Noble Blood

The young boy soon exited from the second floor and swiftly approached Nia and Fenrir, who he immediately spotted was sitting a good distance away from the others. Many of his guildmates also looked onto him with sorrow and wishing him good-will, which deeply confused the young man. Another thing he quickly noticed was how many adventurers were also looking towards the duo with immense hatred and disdain, a sight he was sadly too familiar with even with his minimal experience.

"Here is the request, it isn't much but I do hope it helps you."

He handed them a piece of paper which didn't have much on it, yet to the duo it was a lead they were after. A minor description, desired specialties and more importantly a name to the contact person. The details about how much it would pay or how difficult it was is said to be a matter of discussion upon meeting up, and Nia did worry a little that an opportunity to interact with the spokesperson wouldn't be possible. However her worries were shot down by the words of the young man.

"They are still requesting for help, so if you need it the adventurer guild can set-up a meeting between the two of you, it will however cost you especially since you don't have your adventurer I.D with you."

Nia didn't care much for the extra fee, and tossed a gold coin onto the table towards the young man. Although she had little reason to hold onto the gold the bandits had stolen, she did make sure to keep enough so that her entry into a city would not be difficult. His words however made her more disgusted with the guild.

They didn't care if you lacked any identification with you, accepting even those who could be criminals into the guild. As long as they paid for their own problems, and dealt with them in their own ways, the guild couldn't care less about the countless people that may suffer due to their carelessness. She kept this disgust in her heart however as her face remained neutral during the whole encounter.

"I'll have the meeting prepared in three days, is there anything else you need?"

Even with his pure heart, his greed couldn't be contained at the sight of Nia casually paying a fee normally of bronze coins with a gold one. In his mind was already clouded with the idea of getting a good house or some delicious food from a grand restaurant. Little did he know that Nia would've paid in bronze coins if she had any, but her minimalist nature meant she only ever carried gold coins around with her.

This wasn't without other intended outcomes either, Nia wanted to gain deeper info into the guild and even with as low ranking as this young man may be, he easily acquired this notice within a couple minutes. There is also the want to draw the attention of the greedy and powerful within the guild, as it was much easier for her to gain information if they came to her instead of the other way around.

"Where do you recommend we rest?"

"Misty Inn is known for having the best rooms and reliable security."

The boy spoke with glee and eagerness, yet Nia had no intention of using his recommendation. It was likely the place was under careful watch of the guild and as much attention as she needed, falling under their control was the last thing she wanted. Instead her goal was to get some information from the local nobles, in particular the Gallow Family that she was once close with.

"That is all then."

The looks on the mercenaries' eyes glowed to extreme levels, even the man who once attacked Nia and was fearful of her now seemingly forgot his fear as once again greed clouded his vision. A fallen noble was the main assumption everyone was making about her identity, as only they would have the money of a noble, the strength of a mercenary, and the information of a merchant.

Nia knew this well that it would tick off the smartest ones as to her identity, yet it was still within her desire. It would still take a while before they learn of her identity, and by the time someone is sent to investigate it, she would've already left Trowan. Leaving a trail of fire and ruination behind her.

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"Are we going to that inn? I'm already exhausted."

Fenrir spoke with fatigue in his voice. They had only just exited the guild after being there for a few minutes, yet for Fenrir it felt like hours. The constant pressure emitted by the others inside, and his stress from entering a new and unfamiliar world causing him great strain mentally. Their ride was leading them deeper into the city, where the houses started to become more luxurious and the sight of another wall coming onto the horizon.

"No, we're going to meet an old friend of mine."

Memories of her past encounters with the Gallow family reignited in her mind. They were a rather small noble family, yet had one of the most advanced information networks in the whole kingdom. Often the crown sent them to purge cities of rotten systems, and their duty here was no different. The main problem however is normally they only faced a corrupt noble or a powerful merchant, yet here everyone was their enemy.

Even the Crown was a thorn in their side, a thing Nia had been told when she was asking about them. To Nia, their family was another family to look up to, instead of symbolizing the normal rotten greed and egos of other nobles, they were neither. Not rich, since most of their money went into information gathering, and not powerful, since they had little time to properly integrate themselves into politics.

She had only met them twice, first time was her 10th birthday, the day she was properly revealed to the noble society as the daughter of the Roguepalace family, instead of a passing rumor. The Gallow family immediately stood out, because unlike other families who gifted her dresses or jewels, they gifted her a pair of gloves that she could wear whilst training as to not harm her hands. She didn't wear them often, instead preferring to strengthen her hands enough so she didn't need them, yet was a wonderful gift for her.

The second time was her 12th birthday. This time instead the celebration was smaller since this was only meant to celebrate her enrollment into the Academy. Instead of giving her something materialistic, instead they gave her the thing she wanted most, knowledge and experience. Stories about how they gather information and became the most trusted yet at the same time most unreliable confidant of the Kingdom, and a book regarding the many obscure natures of the powerful kingdoms and guilds of the world. A slight chuckle escaped her mouth as she remembered how intensely she was told not to reveal the book to anyone else.

"Is everything alright?"

This was the first time he heard Nia give off a positive emotion. Even if it were just a small chuckle, it was a massive difference compared to the normal cold exterior. It made him a little envious of the person they were going to meet, as Nia had always looked at him with at best a neutral expression, and at rare times it seemed as if she wanted to kill him.

"It's nothing, just remembering the past."

The moment those words exited her mouth her expression darkened once again. Her 12th birthday was the last one she ever truly enjoyed as a celebration, the others after that nothing more than get together between family and friends. Those same friends, she had abandoned when she began her pursuit in vengeance, and those same parents, whose deaths have driven her to madness.

"Stop, entry is prohibited without identification."

A pair of guards stopped the duo from continuing by using their spears to block the road ahead. The interior of the city was guarded by a lightly manned wall with multiple entries patrolled by guards. Unlike those at the entrance to the city however, these ones could not be paid off as many were under direct service of the crown. It was a way to discriminate between actual citizens and immigrants, however it was clear it was more a difference between rich and poor.

Fenrir couldn't stop shaking at his words, as the duo hadn't obtained any form of identification. He half-heartedly believed that the blue-wolf token might work, yet he knew it was an empty wish. Instead he saw Nia pull something similar yet different to the token out of her cloak. It was similar in that it was a small token made of silver, yet instead of a blue glow it had a red glow and depicted a spear on both sides of it.

"Nia Roguepalace."

Both the guard and Fenrir showed shocked reactions, but for different reasons. Fenrir was surprised she revealed her identity then and there, without bothering to conceal her movements. He had always believed after all the duo were entering the city discreetly and as such didn't want to be tracked, yet Nia's actions immediately removed such a dream. As for why the guard was shocked, he was worried that the news of the Roguepalace families collapse might impede their journey.

"I see, then go on ahead."

The guard returned the token yet his shocked expression remained even after Nia had left. Fenrir couldn't help but voice out his worries at that moment they had passed.

"Why did you reveal yourself? Won't this cause more trouble?"

Nia didn't show much reaction to his words, yet she could sense that his emotions were in turmoil for what she did.

"Two reasons, first off there was no other way for us entering this part of the city, it's simply far too protected and we don't want to be hunted down as criminals. Second, creating a lure is important if we want to catch the big fish."

Her words didn't make much sense to him, only making his state even more confused. The first point made sense, even though he could tell that although they could sneak into the area at night, it would cause too much trouble and would over-complicate things. But the second point was completely confusing to him, his eyes staring at Nia with confusion.

"What do you mean 'catch the big fish'?"

"I want the Kingdom and the world for that matter to know that Roguepalace is still alive. If I'm going to find any lead as to who killed my parents, I must make them scared enough of me that they'll act."

Just like Nia planned to use Fenrir as bait to deal with the mercenaries in Misty Forest, she planned to use the Roguepalace name as bait to attack those who killed her parents. She didn't plan to leave the city quietly, but instead caused as much chaos and destruction within it. Not in an act of heroism, she couldn't care at all for the masses within the city, and she suspected her acts would cause them great harm, but what the underworld fear isn't heroes, but those who take what is theirs.

Just like how her family and her legacy was taken away from her, she would take everything away from them. Their resources they use to do business, the people they use to secure business, and if none of that works, she'll take away the very city the business is dealt in. She had already done so in Misty Forest, what difference does it make if the place is now a city?