"No, he's not dead," Thomas whispers to Colt.

"I wasn't going to ask that this time," Colt whispers back. "His clothes are new. And I think his pack is, too."

My pack is, indeed, new. The one I gave to Hailey's group was ruined during the attack on them yesterday, so I bought a new one and gave them my old one.

That was mostly a whim thing. I was buying other stuff, like my new clothes, and saw the new pack. It's sturdier than the old one was and even has a light enchantment woven into it in order to make it more resilient to damage and to waterproof it better. This one cost me two gold.

I could have bought a more expensive one, but decided against it. This one will do fine for me, and if I do buy another one, I'll just pass this one down to Hailey and her group. They've accepted that the pack pass-downs have nothing attached to them, it's just stuff I don't have a use for anymore. Rather than throwing away things that I don't need anymore but which are still in good condition, I'm giving them to people who can make good use of them.

Also, I'm starting to think Hailey's kids don't fear me. Even worse, I think they view me as some sort of superior being to be awed and respected. My new outfit certainly didn't help, and it's not even that special.

I bought a new tunic, another dark blue one. Actually, I bought a few of them since I have a house – finding one was easier than I expected. I think the man helping me was kind of intimidated upon learning a thirteen-year-old with a Title was in front of him.

He was definitely intimidated by me for some reason.

After I bought the house and the new tunics, I realized that the dark blue didn't really go with the ragged pants. So I bought new pants as well, and went with black. Colt wears black pants and they go well with his dark green tunic. He also looks kind of handsome when he has his vest on, so I bought a vest as well. Mine's a black leather vest rather than a dark blue one like his.

Right now, I'm wearing just my pants, with my tunic and vest sitting on my pack, which is resting beside the boulder. My new belt is on top of those, and my new boots are on the ground.

"I wanted a new tunic," I say. "And bought more clothes to go with it."

I feel quite handsome in it, even if I am kind of skinny and scruffy. All that matters is how I feel in my outfit. Hopefully, I'll fill into it pretty well soon, too.

"Did you get a vest, too?" Colt asks. "That's a vest on top of your tunic, right?"

"Yeah," I answer. "Ya usually have one on, so I's figure it's for added protection and fashion. It cost a pretty coin, but it's pretty good. I tried cutting it with a spell and it resisted it."

"Max," Thomas says. "The vest's description says it's wyvern leather."

Oh, right, we can check information about most items through the System.

"Yeah, and it was enchanted for added durability," I nod. "Is not from the wyvern that attacked Lady Elise, though."

I also had the vest coming already, it was supposed to be picked up tomorrow but was apparently done today. There's no way they would have had an enchanted wyvern leather vest in my smaller size just sitting around. No, I asked them a few days ago if they could make one for me and they took my measurements.

That required letting them way too close to me for comfort, and I know they felt the barrier I had up while they were measuring me. Fortunately, that seemed to intimidate the guy into being good.

"I thought you were hoarding all your money," Colt tells me. "You paid for a wyvern leather vest?"

"I'm preparing for my adventures," I tell him. "After the goblin threat is dealt with, I'm planning on setting off on my first adventure. I want to stay in case they want me to help them a little."

"Max," Thomas says. "You missed what they were saying during the meeting last night, didn't you?"

There was a lot of stuff that was said, and I'm just a thirteen-year-old boy whose only smarts are when it comes to magic. Even then, there's still a lot for me to learn from others.

"It was confusing," I tell him. "But would they really want me to help? I'm just a kid from the slums."

"And you're still viewing yourself that way," Thomas says. "You have a Title, Max. No matter your background, that makes you above any person from the slums. You also bought a building that was a former guild hall and founded your own guild today, and you already have ten members."

How did he find out so fast? I just finished that, like, an hour ago.

"Hailey and her kids ain't trustin' people," I say. "Just like me. They feel more comfortable in a guild under me than under others 'cause they know I ain't gonna cheat 'em. They know I's try to stay fair just as much as Hailey likes to get the better end of the deal."

"Try to stay fair?" Colt asks. "Is that why you're always asking about how much you owe when I heal you? Or when Thomas does?"

"Yeah."

"But you don't pay for the lessons?" He asks. "Or is that not unfair because I'm telling him to, so it's a gift or something?"

"I pay."

"What?" Colt asks. "No, you don't."

"He does," Thomas informs him. "Ten silver a lesson. He slips it to me while I'm preparing the food. You get bored watching and never notice it."

"Ten silver?" Colt looks baffled. "A swords lesson would cost a silver on the upper end. Even a quality instructor like Thomas wouldn't normally cost more than five."

"Thomas is teaching me," I say. "Cooking stuff, how to fight with a sword and a knife, how to fight with martial arts, how to read and write, words beyond my normal vocabulary, and stuff about monsters. He's also high-power and a very skilled person. Ten silver is fair."

"I tried talking him down lower, but he refuses to accept it," Thomas informs Colt. "Which is odd, considering his haggling when he's buying stuff."

"I don't haggle, I just refuse to pay more than something should be," I say. "If they didn't want me to pay less than the asking price, they'd ask for a fair price. Speaking of paying for lessons, do ya have an issue if I teach Hailey and her crew the stuff ya teach me? I ain't gonna be as good at teachin' as ya, but they all want to learn martial arts, too."

"Because of what happened last night?" Thomas asks.

"What happened last night?" Colt asks.

"Right," Thomas says. "You weren't there when I was updated. The merchant who was found tortured and dead in the slums? He'd kidnapped Hailey and her kids. Max rescued them and killed him after finding out he was planning on a rebellion against your father. Benjamin had Max swear a Blessed Statement to confirm his statement of the events, and Zanoralv confirmed it."

"Yeah!" I say. "And this damn priest has been followin' me around, too! That's him over there! Been thinkin' o' killin' 'im if 'e ain't gonna stop!"

"You… really have killed people?" Colt asks. "I thought you were just trying to be intimidating when you said that!"

"Me?" I ask. "Intimidate nobility and royalty? I's a kid, Colt, but that ain't mean I's stupid. I's already ain't sure what ya and Thomas and everyone are gonna do to me for steppin' out of line. Intimidatin' ya would be a death sentence, I's sure."

Which is why I'm fortunate my attempt at intimidating Colt's friends didn't work. Though I'm also unfortunate, because they really like talking with me and asking me to show off my magic now.

"You still don't trust us," Colt looks hurt. "Max, we aren't going to punish you because you misspoke. We've known each other for almost a month now. I was hoping you'd see that by now."

"A month ain't much time."

"Colton," Thomas says. "Max comes from not being able to trust people. If he ever trusts someone, it's going to take him months, possibly years."

"Well, yeah, but he's being more forward now, and-"

"That doesn't mean his paranoia is gone," Thomas says. "He's just more confident in himself now. Max, I do hope you come to trust us one day, but not for the reason you think. Part of the reason I'm teaching you is because you're a talented, gifted boy. You've made clear your loyalty to the kingdom.

"I will be honest here," Thomas tells me. "Part of the reason I'm willing to teach you is because of something you're worried about – an expectation of you serving the kingdom. However, I promise that it's not you being forced to serve the kingdom. You could leave on your adventure to seek out wonders right now if you wanted, but you're staying because of the goblin threat. Is it because you want to help with the goblin threat, or because you think you'll be required to?"

"…a little of both," I admit. "But mostly the first one."

"Happy workers," Thomas says. "Make for better production. A happy hunter makes for a more efficient hunter. We aren't going to force you into battling for us, we'll ask you to. Sure, refusing might close doors to you, but those doors likely wouldn't have opened for you unless you helped, anyway. Forcing someone into service only makes them resent you. We'd much rather you help us willingly than against your will."

"So you're training me," I say. "To make me happy so that I'll repay the debt to the kingdom. But I'm paying for the training, so that ain't gonna work."

"No," Thomas says. "I'm training you so that when you do help the kingdom, you'll be better at it. The main focus of this training is to give you non-magical self-defense techniques as well as helping you build up your stamina and endurance. The latter is what I'm focusing on, as it will help you go for longer. I was planning on suggesting you get an instructor for reading and writing once we'd spent a few months working together, but Colton insisted on his own that I should teach you as well."

As I think about what Thomas just told me, I realize something. His explanation makes sense. The kingdom really would rather me to be happy and do as I want, serving them when I wish to, as long as I don't break the law. I've managed to confirm from several sources that the kingdom absolutely hates slave collars and has banned them.

Though that doesn't mean they don't secretly use them, but I don't think they do.

What I realized isn't that the explanation made sense. It's that… I actually believe Thomas. Maybe… maybe I do trust him just a little. Which is weird, because I don't trust people at all. Maybe it's just because his explanation makes sense that I believe him. I should doubt it, though, just on principle. What if I believe him about this and then later find out he's wrong? I need proof that this is really all it is.

This is confusing. His explanation makes sense, but I don't want to trust him in case it turns out he's lying and they want to force me into service, anyway. I'm just a few good hunts away from becoming absurdly powerful, too. Even their strongest mages would have to push hard to force me down at that point.

Maybe I should spend the next week seeking out tough monsters so that I can Level up faster? Thomas did say that monsters in the Great Wilderness would be better for pushing Levels. They'll also net me money faster, too. I was planning on continuing to hunt in the forest, though, because it will help deal with the goblins.

"Max," Thomas pulls me out of my confused thoughts. "Here's something for you. If you want to help the kingdom with the goblin threat, there are two things you should do. First, accept job requests for named monsters, including goblins. Second, reach Level 70 by the end of next Friday. That's ten days from now. If you don't want to help us with the goblin threat, then do your own thing, but know it means that His Majesty will be disappointed that you didn't assist."

"Next Friday?" I ask. "What's next Friday?"

"Nothing," Thomas answers. "But next Saturday? That's when we're planning on attacking the goblin kingdoms directly. And Level 70 should put you around 1,200 Magic. A Goblin King has around 1,000 Constitution, maybe a little more. Level 75 would probably be about where you'd manage to kill one without assistance."

Thomas doesn't need to say what he's getting at there. The kingdom is willing to let me fight a Goblin King on my own. When I checked the rewards for goblins, I found out that Goblin Kings have bounties counted in mithril coins. That's a hundred greater platinum circles. A million gold coins. I think that's a million. Two and two and two and two is… nine? No, that's wrong, they're all even and that's odd. Eight! And that would make it…

A hundred million!

Would the kingdom really let me fight a Goblin King on my own, giving a mithril coin or more to me? Probably not, they'd probably have others there for the fight as well. But Thomas is telling me this so that I'm more willing to help out.

Make me think I'll get that much money on my own so that I have plenty of funds to get the best security enchantments on my new home and still have plenty of money left to support my adventures. Then, on the day of the fights, let me know that others have been assigned to help me, thus reducing the reward I receive.

"And if I decide not to help with the Goblin Kings?" I ask.

"Then you get none of the prestige that will come from participating in battles," he informs me. "And since people already know you, it might create a dent in your reputation for not helping, so it also depends on how much you value your reputation."

That part confuses me, so I decide to dismiss it. He's probably trying to make me feel obligated by using that, but I don't really know what he means so it's not effective.

"Okay," I say.

"And as for Hailey and her group," Thomas tells me. "You are welcome to teach them if you wish. I know you've probably already discussed some sort of repayment plan for them. If they wish to learn from me, then they can come here. I know they are currently unable to afford it, but I can assign them some tasks to make up for it. Since you only mentioned martial arts, that would only be three days a week plus the review day once a week. We can do three silver coins per student rather than the full ten, as they will be receiving less from me than you are."

"Would it count as getting lessons from you if I teach them what you teach them?"

"Yes and no," Thomas says. "I am teaching you, and you are free to do with what I teach you as you wish. If that's teaching the people who are in your guild, then that is your choice. I trust you to know whether or not teaching them is a good idea."

"Okay," I say. "They ain't gonna ask ya for lessons. Five gold a week is too much for them."

"Max," Thomas says. "That's thirty silver for all ten of them a lesson. That would be a gold twenty a week if they go for four lessons. I think we're going to start doing math lessons, too."