The capital of Leferon, Winora, was a melting pot of all different races that inhabited areas near Leferon. These races came from the “natural barriers” that protected Leferon. The elves and fairies came from the Great Forest in the east, the dwarves came from Deurfaek Mountain in the north, the lizard people came from the Fiergol Desert in the south, and the Merpeople came from the Waltos Sea in the west. Of course there were also a large number of humans visiting from all over the world as well with the most being from Forthon, the closest human country with was located on the other side of the Great Forest.

With merchants originating from so many sources, one could spend weeks going through the stalls and shops and still not get through all of them. Delicacies from every corner of the land could be found in the countless restaurants. Dishes made from magic were especially popular such as a sweet that was made by applying ice magic to sugar and milk or beef that was seared to perfection with fire magic. Elven performances were a sight to behold with magic taking various bright and colorful shapes and reenactments of old stories and battles done by famous actors could be viewed in theatres using Dwarven Pictures. Smithys rang with the sounds of hot steel being forged for eager new adventurers and street vendors advertised their products for everyone to see. Although it may have seemed too chaotic for a tourist or traveler to navigate, those who grew up in or near the capital were used to it and could find their way to their favorite shops or restaurants easily.

Barton, Dulhan, and Medony had been spending their free time in of the streets of Winora since they were children. Usually, they would come here after a mission and spend some of their hard earned money on whatever foods and attractions were on the streets. However, Barton didn’t join Dulhan and Medony today. It had been five days since they had returned from the hydra subjugation and the sages at the Alchemy Academy were still busy analyzing the remains. Although King Arthur had told them to take time off to rest after reading their report on the battle, Barton had taken the mysterious man’s words to heart and spent every free moment guarding his brother. After much argument, Arthur had finally given in and allowed him to act as a guard. However, Arthur attached the condition that Barton was not allowed to equip his weapons or armor until a threat had occurred. After all, Arthur had to meet citizens as King and he did not want to have them intimidated by Barton.

Dulhan and Medony had just finished dinner at their favorite restaurant and were wandering the streets to find something else to do. The sun had already gone down and the moon was hanging in the sky. The streets were much emptier than it had been earlier in the day. Although Winora was backed during the day and late at night, the streets thinned dusk. After all, it was late enough that the shops that opened in the day were closing yet it was still too early for the stores that appealed to the night crowd to open. Of course there was always people on the streets but “It’s a pity Barton’s not here. He would have loved that seafood dish. It’s not really the same if we don’t hang out together.”

“Yeah, pity.” We’re all alone and she just had to bring up Barton. I went through the trouble of asking her out but does she not realize this is a date? How dense can she be? Damn why does she have to look so cute outside of battle!

As they were spending their free time here, they were wearing their casual clothes rather than their armor. Usually, Dulhan would wear a tunic and pants in his free time. Although he was used to being a noble now, when he could he still prefered to dress in more comfortable clothes when he could. Today was special though so he was wearing a black vest with matching pants. Underneath, he wore a grey shirt. He had dressed up hoping to impress Medony but he was disappointed when she just asked what was with his clothing choice. Medony was wearing a beige blouse with a brown dress that was easy to move in. Despite the clothing choice being simple and conservative, it had actually emphasised her body’s natural curves rather than hid them. Her long blonde hair had been tied up into a ponytail giving her an energetic impression. Furthermore, as she was neither in battle nor thinking of battles to come, her usual bloodthirsty expression was replaced by one of cheerful relaxation. The result was that more than one man had walked into a wall or pole today as she had been passing by.

“So do you think that man was telling the truth? That the king is going to be attacked”

“I don’t know but at the very least Barton said he didn’t seem to be lying.”

“Dulhan… is it really alright for us to be enjoying ourselves like this? I know we were injured pretty badly against the hydra and the king himself told us to rest but I still can’t shake the feeling of something bad happening. That man clearly could have killed us but all he did was reveal himself and left. Even then, if he hadn’t revealed himself, we would have thought that hydra was just a random occurrence.”

Of course Dulhan had also thought of various reasons the mysterious man had revealed himself at all. Of course the most obvious hypothetical scenario was that the man wanted them to be on edge and strike them after they had become exhausted or let their guard down. Another possible scheme might to get them to waste resources protecting the king while they attacked a more vulnerable target. Of course there was always the option that he had been telling the truth and there was infighting among their ranks.

“Well we can’t let what might be bring us down. All we can do is plan for the possibilities. Besides, what was it that you said before?” Striking a pose Dulhan continued. “Oh yeah! ‘Don’t worry. If we see that guy again we’ll beat him into the dirt, revive him, and beat him into the dirt again!’ See? We already have one plan of attack. Now we just need to come up with about a dozen more and we’ll have nothing to fear.”

“Pu Pwhahahahaha! Oh gods, your impressions need so much work! Hahaha! And what’s with that ridiculous pose?!? Haha! I can’t breath!”

“Hey! Come on, it wasn’t that bad was it?”

Medony was still chuckling as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “Yeah it was really that bad! After we find that guy and beat him into the dirt you’re taking acting lessons! But for now let’s find something else to do.” With that she continued walking away leaving Dulhan standing on the street looking like an idiot.

When she had walked about 10 meters ways, Medony suddenly turned around. “But still. I needed that. Thanks, Dulhan.” She then flashed him a genuine smile. Then she quickened her pace. “Now hurry up! I’m gonna leave you behind!”

Dulhan’s heart skipped a beat. Although his face didn’t show it, he was extremely flustered right now. “What? Oh wait up!” Ah damn, that’s totally not fair smiling at me like that! I’ll get her back for that. Seriously I’ll make her fall for me if it’s the last thing I do!

As Dulhan was lost in his inner monologuing, he accidently ran full speed into a young woman who had walked out of an alley. “Ah!”

“Kyaaa!”

After hearing the collision, Medony rushed back. “You should watch where you’re going! What if you hurt her? Spirits of nature, hear my prayer, bathe us in your healing light! Healing Circle!”

“Sorry, miss. That was entirely my fault. Let me give you a hand.”

“Um thank you.”

As Dulhan took her hand to help her up, his expression froze.

“Wait, what’s the matter?” Medony asked worriedly. She had finished her healing spell but Dulhan’s expression made her think that maybe the simple healing spell she used wasn’t enough. She turned to the girl. “Are you alright?” Immediately, she started to look at the girl for any injuries but stopped almost as quickly. She could guess why Dulhan had frozen.

The only way Medony could describe the girl was beautiful. She looked to be in her late teens or early 20s but was a bit on the petite side. Her pale skin contrasted perfectly with her shiny black hair which hung down to her waist and was tied into a ponytail using a yellow ribbon. Whether it be her pink lips or her gentle brown eyes, Medony couldn’t find anything about her face to complain about. Although her curves weren’t nearly as pronounced as Medony’s, they were perfectly proportioned for her body and would still make many a man crazy. The pink blouse, white jacket, and yellow skirt she was wearing gave off a very feminine aura.

Men would fall over themselves over the two of them but for entirely opposite reasons.

While Medony gave off the impression of the ideal mature and tough woman, this girl gave off the impression of a gentle flower, the ideal noble lady.

“I’m fine. Thank you but I must be on my way. I’m in a bit of a hurry.” As she said this, she started almost running away.

Seeing the girl run off, Medony turned back to Dulhan with a slightly smiling expression. “So that’s your type of woman eh? Well you can still go chase her if you want her contact information.” With that, she started to walk away. She didn’t know why but she had started to feel somewhat angry all of a sudden.

“W-wait! Come back! At least let me explain!”