The gang arrived in Ethana, the westernmost settlement of Myrtana, at around midday.

It was a cozy little town, quite close to the border with the Empire, and as such had a mandatory stone wall, with plenty of brawny-looking soldiers patrolling on and around it. The folks here were fit and strong, used to hard work and harsh life. They had many skirmishes with the enemy soldiers over the ages and were as such, not suspicious of travelers at all!

Everyone looked so amicable and kind, with soft expressions and smiling faces, just beaming joy and happiness.

That was sarcasm.

"Halt!" A soldier shouted as the group neared the front gates. His call was quick and to the point, with an undertone of urgency. Almost immediately after, Gerald became surrounded by at least a dozen intimidating-looking guards pointing their sharp spears at him and his mount.

Toby's fur rose in reply as he released a low, guttural growl and revealed his teeth.

"Who are you?! Who sent you?! What are your intentions?!" the soldiers verbally assaulted him.

They stared at Gerald with harsh eyes and unkind gazes, and so he accepted their challenge and stared back down at them from his elevated position. Tensions between the two began to quickly escalate as they postured like two wild beasts ready to fight.

The soldiers narrowed their eyes and gripped their spears tighter, while Gerald began gathering Mana towards his arms and chest. Just a single spark was required for a fight to break out.

Just a teeny tiny spark...

"What is going on here?!" A higher-ranking soldier-looking dude came after forcing his way through the encirclement. His armor was better looking than the rest, the metal was shinier, the leather more colorful and vibrant, and he had some sort of decoration on his shoulders that the rest lacked.

"Commander Alfwin! These people suddenly appeared here! I have seen them rushing towards us at full speed, I think they were trying to attack us!" a soldier immediately reported.

"They might be scouts of the Empire!" another quickly added.

Commander Alfwin scowled. He was a smart man, and he had kept this border town safe and secure for decades. And in all that time, this was positively the dumbest thing he had ever heard coming from his soldier's mouth!

Five people, two men, and three young ladies, dressed in fancy clothes, arriving in such a grand manner, and for one of them to be riding a massive Warg… Only a blind fool would mistake them for one of the Empire's scum! Not o mention that they coming from the direction of the freaking capital!

No, these people were no enemy, but that didn't mean he would go easy on them either.

"Silence!" Alfwin ordered and then spoke to the newcomers, "What is your business here?"

"Business? We are here on a vacation, to relax and enjoy nature. Perhaps pick some flowers while we are at it," Gerald replied calmly from on top of his mount. If his teammates didn't know any better they would think he was some noble who was truly here to just relax, so convincing was his simple reply.

But commander Alfwin didn't completely buy it and narrowed his eyes instead. "And how do you plan on paying for the destruction you've caused?!"

"Destruction?" Now it was Gerald's time to be slightly confused. If he didn't know any better he would think he actually did something wrong by the way this guy was talking to him.

"That's right! Or are you going to personally fix the road?!" Alfwin harshly said and pointed at the ground behind them.

As the group turned around, they finally understood what he was going on about.

As it turned out, Rockslide wasn't exactly soil-friendly. The once smooth and uniform dirt road was now more akin to a freshly plowed field than a sturdy walkway. How they didn't notice the aftereffects of their actions beforehand was also a complete mystery.

"Oh, that…"

"Yes, that… You'd better have a really good explanation for that!"

Gerald sighed and rubbed his glabella. Somehow the consequences of his actions escaped his notice. It was weird since they were on the road for a few days already and nobody said anything. But, there wasn't much that could be done now, and only one action remained.

Gerald reached with his hand beneath his cloak, summoned a satchel full of gold, and then handed it over. "Let us forget about this little incident, shall we? I'm sure commander Alfwin can help us smooth things over, right?" he said with a smile as the man accepted the money.

Commander Alfwin was skeptical at first, but after opening the bag his mood brightened considerably. The gold inside was more than enough to fix the road, or at least their part of it, and have plenty left over. Whatever was more than a few kilometers from Ethana wasn't their problem anymore.

And the soldiers here could use an upgrade, and so could their barracks. Although he wasn't happy to be doing things like this, accepting bribery in broad daylight, commander Alfwin accepted the gold nonetheless. Reluctantly, of course!

"Fine, fine… We'll consider it a small mistake this once, but don't let it happen again! And no magic in the town! If I see any of you destroying our roads, I'll personally toss you out!"

The man acted like a dog. On the outside, he was barking and spewing threats, while wagging his tail on the inside. He had to put on a performance and act harshly, but he was secretly relieved. Due to the recent attack on the capital, the taxes were bound to increase, at least in the short term. That would mean less income for the town, and fewer resources for the guards, so such a generous sum of gold was greatly appreciated.

And it was all for something as simple as flattening some dirt! They had a few mages who could do it in a day with no problem!

Toby was left waiting outside while the gang entered a small pub in the heart of Ethana. It was still early noon, so not many were there for lunch yet. A few patrons sat inside, drinking, but the place was mostly empty.

The building was made entirely out of wood with the sole exception of the floor. It was a solid stone foundation with animal skins and rugs covering the gray rock. A lonely wooden counter was in the back, behind which a man stood watching the newcomers like a hawk.

"Outsiders, huh?" he questioned and stopped pretending to be cleaning a glass with an overused rag and tossed it over his shoulder.

"Indeed. We plan on staying here for a few days. Got any rooms to spare?" Gerald replied poker-faced.

"Hmm…" the barkeep looked them up and down. His eyes glanced over Sera and rested on Qiona for a bit, before moving over to Elly. "Sure, we got some, but it's going to be tight for you fancy city folk," the man said and placed two keys on the counter.

"And you'd better watch yourself if you plan on going in the woods. There's been Imperial scum roaming around," he added. Though it was unclear if it was supposed to be a warning or a threat. He certainly didn't seem that kind.

"We'll keep it in mind." Gerald took the keys and handed over a gold coin in their place. They then ordered something to eat and got some bones for Toby as well.

After they had their meal, Gerald gave each of them a fistful of coins and sent them to explore the town.

"We're going to begin with the lessons tomorrow, so make sure to take this time to check this place out and have fun. And Warren…"

"Yes?"

"Make sure to relax," Gerald said, especially emphasizing the last word.

"Yes, sir!" Warren saluted like he just received a difficult order.

Gerald shook his head. This guy was hopeless. Traumatic experiences could really change a man. But he couldn't waste any more time since he had an important thing to do…

It sort of slipped his mind before, since he couldn't use magic at that time but… It was time to repair the Phoenix Necklace!