Chapter 46. Fate's arrangements

With hands up in the air in front of the local 'police,' Michael remained calm and waited for the guards to issue their following instructions.

'They sure picked the perfect timing to show up, just as I was feeding 'something' to the downed dumbasses. Hope this doesn't escalate into a stupid misunderstanding.'

[Uhm... Sir, why are your hands in the air? Actually, never mind that! Were you the one that used the whistle?](?)

Embarrassed, Michael put his hands down and took out the whistle Helen gave him. The only change was that it now sported a significant crack in its body, making it unusable.

The guard that spoke previously turned his head to one of the companions, whose eyes were glowing suddenly. With a nod from the 'bright eyes,' the previous guard turned to Michael and sighed in relief.

[My apologies, Sir! Even if the whistle you used appears to be Captain's, we can't risk it due to the... unnerving circumstances.](?)

"I understand. So don't worry and do your job like you usually would."

[Sir, I'm unsure if you remember me, but I am Grant.](Grant)

"Hmm? Grant... I seem to have heard the name before..."

[Well... in the plaza...](Grant)

"Oh! You were one of the five guards that arrested the old man."

[Ugh! Yes, Sir. Please keep in mind that we were only following orders. Wanderers or not, once we enter the Guardsmen, orders from our superiors are more important than our lives.](Grant)

"You don't have to explain anything to me. The circumstances at that point were just as bad as the current situation I find myself in."

A brief moment of silence ensued, and another one of the guards stepped forward to check the five corpses filled with arrows and slash wounds.

[So?](Grant)

[Rats, sir.](?)

[What!? In the city? Are you sure?](Grant)

[I triple-checked, Sir.](?)

[Damnit! Sir Michael, we'll need to inspect the other two. If you don't mind, please move closer to us. The procedure needs to be followed. Even if you aren't a suspect, you are a witness to whatever occurred here.](Grant)

Walking calmly between the remaining guards who had their weapons drawn, Michael looked on as Grant and the 'bright eyes' inspected the remaining two.

[They're alive, Sir!](?)

[Also rats?](Grant)

[No, Sir! Wanderers. If I'm not wrong, this lady should be Christine.](?)

[The newbie Wanderer? That should make the boy she protected, Burt, also a newbie Wanderer.](Grant)

Hearing the needless introduction, Michael grimaced. He met Aybdah some time ago, a newbie Ranger. As he left the 'Pink Palace,' he somehow ended up in a situation where he 'saved' another two newbie Wanderers.

'Not strange at all how all four of us could form a party. Nope, not one bit. It's not like someone is guiding me into leveling up faster. Shit... That's always a bad sign in the novels I've read.'

[Michael, sir. When we arrived, you were feeding them something. Was it a Healing Potion?](Grant)

Taking out the three empty vials, Michael nodded in acquiescence.

[Three of them?](Grant)

"So, I'd better explain to make sure there are no misunderstandings. I just returned from the Pink... uhm... from Helen and her sisters' mansions."

Seeing the guards' curious and somewhat nervous faces, Michael raised a brow.

"What? Is there a problem?"

[No, not at all, Sir! If you don't mind us asking, what is your relationship with Captain?](Grant)

"Hmm... we're currently dating. So, I guess boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Sounds of gasps followed, and the remaining guards looked at him in horror while Grant had an 'awed' expression.

[And you visited her sisters just moments ago, Sir? Are you alright? Is that why a third vial of Healing Potion is used?](Grant)

"Huh!? Why that strange leap of logic? Oh! You're thinking that I might've gotten roughed up after meeting the sisters. No, I got shot with an arrow by the lady on the ground over there."

All pairs of eyes in the alley turned to the Wanderer called Christine for a moment, then whooshed back to Michael with even more surprise.

Thinking back to the rumors of the previous boyfriends who had visited the Pink Palace, Michael could understand their surprise. Still, the reputation the girls accrued was quite daunting.

"Anyways, back to the story at hand. I was walking back to the Inn and noticed the heavy smell of blood. Due to some... unfortunate encounters, I'm quite sensitive to it. So, I grabbed my Buckler and Scythe while slowly walking toward the alley. When I peeked to see what was going on, I saw seven presumed corpses on the ground. I immediately used the whistle Helen gave me to call you all here. Fortunately, due to my Class as a Necromancer, I realized that only five were dead, while the others were heavily wounded and unconscious."

Seeing the 'bright eyes' taking notes, Michael realized he was giving a statement in a different world where magic and swords were a thing.

He couldn't help but smile at how ironic the situation was.

"I've advanced carefully and noticed how the five corpses had cut, stab, and punctured wounds, making it seem like they assaulted the two people left but obviously lost. Before I could move further, though, my instincts kicked in, and I tried blocking the attack with my Buckler. Unfortunately, it was an arrow piercing through the shield and into me."

Showing them the still healing wound on his left shoulder, barely above his heart, the guards gasped and probably marveled at his luck.

Then, he continued the story by pointing at the wooden pieces on the ground some steps away.

"You can see the broken shield over there and the broken arrow. I had to snap it as well in order to remove it from my shoulder. Then, I moved forward and checked on those two to ensure they were still alive. When you arrived, you probably saw me feeding them a Healing Potion each. Though, since mine are Weak Healing Potions, as I am a newbie myself, I'm not sure the effect was strong enough."

Grant looked at the 'bright eyes' and saw him nodding back. Grant then waved his hand at another guard, who went forward and started performing some magical CPR on the two newbies. A bright light followed, and Michael realized that the man used some sort of healing spell, making the complexion of the two much better.

Only one guard and Grant remained near Michael while the rest went over to inspect the five bodies, bag them, and also use some stretchers to haul the wounded duo.

[Sir, did you say you are staying at an Inn in the city?](Grant)

"Yes, at the Sleepy Peaks."

[I'm not sure if we'll need anything else from you, but just in case, we need to know where to find you.](Grant)

"No worries. I'm planning to stick around for the foreseeable future. Though, I can't promise anything. I'll make sure to let Helen know if I'm leaving the city to have her clear out all possible issues."

[About that... if you don't mind, Sir.](Grant)

Seeing the man rubbing his hands like a greedy merchant, Michael couldn't help laughing. He saw another four that were currently either bagging the bodies or lifting the wounded onto the stretcher.

He realized that they were the remaining four guards in the plaza.

"I'll see what I can do, but I can't promise anything. To begin with, I don't like mixing personal and work relations, nor do I want to influence her decisions. Don't forget that at the end of the day, she is still a high-level Wanderer, while I'm just a newbie. I won't tell her how to do her job."

Seeing the crestfallen appearance of the group, he sighed and patted Grant on the shoulder.

"I'll try to put in a good word for you. But I don't promise anything. Worst comes to worst, and I get beaten up, you'll buy me drinks for the next month!"

Leaving behind the guards still tending to the wounded duo, Michael glared at the woman and left, shaking his head.

'Something is telling me I'll meet those two before the day ends...'

Sighing at the unavoidability of fate, he roamed the streets while slowly returning to the Inn.

He passed through the plaza, where a woman dressed like a nun was pacing back and forth in a nervous manner. Curious, Michael walked closer to her, only to see a big blue exclamation mark appear over her head.

Stunned, Michael stopped as the woman looked strangely at him for a moment, only to have her eyes shine a moment later, like a cat that saw a fish.

Cursing his stupidity, he realized that this was a Quest that might involve the Church of Light.

[Wanderer, the Father's Light illuminated your path, and you arrived in my time of utmost need.](?)

Michael blanched at the very NPC-like conversation starter but quickly recovered.

"I'm sorry, madam, but I'm not sure I follow. What exactly is going on?"

[Through the Father's will, the Sanctuary brought a Wanderer to me. You!](?)

"I see. However, how are you so sure that it's me? And how do you know I'm a Wanderer?"

The woman's face turned strange as she eyed Michael from top to bottom. Seemingly thinking for a while and reaching a conclusion.

[I see. You're a newbie Wanderer, aren't you?](?)

"That's correct. The name is Michael, madam."

[I am Kudomyla. You may call me that.](Kudomyla)

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Kudomyla. Can you explain to me how this thing works? How did you know that I'm a Wanderer?"

[Well, it looks like nobody bothered to explain to you how the Quest system works. Simply put, everyone from an ordinary child to a high-level Wanderer can issue a Quest as long as their request is deemed as important by the Sanctuary. The fact that my concern was turned into a Quest is worrisome...](Kudomyla)

Hearing the words, Michael started sweating heavily. If what he just heard was true, then there surely wasn't a shortage of Quests in the Sanctuary.

He wondered if the 'Find my cow' or 'Plow the fields' type of Quests would pop up in the future and if he should accept them or not.

"That still doesn't explain how you knew I was a Wanderer. Plus, as you've said yourself, I'm a newbie. Isn't finding a veteran Wanderer to help you complete the Quest much easier?"

[It doesn't work like that. The Sanctuary calculates the difficulty of the Quest and assigns it to a special level range. That means that only certain Wanderers can accept it. If you don't mind me asking, what's your current level?](Kudomyla)

"I am Level 6."

[That's good! That's great! It seems like the situation isn't as bad as I thought. To finish the explanation, just like you should see unique markers indicating that I have a Quest to offer, I can also see similar types of markers over the heads of Wanderers capable of completing my Quest. It's what guarantees that the two parties can trust each other.](Kudomyla)

Michael pondered on her words and realized that she meant the Sanctuary acts like a guarantor to help the Wanderer trust the Questgiver while also being a backer of the Wanderer and assuring the Questgiver of his capabilities.

Being slightly annoyed at the 'sudden encounter' with a Quest, Michael scratched his head and sighed. It looked like he wouldn't be able to relax much.

'On the bright side, If I complete a Quest for the Church, I might get back into their good graces, making it easier to meet with Prava afterward. Tensions might run lower in that case.'

"I understand now. Thank you for the explanation, Miss Kudomyla. May I ask for the details of the Quest? You seem concerned about something."

[Yes, well, Bozan has yet to return from delivering our tithing demands to Menestad. Could you sweep the roads and see what's taking him so long? The Cathedral must receive its dues!](Kudomyla)

Nodding his head in acceptance, Michael saw the Quest page being updated with a new entry again.

[ Quest issued - Menestad Coffers

Objective: Investigate the road to Menestad for Monk Bozan. ]

Seeing how simple the Quest appeared to be, Michael groaned inwardly. From his ample knowledge of novels, the easier a Quest looked like, the worse it would get once started.

'Or it might snowball into some other bullshit, and I'll get caught up in the middle of it. No, this can't happen. Without a proper shield, even with my four Skeletons, it would be suicide to go alone.'

Hearing his thoughts and pausing to analyze them, Michael's face turned even gloomier as he waved goodbye to Kudomyla and headed toward the Inn.

He couldn't complete the Quest alone and couldn't party with Wanderers higher than himself by more than five levels.

'How 'lucky' of me to have met three such people recently...'