30 Breakfast

I woke up with the morning sun. My body felt incredible. All my aches and pains were gone. I didn't remember climbing into my bed, but I must have at some point. I'm glad I hadn't fallen asleep in the bath.

I stretched my body briefly before cleaning up the bathroom. Thankfully, there wasn't much of a mess left over. After that I made the bed and had the Heaven's Demon Garb transform into a proper outfit while I combed the sleep out of my hair.

The Garb took on the form of a blue parted riding dress with a laced midriff. The back of the dress pulled up into a hood more akin to a cloak in order to keep the sun off my head. The fabric was very lightweight, perfect for a summer stroll. The sleeves were loose with wide cuffs, but the elbows pinched in a bit.

I decided to keep Sandy in storage until I had a chance to get her a bath. She could also probably cause havoc around the city, too, if I'm not careful. I'm certain some of the soldiers at the castle wouldn't be too happy seeing the rank 4 beast that tore the gates off last night meandering around.

I set out from the dorm somewhere around 9 in the morning. I had a considerable sum of money on me now from the dungeon clear, so I decided to buy breakfast from a restaurant rather than choke down whatever the mess hall on campus was serving.

The city was scarred by the conflict from the night before, but the people continued living their lives like nothing had happened. I couldn't believe the hardiness of the citizens. I guess the old adage 'life goes on' holds true even in a fantasy world.

The damage to the buildings of the city was surprisingly minor, for the most part. It makes sense, though, when you consider Thomas wanted to rule the Kingdom. There was no reason for him to destroy it. The guard barracks, though, and the castle suffered the brunt of the damage.

It hurt thinking that most of this was my fault. I had more than enough power to stop this from happening. Seeing the own toxicity behind that train of thought, I decided to focus on my next step in this world.

Helping Lily rebuild her Kingdom was my first priority. The second was to find a healer for her. The third was to get her and James high enough leveled that I could feel comfortable about leaving them on their own. This is, apparently, a huge world and I want to see as much of it as I can.

I also need to start training Sandy. I feel that if I neglect my new puppy something bad might happen in the future.

I found a small inn with a terrific aroma floating around it. Inside the main door was a dining hall filled with people eating and chatting. No one seemed to take notice of me. Perhaps it was because I had changed the Garb's form, or maybe all the eyes I had felt staring at me before were just part of my imagination.

Either way, I was content. The innkeeper, a round red-haired woman with a freckled nose, walked up to greet me.

"Mornin' Lass. We're a bit full at the moment. We can either get you a table on your own in fifteen minutes or, if you don't mind, we can seat you with a willing group right away," said the innkeep with a smile.

"I don't mind eating with some company," I replied.

"Great! Come right this way then, dear."

The woman lead me to a table on the far side of the dining hall. There was a group of four individuals, they looked to be adventurers, seated around a table. There were three men and a girl, all dressed in leather armors and equipped with low leveled swords or bows.

"I hope you folks don't mind a little company," said the innkeeper as she walked up to them.

"It's fine, Ms Tavin, we wouldn't mind even if you sat a bear down to eat with us, let alone a cute girl like this," replied one of the men. He was taller and dark skinned. His hair was matted from wearing a helmet too long.

I joined the table rather easily, but I didn't say much. The group never even asked my name. I was grateful for that. They may not recognize me, but if they heard the name Calliope I'm certain I'd be treated differently.

The group called themselves Team Bornin, after their leader Bornin. He was the helmet-haired individual and he was a 'B' rank adventurer from the local guild. His teammates were all 'C' ranks, though, but they took on jobs even 'A' rank teams would find difficult. They were a rather merry and friendly bunch.

Breakfast was served quickly. There was no option to order, like in my last world. It seems inns and restaurants in this world had one meal they served for all their guests and if you didn't like it you went somewhere else.

The meal itself was eggs and toast, but it tasted sublime compared to the gruel I'd been eating at the Academy.

When we all finished eating the 'bill' was delivered to the table. Bornin and his crew offered to pay for mine, but I couldn't let them in good conscience do such a thing. The price was three copper chips per person, but I didn't have any currency smaller than gold chips. It wasn't a big deal for me, so I pulled out a gold chip and set it on the table.

"Whoa, we figured you were rich because of how nice you were dressed… But to pull out a gold coin like it was nothing…" said Bornin, "Listen, you need to be more careful in cities, little Lady. It doesn't look like you have any guards with you, and there are lechers and bandits all through cities like this that would jump at a chance to rob you."

His tone sounded genuine and the look of concern on his face was real. I almost wanted to laugh. They thought I was some rich Lady exploring the Capital city for the first time.

"If you want we could walk you to the Adventurer's guild so you can hire a guard there."

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine on my own. I may not look like it, but I'm a skill holder," I replied. Their looks of concern immediately transformed into wonder.

"No way! No wonder you didn't bring any guards with you. What kind of skill can you use?" Asked the youngest of the group, a teenage boy named Frederic.

On a whim I decided to humor them. I had been practicing recently and I was certain I wouldn't accidentally blow up the inn. I held up my index finger and used the skill -Fire Blade-, but I used the tiniest portion of mana possible to accomplish it. A small candle sized fire poofed itself into existence.

[-New Skill Acquired-

Normal Class Skill: Finger Lighter]

"I can use fire magic," I said with a smile.

They were immediately impressed and asked if I was registered as an adventurer too, but I calmly denied it and made my way to the street. Team Bornin looked reluctant to part ways, but I informed them I had important business at the castle. I think my words flipped some kind of switch in their heads because they immediately let me go without any hassle afterwards.

As I started walking towards the castle, I heard a huge commotion from the Inn. It seems the innkeeper found the coin I left for her.

"Bill, get out the good liquor. It may be the morning but we're giving everyone here a free round anyways!"

Her voice was loud enough to hear from the streets. I smiled a bit as I picked up my pace and vanished from the streets.

The castle gate was under repair already. Guards were storming around, keeping vigilant watch in case another assault comes while men in thick pants were carrying and hammering stone and wood.

I zipped in, using my unnatural speed to evade their eyes. It wasn't even hard.

[-New Skill Acquired-

Journeyman Class Skill: Infiltration]

Eventually I arrived at the throne room. Sitting on the throne, wearing a regent's crown, was Lily. She was currently in an animated discussion with her sister Emerlia. I didn't want to be rude so I ducked behind a pillar until they finished. I even made certain not to listen in. There was no reason to eavesdrop on sisters.

Once they finished their little spat, I decided to 'appear'.

"Morning, Lily." I said, startling both of them.

"Oh good, the demon who could sink our country on a whim is back. Perhaps she can talk some common sense into my idiot of a sister," said Emerlia with a smile.

I could feel the hair on the back of my neck standing up. I should have waited until Emerlia left before showing up.

"Emerlia, please leave and give me some time to talk with Calliope," requested Lily.

"Fine fine, but you know better than everyone here that Alec and Gin want nothing to do with the crown. By all rights, you're the best candidate, Lil," said Emerlia as she walked out of the room.

Lily put her face in her hands and let out a groan. She looked like she hadn't slept as well as I did.

"Calliope, I have the letter written. Please, if you have to force them to make a decision then do it… And then drag the new king back to the Capital with you," said Lily.

"Are you okay, Lily?" I asked.

"No. I'm not. My dad died yesterday and now I'm being forced to pick up the shattered pieces of this damned country. Not to mention my guards told me that both Phanedor and Watterson escaped us and we have no clue where they went. Add in the fact that I can't even walk and I almost wish you hadn't given me that potion, last night…"

She started ranting way to easily. I could see the stress in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I really am thankful for your help last night, Calliope. Everything seems to be falling apart around me, right now, and it's nice knowing I have someone I can rely on close by."

"It's okay, Lily. I'll help you sort out this mess. Also, if you do ever get too stressed out I can always take you away from here. Just say the word and I'll take you anywhere you want to go," I replied with a smile. Lily smiled too.

"Heh, I could imagine the country's reaction if I just vanished one day. Everything would fall apart, though. Thank you for the offer, Calliope. It really does feel good, even if I can't take you up on it. Oh, and make sure you avoid seeing James before you leave. He's probably going to beg you take him along, but I'm certain he'd slow you down… Well, that's just me being greedy. If you want to take him along you should, though I'd really appreciate it if you could drag at least one of my bumblefuck brothers back here in the next few days."

"I'm not planning on taking James with me, so don't worry. I'm not sure if he's even strong enough to ride on Sandy's back. I'll see you soon, Lily... And I'll drag back one or both of your brothers. I'll try not to hurt them while I'm at it."

We laughed and I hugged her one last time before I took the letter and made my way out of the castle. Once more I avoided detection by using the new skill -Infiltration-. It was surprisingly effective and took very little mana to operate. I thought stealth based skills were limited to only the stealth subclasses, but I suppose in this real world they aren't. I did spot James lurking around the castle's gate, too. He was probably looking for me.

RED, can you plot me a course for the largest body of water between the Capital and Fort Clyfton?

[Solution: Yes. The current plotted course involves traveling due South for 70 kilometers before changing Southeast to arrive at the Tiger Lakes.]

I set off running with a smile. Step one was to get Sandy cleaned up. Step two was to train her and teach her a few commands. So long as I arrived at Fort Clyfton before dinner, I should be able to get an audience with the 'bumblefuck brothers'. I really liked Lily's terminology for them.

I felt a little bad for Lily, though, knowing how relaxed and easygoing my day was going to be compared to hers… But I was also considering Emerlia's words too. I couldn't help but think perhaps, if her brothers really are as inadequate as I've been told, Lily just might be the best option for this country's future.

I wasn't sure why she didn't want the throne, but I planned to ask her about it the next chance I got.