I Woke Up In A Completely Different World!

Jiang: "There"s also the issue of the current bounties you"ve collected."

He was sorting through paperwork for the raided fort. It"s really is abandoned but he thinks he could find some use for it. I don"t know for why he"d want a fort but it"s good he"s doing his job as lord somewhat. The girls were starting to believe he was lazy.

Steven: "What do you mean? I processed all of mine with Zhenya."

Zhenya: "He means the 4 bandits you captured in the fort."

Zhenya had his head down on the table, hungover from last night. I had a hard time trying to figure out if he"s still tired or regretting drinking so much.

Steven: "Oh that? I said I only cared about Niroja."

Jiang: "Well, we found 2 in the forest already beaten when we started the raid, one with an arrow through his neck and the other unconscious against a tree. And 2 more in the fort, one gutted and another dead in the dungeon."

Bao did that, why am I getting the credit?

Zhenya: "n.o.body wants to take credit for your work."

He hands me 4 sealed envelopes. I never checked inside them due to the seal to prevent fraud, but I"m told it"s a report and a signed letter from an official, which is usually Jiang for me and Zhenya, confirming that we caught the bounty and allowed to collect on them.

Zhenya: "He doesn"t know how to collect, jacka.s.s. I did everything for him."

Jiang sighs and takes back the envelopes.

Steven: "There"s the issue with Bao."

If she got away, she would"ve already found me. I"m not sure if she"s going to stalk me until we head back to the village or she ran away back home scared. I"ll fight her like I did last time, but I"d rather avoid it.

Jiang: "Yeah, and she got away before we were able to arrest her. Either way, you have no choice but to have Zhenya collect and deliver the bounty pay."

It was 15,000 for each bandit and I got 4 of them, so it"s 60,000 Yingbi just waiting there for me to collect. Well, I should collect but there won"t be any use for it soon. I"m leaving back to the village with the girls.

Steven: "60,000 Yingbi, right?"

Jiang: "It"s actually 295,000 Yingbi."

Steven: "How?!"

Zhenya: "Heh, yeah the bandit chief actually had a bounty of 250,000."

He must"ve been someone evil to acc.u.mulate a bounty that high. Now I"m even more reluctant to collect the bounty. I mean, Bao was the one that actually killed him. Besides, where am I going to fit so much money?

This is making my head hurt.

Steven: "I don"t have that big of a wallet, Jiang."

Jiang: "That"s fine, we can fit it into a chest on the caravan."

Steven: "A caravan?"

Jiang: "I already told you, didn"t I? You unofficially have the town"s support."

I remember now. He told me that when he was loaded with alcohol. I guess he wasn"t drunk talking when he said. That town doesn"t support us officially and denounces us, but unofficially, he"ll get what we needed.

Which happened to be equipment for the craftsmen. I was actually about to give up and buy the equipment instead.

Jiang: "2 wagons filled with crafting equipment and a chest filled with 295,000 Yingbi. It"s really good equipment, Steven. So you better be grateful."

He said half-jokingly.

Steven: "Thank you, Jiang."

Zhenya: "You going to kiss him on the cheek too? Don"t say it like it"s the last you"ll see of us. We"re going too, the horse and wagons aren"t yours to keep."

Steven: "Right."

Jiang: "If you"re going to be a smarta.s.s, then you better do it with your head up."

I should now have a little over 350,000 Yingbi. Which means I"ll be living comfortably for the next couple of years should I choose to live at the inn. If bounty hunting is this lucrative, why isn"t everyone doing it?

Steven: "Well, what do we do now?"

Zhenya: "I"m drinking. Helping you the past week has me living comfortably for the next few months or so."

Jiang: "It"ll take some time to load the wagons, so do what you want for the next hour or two."

The girls should be at the river, they"ll be happy to hear we actually succeeded at the last minute.

Excusing myself, I head out to the river near the front of town. I never got to really take in the scenery here. The mountains slope beautifully in the background, the trees lined up perfectly across the river, birds flying about and the girls look really amazing as they relax by the river.

I could really get to take in the scenery now that there"s nothing going on.

Dai-tai: "Steven, are you lost?"

She calls in the distance.

I walk up to them to see Niroja hiding something behind her back.

Steven: "What"s behind you?"

Niroja: "Nothing."

Steven: "Alright, but guess what! We have the town"s support."

Dai-tai: "Are you kidding?"

Her face lights up as if she achieved something.

Steven: "Yes! They"re loading up the wagons with the tools we needed."

Dai-tai: "We should celebrate!"

Niroja: "I don"t feel like drinking right now."

Steven: "We should do something that"ll last."

Dai-tai: "Oh! Will you buy us new clothes?"

She energetically stands up.

I do have quite a bit of money now and it"s not like they have expensive tastes like I do. I actually planned on buying them coats for winter anyway.

Steven: "Well, alright. I"ll give you 3,000 each."

A coat does sound decent but what about armor? I don"t want to wear something that"ll bear me down with a lot of weight and I like to be light on my feet. Jiang or Zhenya should be able to help me out. Then again, I don"t want to bother them with something that seems trivial.

Niroja: "Thank you!"

They both start to hug me out of nowhere and catch me by surprise. I don"t really understand why they"re getting riled up over new clothes, but it puts a smile on my face to see them happy.

I decided to tag along with them, believing they might go a little overboard and spend more than I gave them. Heading to a tailor, whose collection of clothes seemed more like it came from Ostroven. It has to be inspired or the tailor is Elven.

Tailor: "Ah, h.e.l.lo. How may I help you today?"

Another Goblin! I knew it, they make excellent craftsmen.

Steven: "What"s the style of your clothes? It reminds me of my home."

I point towards a wooden mannequin in a suit. The suit itself looks almost identical to what we"d wear in Ostroven.

Tailor: "That"s because it is. This town is essentially for artisans all over, so you"re going to be seeing all kinds of different styles."

The girls are already looking at the dresses before I knew it. I may as well pick something out for myself, I"m going to need to hide from the Royal Family.

Steven: "Are there any cloaks? Something st.u.r.dy and will last."

Tailor: "I have something, if you"re either to walk through the rough crowds of Shi De Emo or keep your skin healthy as you walk the beaches of Zheng De Meinu, you can easily trust a cloak made of a st.u.r.dy cotton material."

He retrieves the cloak he mentioned from the back and shows it off. It"s forest green, hooded, a single b.u.t.ton would secure it around my neck and there are slits on the sides so I could easily use my hands. It fits perfectly and I"ll be able to easily hide my face if someone like Bao was nearby.

Steven: "What"s the price?"

Tailor: "250 Yingbi."

Steven: "I"ll pay with their clothes too."

Tailor: "I"ll keep it on the counter."

Dai-tai and Niroja finally pick out a rather fancy looking fur-trimmed coat. It"s hard for me to put it into words, it"s simultaneously regal yet rugged. It"s made of black suede and a brown fur that covers the lapels and the central opening of the coat. They really kept the winter in mind. It seems rather long, ending just above the knees.

Tailor: "These are my personal favorite coats. They"re 1,000 Yingbi each."

His work backs his claim up. These look like they were made with exceptional attention to detail.

Steven: "You could get more if you like."

Dai-tai: "Could we get Young Mi one too?"

Steven: "Sure, but that"s all you want?"

Niroja grips her coat tightly.

Niroja: "Yes."

Steven: "Alright, get Madelyn one too while we"re at it."

I"m pretty sure she doesn"t have any clothes for winter too. I wasn"t sure how cold it would get and even went as far as to buy myself a simple one that"ll fit comfortably under the cloak.

Tailor: "Then everything shall be 5,150 Yingbi."

After making the exchange the girls hurried back to the inn and started wearing their new coats. I"m starting to wonder if I"m the odd one, to not get excited over new clothes.

I"m still debating whether or not I should get a set of armor. I don"t want something heavy, so metal is out of the question except for maybe chainmail. Leather armor seems pretty common, and it sometimes looks stylish.

I really will need Jiang or Zhenya to help me.

I head inside the inn and ask him to accompany me, to which he willingly agrees as he was getting bored of watching Zhenya drink. Reaching the road as he speaks up.

Jiang: "Where are we going?"

Steven: "Leatherworker. I needed help in picking out a good set of leather armor."

Jiang: "You could"ve asked Zhenya to come, why me?"

Steven: "I didn"t want to interrupt his drinking."

Jiang: "Are you scared of him?"

Steven: "A little at first, to be honest. But he"s really a good person if you get to know him."

Jiang: "Hoo, you"re pretty open-minded."

Well, being an alien in a completely different world can do that. It probably did me some good. I might"ve ran when I first met Nikita.

Steven: "I am, my first friend was a Nekomata."

Jiang: "They"re not very common. Nekomatas I mean, they like to keep to themselves and not bother anyone."

Steven: "They"re really friendly and helped me out a lot."

Jiang: "Though, the only one that"s really known is a terrorist."

Steven: "A terrorist?"

Jiang: "Or so they say. He was a lieutenant for the Elves during the war. The story goes that he led 25 men and slaughtered nearly 1,000 soldiers."

Steven: "I don"t believe it."

Jiang: "Neither do I."

How does one small group of people take on 1,000 and win? Soldiers, on top of that. It"s not even feasible.

The leatherworker was barely opened by the time we arrived. The worker himself was barely waking up and the way he carelessly welcomed us made me chuckle a little.

Leatherworker: "Ah~ good morning, Jiang."

Jiang: "No, "welcome to my shop?"

Leatherworker: "Hm, check back in another hour and then maybe. What can I help you 2 with today?"

Steven: "I need a… good set of leather armor."

Leatherworker: "There has been a set I"ve been working on and"ve been trying to get rid of it. Actually… let me see."

He unveils a set of armor that draws me in. This armor was no joke. Jiang was examining it, saying it was crafted from vegetable-tanned leather and possessed a brown finish. Studs made of bra.s.s and st.i.tching helped reinforce its structure. The white, indented trim beautifully decorated the edges.

The cuira.s.s was multi-plated, providing protection to the torso and straps were adjustable to customize its fit on the user. A gorget was built-in, shielding the lower neck and the attached ta.s.sets helped the upper leg.

The pauldrons secured itself easily with leather ties, with articulated plates and sword breakers enhancing their defensive power. A single, right-handed gauntlet with suede protected the sword hand.

The long sleeved tunic was red and grey layered fashioned from wool, felted with hot water to increase its durability. It was intricate, with embroidery and elaborate trim accenting the tunic, matching perfectly with the armor.

Jiang and I were completely drawn by the armor.

Jiang: "Where"d you learn to craft something like that?"

He laughed in amazement.

Leatherworker: "Remember those books you brought me a while ago? There was one about Twilight Squadron and how they made almost anything."

Jiang: "Twilight Squadron?! Haha, this is amazing!"

Steven: "What"s Twilight Squadron?"

Leatherworker: "You don"t know who they are?"

Steven: "No, I don"t."

He scoffs.

Leatherworker: "A legendary group of mages and scholars alike!"

Jiang: "They go back, even way before I was born. A really powerful group that supposedly shaped the world into what it is today. Now, they"ve fallen into obscurity."

Leatherworker: "They were responsible for making Dark magic as powerful as it is."

Jiang: "So they say. But on a serious note, did you really craft Twilight"s armor?"

Leatherworker: "I believe so, I had the help of the Magus with the translations. It was in the old language. It"s just a replica, it"s not even enchanted with their magic. Magus said he"d pa.s.s out trying to understand it."

An old language and ancient order. I don"t want to have to cross paths with them if they do still exist, it"s sure to bring nothing but trouble. Which I already have too much of.

Steven: "Is the armor good?"

Jiang: "It gives a lot of mobility and protection just by looking at it, and it does look very durable."

Leatherworker: "It"s one of a kind as far as I"m concerned and I want to get rid of it."

Jiang: "Why? It could be sold to a historian or museum."

Leatherworker: "It stands out from everything else in the shop, it"s too much of a "wicked yet grateful" sense for me."

Steven: "If it fits me, I"ll buy it off you."

I jump at the opportunity and leatherworker was more than happy to lend me the armor for a test fit. The armor felt really expensive and I treated it as such at first even though Jiang said otherwise. That if the armor itself can"t handle the wearer being rough, it was no good to begin with.

The armor itself fit perfectly snug against my body after moving some of the straps around and still gave me full maneuverability as I did before I wore it. There isn"t any shaking or bouncing around at all when I move in it. Though like I feared, it weighs a bit, not more than 20 or so pounds, it"s not too bad actually. It hurts a little in the arms, they"re probably too tight than it looks and cutting my circulation.

Jiang: "Everything alright?"

Steven: "Yeah, my head hurts a little."

I"m already sold on it but Jiang appeared to say otherwise.

Jiang: "Can it take blows?"

Leatherworker: "My armor saved your life before hasn"t it?"

Jiang: "Yeah, but this armor is experimental."

Leatherworker: "Whack him a few times then."

Steven: "What?"

The leatherworker reaches behind the counter and hands Jiang a metal rod and points to me. Motioning him to use it on me. To avoid being hit, I"m being chased around the store by Jiang with a rod. He"s not even being generous, he swings it with force!

Steven: "That rod isn"t the same as a sword!"

I tried to reason with him to avoid being hit.

Jiang: "It"s better than nothing, just hold still."

He jabs me in the side, making me flinch and stumble. He takes the advantage and swings the rod against my chest with a brute force.

Jiang: "See? It worked."

It doesn"t hurt! I"m laughing in relief that it did save me from Jiang"s powerful blow, it went as far as send me back a couple of feet into the counter. I was so worried it might"ve hurt that it made me light-headed.

Leatherworker: "Now, if you"re still wanting to buy, I can let it go for 20,000 Yingbi."

Steven: "That"s ludicrous!"

The average cost for a good set of steel armor should go for 3,500 Yingbi, so leather going for that much? It may look amazing, yes, but I"m not blinded enough to pay for it so easily.

Jiang: "That"s pretty high, even if it"s a Twilight set."

Leatherworker: "I paid a lot of attention to details making this armor and spared no expense. I even had help from the Magus and Tailor. We all agreed that the price is reasonable."

Jiang: "Well, what do you say, Steven?"

Steven: "I know it"s an armor of Twilight Squadron, but what does it have that really sets it apart from the others?"

Leatherworker: "Let"s see, it"s a good set if you ask me. Ehh… oh, the Magus did enchant it to have both magic and physical resistance."

Jiang: "Then why didn"t you say so? That changes everything."

Enchanted weapons and armor are rare from my experience. The only other enchanted items that I know of is Livia"s dagger, as she claims, and my sword Nikitis. If this armor set really is enchanted, the price isn"t completely unreasonable now. Though, it"s still a little higher than usual, as enchanted armor should go for 15,000 Yingbi. If the prices are the same as Everhand.

Steven: "The price is non-negotiable?"

Leatherworker: "There"s one price and it isn"t moving."

Well, I do have quite a surplus, especially after the fort raid.

Steven: "Then we have a deal."

Jiang: "You couldn"t resist, could you?"

He sighs.

Leatherworker: "Don"t be so down, Jiang. I could make and sell you another one if you liked it so much."

Jiang: "I prefer my armor, thank you."

I handed the last of my biggest bills to the leatherworker, leaving me with nearly 18,000 and some loose change. Seeing the ma.s.sive difference between the last couple of days really left me disappointed. My money management was supposed to be really good. Trying to see a bright side, I have another 295,000 in a chest somewhere on a wagon.

Jiang: "Let"s see if you could walk back to the inn while wearing it."

It wasn"t until we went outside when it hit me; I stick out from everyone else! Maybe the new cloak I bought would be more useful than keeping me dry if it rains. a.s.suming if it fits over the armor of course.

We headed back to the inn where Zhenya started looking at me confused.

Zhenya: "Steven? What are you wearing? I"d lash you if you were one of my men."

Steven: "You"re all heart, Zhenya."

Jiang: "It"s actually Twilight Squadron"s armor."

He whispered.

Zhenya: "What?! You know what this means!?"

He exclaimed, alerting both of us and catching the attention of the other patrons.

Jiang: "Would you calm down?!"

Zhenya: "It means I need another drink!"

He slams his empty mug against the table.

He"s drunk!

Jiang: "d.a.m.n it, you"re not supposed to drink so much! Now who"s going to drive the wagon?"

Zhenya: "I"ll be driving it like planned."

Jiang: "I don"t want you crashing it."

Zhenya: "I"ll be fine, I ain"t crashing no f.u.c.king wagon."

Steven: "I"ll leave you to it, Jiang."

Jiang: "Sorry, but if he"s too drunk, we may have to postpone until tomorrow."

Steven: "It won"t be too much of a problem if it does happen."

They"ll be at it for a while, so I"ll go to my room and see how the girls are in the meantime. It would actually be an inconvenience if Zhenya was too drunk to be manning the wagon. We already packed our bags and everything. Even if he is drunk, shouldn"t it be possible to have someone else take his position?

The girls were sitting together on the bed. Niroja tensing up when she sees me.

Dai-tai: "Ooh, that"s a nice armor!"

Steven: "Thank you."

Niroja: "I have a gift for you."

She said timidly, standing and looking away to hide her blush, fully extending her arms, reaching out a small necklace box.

Dai-tai: "She wanted to thank you for saving her at the fort."

Niroja: "And I may have borrowed some of your money."

Steven: "It"s fine! If it"s a gift, I don"t mind at all."

I never received anything like this before!

Opening the little box revealed a realistic leaf pendant, intricately crafted from silver, personalized with 2 small malachite gems.

Niroja: "I made it for you, so you could remember us when everything is over and you have to go back home."

Oh s.h.i.t.

She"s right, I"ve been having so much fun with them the past week that I glossed over the fact that I planned to go home after everything is over. I got too close to them and I"m paying the consequences. I can"t help but have tears roll no matter how much I struggled.

Steven: "Th-thank you."

Dai-tai: "Aw, don"t cry. It"ll be fine."

Niroja reaches out with one hand to wipe away my tears and has her other hand on the side of my waist. Grabbing the necklace from my palm and tying it securely around my neck. She then hugs me, putting her head against my chest.

Dai-tai: "I"ll, uh, go in the front and get a drink."

Niroja is still hugging me tightly. Her skin is even more clammy than usual. I sort of have it figured out. It builds up with stress. At least, that"s how me and Jiang figured.

She slowly releases me and gets on her tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek.

Niroja: "I don"t want my hero to cry."

Steven: "I…"

I"m taken aback by her kiss and when I"m called a hero by her.

Niroja: "We should go to Dai-tai before she starts thinking we did something."

Suddenly, I become light-headed and forced to fall onto the bed. My head feels like I just got hit over the head with a bat.

Niroja: "Steven? Are you alright?!"

Steven: "It"s fine, just my head hurts…"

…

(Jiang"s POV)

Zhenya: "I won"t drink then."

Jiang: "Good. I"m glad we"ve straightened that out."

Just because he"s no longer in the military should it mean he can be imprudent. The man obviously knew ahead of time that we were going to deliver the tools for Steven and his village.

Dai-tai: "Shame, I was planning on challenging him to another drinking contest."

Jiang: "No, you"re not."

I don"t know how she does it, but Dai-tai can drink all day and not get drunk. If she does, however, she really knows how to play it off.

Niroja: "Help!"

Suddenly, Niroja could be heard shouting loudly through her room. We looked at each other briefly before we quickly made way to the room. Dai-tai bursted in first with Zhenya and I right behind her.

Steven laid halfway on the bed, unconscious with Niroja beside him. She was desperately clinging to him, attempting to wake him.

Niroja: "Steven, please!"

Dai-tai: "Niroja!"

Zhenya: "Get away from him."

Niroja: "But… but…"

Jiang: "Just do as he asks, we can get the Doctor and Magus to check him."

Niroja runs into Dai-tai"s arms.

Dai-tai: "What happened?"

Niroja: "He—just fell—and—and—"

She sobbed.

Dai-tai: "Sh sh sh, it"ll be alright. He would want you to stay calm."

This is truly worrying. He seemed just fine earlier.

Could it have been the armor? I knew the leatherworker for years. I"m racing for an answer, the only event that raises my suspicions would be the fort. He was cursed somehow when he was rescuing Niroja.

Zhenya: "Jiang, you thinking what I"m thinking?"

Jiang: "A curse."

If he just fell, I didn"t need to feel his Magic Power to know it was a leeching curse, he"s even bleeding from his nose. Whoever is behind this must be a powerful mage. The only culprit that comes to mind would be Bao. n.o.body here in town, except for maybe the Magus, nor the bandits from the fort should"ve known any cursing magic.

Zhenya: "See if you can find the Magus first."

I didn"t have to go very far, the Magus would always be at a corner still ongoing with his experiment. I grabbed him and then asked the innkeeper if she would kindly get the Doctor as well. I"m taking any chances here.

Magus: "Ah, poor kid. Let"s take off his armor and then I can check him."

After removing his armor, the Magus starts running his finger across his body, pressing down firmly specifically on certain locations. The Magus becomes transfixed on his chest, particularly heart. It has to be where the curse is located.

Magus: "This may take a few."

Jiang: "Could you figure out what"s wrong with him?"

Magus: "I do, as always. But in that one small chance… you may have to give him some mercy."

Niroja: "What?! No!"

This doesn"t bode well for him, the Magus I know would be confident, but he looks worried.

Niroja: "Please tell me he"ll be fine!"

I"ve never been one to sugar-coat things. I prefer to tell things as they are, but I"ve never been put in a situation like this in a long time.

Jiang: "I"m sorry, but I don"t know yet. Just let the Magus do his work and we will know from there."

Magus: "I can undo this, but it"ll take some time."

Jiang: "So he"ll be alright?"

Magus: "It"s a leeching curse alright, but a very nasty one. It"s very complex and it"s suppressing his body."

Zhenya: "How so?"

Magus: "Uh… think of it as a bunch strings. Normally, a curse is put together in a pattern, like cross-st.i.tched, for example. But this… this… it"s twisted together into a confusing ma.s.s. I don"t even know where to begin to undo it."

The more complicated the pattern, the more difficult it is to cast it. It just points to Bao even more.

Jiang: "All I need to know is can you do it?"

Magus: "I"ll do my best, but… well, you know what to do if worst comes to worst."

It wouldn"t be the first time I had to murder my own men for their sake, but I always did my d.a.m.nedest to avoid it. I"m a lord now, not a Captain.

So why the h.e.l.l am I still getting into these situations?!

Dai-tai: "He"s strong, I know he"ll make it, Niroja."

Jiang: "Go ahead and head outside in the meantime, the Magus is going to need room to work and you could use some fresh air."

Now the waiting begins...

…

The Hidden Village

(Madelyn"s POV)

----

Lilith: "You don"t have any Magic Power, I can"t teach you Dark magic. Sorry, Madelyn."

Madelyn: "It"s alright, Lilith."

It really b.u.ms me out. I"m completely inept of doing magic.

Yet, Steven, who"s supposedly from Los Angeles, knows Wind.

Disappointed, I left the tent with Lilith. She not the most welcome in the village, but she"s hasn"t caused any trouble. I didn"t walk very far when I came across Young Mi.

Young Mi: "Perfect timing, Madelyn."

Madelyn: "Oh, did you need something, Young Mi?"

Young Mi: "We just finished refurbishing a home for you and Steven."

It feels like I"ve waited forever!

Truly, an actual home with actual beds? I no longer have to worry about the cold winds at night. This is an achievement of my progress. I"m moving in the right direction.

Madelyn: "We can move in right now?"

Young Mi: "Of course you can. We can get some of the men to help move your things. Let"s go check it out."

The house happened to be between northern and western areas of the village, by Young Mi and her friend"s home. It actually was in a preferable spot. I"ve spent most of my time in the western area, helping the people, so I don"t have to walk further than I already have to.

Young Mi: "We hope you could find this home suitable to your"s and Steven"s needs."

It"s very reminiscent of my apartment back home. The entrance goes straight into the living room, or lounge, with the dining and an actual kitchen to the side and 2 bedrooms down a hallway separated by a washroom.

Madelyn: "Thank you, Young Mi!"

Young Mi: "I didn"t really do anything."

Madelyn: "That"s not true. You"ve helped me out a lot since I came here."

Young Mi: "I"ve only done what anyone else would do. I"ll go and see about your belongings being brought here from the tent."

She quickly becomes bashful and leaves. It surprises me that an undead would even be shy, let alone show as much emotion as she does. Though, she does seem dissociated when she becomes serious, which I"ve only seen her do a couple of times when I first arrived here.

Lilith took note herself, by the looks of it it. She had her head tilted and hand covering her mouth, in a rather curious manner.

Madelyn: "Are you surprised too?"

Lilith: "Yes, once with my sister Mei during a study trip, we came across a Wight in the tundra of the north. He was very hostile, and because there"s so little known about them, we had no choice but to base all our knowledge on just him. I tried reasoning with my sister that we couldn"t really generalize an entire group of people based on a single person, yet she insisted that first impressions "mattered". Which disappointed me, knowing that she"s reasonable. It just made me feel that I should"ve brought my sister Huian with us. Considering she"s fond of the obscure and because of it, has what she likes to call a "delicate taste" for things that are considered odd to society."

Alright, a yes would have sufficed.

Madelyn: "I understand, Lilith. You really do love your sisters."

Lilith: "I do, with all my heart—as dark as it may seem—I know they"ll get in your way, but… I don"t want them to die, not even Bao."

Madelyn: "Bao? Does she pick on you?"

Lilith: "Constantly, she would push me around and hit me when I was younger until mom decided it was enough and slapped her."

Madelyn: "And she stopped?"

Lilith: "A little, it really died down quite a bit when she fell ill and I nursed her back to health. Though, she still pushes me around occasionally. It"s not as bad."

I wonder that if I show her kindness, she might see the "right" way. I know that with time, she"ll open up to me and see me as a friend. Which means that she could convince her mother into a peaceful resolution.

First, I should focus on the current problems in front of me.

…

Zheng De Shouyi

(Jiang"s POV)

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I headed outside the inn, towards the riverbank. The room"s air was suffocating, the Magus needs to concentrate, and the Doctor is with Zhenya on standby.

As expected, I find Dai-tai a small distance away from her friend Niroja, who happened to distract herself from what"s happening by sitting and watching the fish swim upstream.

Jiang: "Niroja must really care for your Elven friend."

Dai-tai: "She was bullied a lot when she was younger."

As most Goblins are.

Dai-tai: "We"ve been alone for quite some time. So she opens up to anyone that shows her kindness pretty quickly."

Jiang: "So she fell for him pretty hard?"

Dai-tai: "I wouldn"t say that they only know each other for a week or so, but they get along amazingly well. It actually became a relief to me that there are people like him that don"t discriminate."

A few decades ago, something as little as friendships between Goblins, and even Elves would be looked down upon. Now, it"s widely accepted. Well, except for certain circles in n.o.bility, such as the aristocracy in Shi De Emo.

Jiang: "You"re not too different from him. You all get along."

Dai-tai: "Yeah… I just wish he would be around longer."

She sighs sadly.

Jiang: "He"s not sick, is he?"

Dai-tai: "What? That"s not what I meant. He has a family in Ostroven that he"ll be going back to. And she just wants to make everyday count."

He"s starting to remind me of me when I was younger. Curious about the world and kind enough to help people out. Though, I didn"t really help a village with their suicidal plan to dethrone the Queen. It"s nostalgic, nonetheless.

Dai-tai: "Hey, Jiang. I know you"re the lord, but I"ve never really seen you working."

Jiang: "I can only show the town in the right direction, what they do is up to them. I do, actually, make the final choice when it comes to the village but I make sure most of the town agrees with me."

Dai-tai: "Then how did you get everyone to support us?"

Jiang: "Not officially. I figured if the guard isn"t going to be protecting the people when something happens, like the bandits from yesterday, they don"t really need their equipment."

Dai-tai: "So you took their supplies?"

Jiang: "Everything actually, even the barracks."

It angered and offended me deeply that the guard would let the town be attacked. I know they"re pretty lax, but they"re worse than I originally believed.

As punishment, almost everyone in town agreed that if they"re not doing their job, there"s no need for them. I would"ve actually kicked them out of town if it weren"t against the law.

Better yet, all 50 of the guards could go back to the capital for all I care.

Dai-tai: "That"s pretty severe."

Jiang: "It"s only natural to punish them."

Dai-tai: "Yeah, if they did their job, Niroja wouldn"t be alone by the river."

It"s true…

I continued keeping an eye on the riverbank and the children who were playing nearby when one of the townspeople walked up to me.

Townsperson: "The Magus wishes to speak with you."

Jiang: "I"ll head there."

I get Steven"s friends to tag along and get back to the inn. We"re all filled with anxiety when we see the Magus obviously stressing himself.

Jiang: "Will he be alright, Magus?"

Magus: "I hate to say it, but I"m not sure. The curse is nothing like I"ve seen before. I can"t undo it."

Dai-tai: "You can"t be serious."

Zhenya: "You know what to do, Captain. It"s either you or the curse will do it."

Jiang: "Aren"t we rushing things? It"s only been a couple of hours."

Zhenya: "The Magus here is the best in town. You really think he"ll survive a trip to the capital while cursed? Here, don"t let him suffer any more than he has."

Zhenya hands me a dagger.

Niroja: "No!"

She runs into the room, no doubt to shield him. It"s difficult as it is, but does she not realize he"ll just suffer more? We all head into the room where Niroja was desperately trying to wake Steven up, to no avail. He hasn"t moved an inch and Niroja won"t stop crying.

Dai-tai always has something to say, so why is she silent?

Magus: "Niroja, dear. I—we—you could say goodbye, he"s doomed, we won"t kill him but the curse will."

Jiang: "I can"t and won"t do it, not like this."

Dai-tai: "How much time does he have left?"

She said coming in and holding back tears.

Magus: "Uhm, 5 days at best."

Dai-tai: "There"s a powerful mage back at the village."

Jiang: "They have the power to undo the curse?"

Dai-tai: "Yes, maybe even find who did it."

I hate to desperately chase after something, but there really is no choice here. I give back Zhenya"s dagger, I won"t be needing it now and hopefully never. I"m going to need a heavy drink after this is over with. This is probably my worst day as a lord.

Zhenya: "What are you planning?"

Jiang: "Put his d.a.m.n armor on, it"ll give him magic resistance, and I"ll see about making room for him on the wagon."