfast, Achilles packed his few belongings in a masterfully crafted leather backpack which Sir Azarah had given him. He walked outside, where the carriage which had brought him from his mother's apartment waited in front of the gate.

Medea was already there, clothed in a simple peasant's dress which made her look even prettier than in her combat gear. She had tied her hair back in a ponytail, and she carried a leather satchel in front of her in both arms.

Despite her new attire, Medea kept her calm facial expression and ready posture. No one could have mistaken her for a daydreaming servant girl!

Sir Azarah made a meaningful cough, and Lanter appeared from behind a shrubbery with a cloth-wrapped bundle.

The butler approached Achilles and nodded his head.

Achilles returned the nod. "Thank you for letting me fight instead of just making me hang back. I had no idea you were so powerful! Can you please tell me how you do everything so stealthily? It's been driving me insane."

Lanter gave a thin smile. "I invented the Butler class, though there are plenty of butlers in this kingdom who go classless. My abilities revolve around being the perfect servant, one who fills every need of the master and his guests while being perfectly unnoticed. Unless someone specifically watches for my presence, I can fill their needs in what seems to them to be an instant and nearly invisible."

He continued. "When I have free time during a workday, I can save that time in something like a bank account. It gains interest the longer I leave it there. When I need to fill a guest's glass, I can temporarily withdraw that time I saved and give myself more time relative to the perception of those around me. Under certain conditions, I can activate my Ultimate Art, but I won't bore you with the details."

Achilles's eyes grew wider with every word. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So even though your class isn't a combat class, it still has this kind of power. That's amazing! How on Earth did you awaken it when other butlers haven't?"

The butler smiled sadly. "A long time ago, the most beautiful and noble woman I've ever seen said a few words which inspired me. She told me that to be the best you can be at whatever you are is the noblest thing imaginable. I took her advice. It has served me well."

"Wait," said Achilles. "That's what my mom —"

"Lanter," said Sir Azarah impatiently. "Please present my guest with his gift. He and Medea have places to be."

Lanter pulled the cloth from his bundle with a flourish, and Achilles gasped at the sight.

It was a kite shield, shaped exactly like drawings of knights' shields. It gleamed as though made of pure silver, and though there was no design on the shield to denote the family of the knight it might belong to, its surface was carefully pounded to give the appearance of fish scales, and delicately embossed so as not to reflect much light.

Achilles slowly reached out and took the shield. It felt far lighter than he had imagined it would. He turned it over and found the back side was padded with soft leather.

"Your father's shield," said Sir Azarah softly. "I had to remove the Imperial insignia, as well as your father's crest and the sigil of the Silver Circle. You don't belong to any of those, of course. It pains me deeply to tell the son of my friend that he does not belong to a renowned knightly lineage, all because your father sacrificed it for the good of the Empire."

Achilles slipped the shield on his left arm. His Warrior class gave him proficiency with shields, and his Armor Class rose by two points as he slipped it on. He also saw that it gave him a slight resistance to magical effects if he blocked them.

"Thank you," he whispered. "I won't let you down, I promise."

Even Medea seemed slightly moved by the display. She rubbed at the corner of her eye as though to suppress a hint of dampness. "Do we have any other business, Sir Azarah, before we leave?"

The knight nodded. "Aside from what you and I talked about earlier, here is your new mission. For both of you. Travel to Fort Number Nine on the eastern frontier."

He continued. "Not only are there monsters in the area, but we have some intelligence that demonic cultists might try to create their own city and may even try to infiltrate the local adventures to convince Imperial citizens to join their cult. Deal with this situation as best you can and report back to me with any new information. Do you both understand?"

Achilles and Medea both nodded.

Sir Azarah snapped his fingers. "One more thing. Achilles, I have some money for you."

The boy's pride flared for a moment. "Sir, I don't want any charity. Well, besides the supplies you've already given me, but I see those as gifts. Money is different."

"Charity? I wouldn't dream of it! But you risked life and limb to protect Imperial treasure last night, did you not?"

The knight's eyes twinkled as he grabbed Achilles's hand and pressed a wallet into it. "By the authority vested in me as an Imperial Knight, I award you the sum of 90 gold pieces and 100 silver pieces for the defense of the Imperial platinum reserves. Spend it as you will."

Achilles was speechless, but he bowed in return, put the wallet in his belt, and stepped into the carriage with Medea.

The same coachman who had driven Achilles to the mansion, who had been listening to this entire conversation with an enormous grin, urged on the horses, and they set off for the highway.