13 Dark Tidings

The Royal Capital of Gransus was finally in sight. The city was, by all rights, massive. A huge stone wall, at least three stories high, surrounded the entire perimeter. Over the top of the barrier, the tips of buildings could be seen peeking out. The city itself seemed to be built on a sloping hill because the building tops climbed upwards as they moved closer to the center.

There, at the middlemost point, stood a castle. The Capital was a true fantasy-style medieval city in every way. I couldn't help but grow a bit excited. How often had I seen such scenes through the screen of my computer?

[Solution: Data not found.]

Yeah, I couldn't count that high either. Still, there was some strange power in seeing this kind of thing in person. The sun floated in the morning-half of the sky, and I could hear the hubbub of city life from the carriage. I felt like a kid standing outside a candy store, looking through the glass.

For the rest of the ride, I sat on the coachman's seat next to James. The princess didn't want to join us and remained inside. She probably had some important political things to think about. I didn't have anything to think about, so I got to enjoy myself.

Our carriage rumbled onwards. Even the horses seemed chipper and in good spirits. James was laughing and trying to crack jokes, but he seemed to only know bad puns. I'd have to teach him a few *real* jokes later, the kind you couldn't tell your momma. He was a teenage boy, so it wouldn't be all that hard to think up ones that appealed to him.

We approached the massive gate. It was marked with writing over the top that I couldn't read.

[Solution: Would the user like this guide to automatically translate written language into a form the user can understand?]

'You can do that?'

[Solution: Yes. This guide can translate written word into a readable form, but this guide cannot transform the user's writing into a form others in this world would understand.]

Tch. So I could read it but I couldn't write it? That kind of sucked. Could you at least teach me to sign my name, RED?

[Solution: Yes.]

Well, I guessed that was all I really needed to get by, for now. It would be good if I could get some kind of official identification too. I wondered, did the Academy issue them?

[Solution: Yes.]

Good. Then there was no reason for me to bother trying to get one on my own.

Our carriage pulled into the line for the gate marked "Gransus East". I assumed RED's translation was simplified. It was probably around the quality of Google's machine translations, but it'd have to do for now. I didn't really feel like learning to read and write all over again, so if I could avoid that I would.

The wagons and carriages ahead of us were being checked by a team of three guardsmen dressed in gaudy chainmail with some kind of Griffon design on the chest. They wouldn't be memorable, though, if it weren't for the terrible mustaches each one had. The tall one had a black bushy mustache thick enough to hide a small animal in it, the fat one had a needle thin mustache that curled downwards in a pair of spiral drill shapes, and the short one had a classic handlebar.

They looked like a comedy trio. I couldn't take them seriously. James looked at me with a strange expression as I worked hard to stifle my giggles. For some reason, he didn't think the three guards looked ridiculous. I genuinely hoped this wasn't a big fashion trend in Gransus. My stomach couldn't handle holding in laughter that hard.

When it was finally our turn to pass through the gate, seeing the guards up close made me break my composure.

"What's so funny, lass?" Asked the fat one in a dead serious tone. Just the fact that he was taking himself so seriously while wearing that thing on his face made me laugh harder. I couldn't explain it. I guess, after all the dumb shit that I went through, this scene was just too absurd for me to handle.

James looked astonished and even the princess was leaning out of the carriage with an awed expression.

"Wh-what? I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself." I said to the two of them, completely ignoring the guardsmen.

"It's nothing," replied Lily, "I've just never seen you laugh before. I was beginning to think you were a stick in the mud."

Ouch. Had really been that brooding and dark? I didn't honestly intend to.

"You three, here's my identification. Please pardon my friend's rudeness. This is her first time seeing the city so she's a bit out of it," said Lily as she handed over a small card to the tall guard.

His eyes immediately opened wide and he hit his knees.

"My Lady! I apologize for my men's rudeness. You and your company are free to enter the city."

Wow. That was the power of royalty, I guessed. I tried to reign in my temporary madness as we passed through the gates.

The gates themselves opened up into a long tunnel with arrow slits along each side. This city was clearly designed to withstand a siege. My cacophonous laughter died down as I began seriously inspecting my surroundings.

"What did you find so funny about the guards?" Asked James, interrupting my train of thought.

"It was the combination of their uniforms and the mustaches," I replied, forcing down another giggle. "It just looked so ridiculous to me."

"Really? I thought they looked rather cool, though."

At James's reply I laughed again. I didn't know if my good mood was infectious, but Lily joined me this time. After a few minutes, we both calmed down. The carriage was approaching the end of the tunnel.

"Calliope, every guard at the city gates has a ridiculous mustache. For some reason most of the men in the city think of it as some kind of tradition and honor for helping defend the Kingdom. Here, the mustache is like a badge of honor saying you've served your country," Said Lily.

This was probably the strangest tradition I'd ever heard of. Some men could pull off mustaches, but there was a limit to how outlandish your facial hair could get before you just looked like a clown. Perhaps I was a bit biased on this, since I never grew facial hair in my past life. Either way, it was just a small detail in the end. It wasn't like there was going to be a whole city full of mustache-contest entrants.

We finally left the tunnel. My eyes needed a moment to adjust to the light, but when they did I was awed at the sight. Stone buildings stood in neat rows. A huge bazaar style marketplace opened up in front of us. The sounds of children screaming and people haggling filled my ears.

There were fruits I'd never seen before. Weapon vendors were scattered about. The smell of cinnamon filled the air; that was one spice I never thought I'd smell again. It was a beautiful summer morning, and I almost wanted to cry from the pleasure of this view.

"It's fantastic," I said in a low voice.

"Calliope, welcome to the Kingdom's Capital, Gransus!" Cried Lily as she stepped out of the carriage. Her smile was infectious.

I needed a moment to take it all in. All the sights, the smells, and the scenes. I really was in the world of Saga Heroes Online. This wasn't just a bad dream.

Excitement filled my veins. I wanted to go exploring. I wanted to see all the sights. I needed to know if there was an Adventurer's guild too!

[Solution: There is an Adventurer's Guild in Gransus.]

I needed to visit the Adventurer's Guild too! I felt like a puppy in a ball pit.

"Would you like me to give you a tour?" Asked Lily.

I could only nod 'Yes'. I didn't have words for how awesome I was feeling.

"James, can you take the carriage to the Academy and give the gatekeeper a letter for me? I'll have my men take care of the luggage for all of us later," said Lily as she handed an envelope to the farm boy. His eyes looked a bit conflicted. He probably wanted to explore the Capital with us.

"Okay," replied James.

I felt bad, but someone had to take care of the carriage and horses. Originally it would have been the responsibility of the old driver we came with, but he took off running during the whole Devil Hound incident. I certainly didn't want to do it. I'd make it up to James later by helping him out with his skill stuff… Well, I guess I wasn't suited to teach anyone. I could probably just give him some vague tips again and let the Academy professors take care of the rest, though.

Lily and I waved goodbye to James and started walking through the bazaar. She put her cloak on and held it tight to her. It would probably be a hassle if someone recognized her. A Princess was something like a celebrity for the common people here.

On our tour Lily pointed out buildings and statues to me. She gave in depth histories about every location we passed. She must have studied a great deal about her own Kingdom's history. It was refreshing and she seemed to be completely in her element.

I always loved stories and history, so I found the tour to be fun. I asked her simple questions about the artists or the people their works depicted. She didn't falter a step, though, and answered every question with grace. It was a rather fun time.

After a while we finally came to a large building with what looked to be courtyards out behind it for training purposes. There were several muscular men there swinging practice swords against straw dummies.

"This, is the Gransus Charter of the Adventurer's Guild. We're actually here to meet someone. His name is Endyrion and he's both the Guild Master as well as the Principal of the Royal Arms Academy," said Lily with a smile.

I was astounded by this Endyrion. Just how amazing of a man was he to be able to be the leader of a Guild and the Academy?

[Solution: Endyrion is the second strongest being in the Gransus Kingdom. He is second only to the Knight Captain. He is in possession of two Skills, though the public is only aware of one. His level is (53).]

I started to grasp this world's common sense. I could understand how outstanding Endyrion was by just knowing his level. I wanted to meet him.

Lily and I entered the Guild and the inside didn't belie my expectations. It was filled with wood tables, weapons, and gruff looking men. In the back of the room stood a reception counter with three ladies working there. Each wore a tacky blue shirt with a nametag. Two of the receptionists were busy, but luckily the third was free.

Lily and I made our way to her. I noticed that, while we crossed the room, a fair number of the Adventurers stared at us. I wondered what they were thinking. Perhaps they thought a couple of young girls were corrupting their sacred ground or something. They certainly didn't look happy to see us.

The people in the Guild seemed to be of every shape and size. Most of the men were larger and wearing armor, but there were a few decked out in wizardly robes too. There weren't many women in the room, but the few that were there looked like classic rogues. They all had a dangerous glint in their eyes.

If it was my last life, I'd probably have pissed my pants just being near this collection of gang looking folks… But right now I was thousands of times more powerful than everyone else in the room. I looked like a little girl, but I was a powerful demon. I refused to bow my head in shame. I met stare after stare with pride. I hoped that they respected me for it.

No one stopped us. We reached the desk and the Princess slipped a card to the receptionist.

"We're here to see Endyrion," said Lily.

The receptionist looked at the card and gave a classic 'customer service smile'.

"Princess, it's been awhile since you came to the guild. After you reached B rank I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

Whoa. What? The Princess was registered as an adventurer? And she was 'B' ranked? Wasn't that considered high on most scales?

[Solution: The fourth princess Lily Grphyn Gransus was trained by Endyrion from a young age. She was given the task to reach B rank before her fifteenth birthday in exchange for being allowed to enter the Academy. The ranks in the Adventurer's Guild, from weakest to strongest, are as follows: F, E, D, C, B, A, S.]

So she was quite the big shot. The reason all the adventurers were staring at us earlier wasn't because of me but because of her. I probably just looked ridiculous glaring at everyone, then. Oh goodness, that was embarrassing.

"I normally would never come back to this hole, but my friend and I need to see Endyrion. Is he in?" asked Lily.

"Yes he is, but he's in a meeting right now. He'll be free in about half an hour. You and your… Friend, are free to wait in the main lobby. I'll call you when he's done."

Lily didn't look happy at the response she got. I also noted that she described this Guild as a 'hole'. I guessed she had some kind of bad history with the Guild. Lily turned to me and I could see the disappointment in her eyes.

"Calliope, let's find a table in a corner somewhere. Let's make it clear we're not here to *socialize*. I don't feel like having to fight anyone right now," she said.

"Fight? Why would you have to fight someone here?" I asked.

"Oh, that's right. You don't know. The Adventurer's Guild is an international organization that spans multiple countries. When you're in their halls you are no longer a member of royalty or nobility, you're just another adventurer. A lot of people use the Guilds as places to solve grudges with members of higher societ…"

Lily was cut off by a man's hand landing on my shoulder.

"Oy, so you're teaching a newbie, eh Princess?" asked the man in an insulting tone. A buzz went through my body at the sudden physical contact. It didn't feel chummy; it felt dirty. It felt wrong. I found my body reacting naturally. I drove my elbow into the man's gut without holding anything back. I didn't even have time to think about it.

His body was split in half. Blood sprayed everywhere as the two halves flew into the distant wall, smashing into it. Seeing the gruesome scene, and knowing I had just accidentally killed someone, made me stumble for a moment.

"Shit. I didn't mean... I…" I couldn't say anything else before I fell over backwards. Everything went black. Just like that, I fainted.