Everett Maxon (3)

I finally arrived at the city's north gate before Liara, so I decided to make small talk with the guards. I go through these gates all the time to either train my magic or procure items.

I was quite familiar with one of the guards. His name was Joshua, but everyone always called him Scorch because of the large burn mark reaching from his neck to his forehead. He was a former knight of the kingdom who had retired and became an entrance guard to the kingdom.

Joshua had the appearance of a tall middle-aged man with a build slightly larger than average. He used to have a decent face for his age, however, now over half of his face is charred and unable to be healed by normal priests. He had gotten the scar when he attempted to stop a thief from fleeing. The thief had shot a firebolt spell at Joshua, causing severe damage to his head and upper body. He told me that if it weren't for another guard arriving early, he would have died for sure.

Unfortunately, the whereabouts of the thief or what they were fleeing remains unknown. While Joshua wasn't nearly as strong as a Knightford Academy graduate, he is still an experienced knight who spent ten years fighting for the empire. To be able to easily take down such an opponent with a single spell, it must not have been an ordinary thief. I wonder how strong they were, perhaps I would come across them someday.

I rid my mind of such thoughts as I continue forward.

"Hey Joshua, any suspicious figures as of late?"

He glanced down at me with a grin, "Naw, no one today my lord."

He responded cheerfully, "Going out of the kingdom again on another 'hike' perhaps?"

I use this gate a lot when leaving the kingdom, so I have become quite familiar with the guards here. I have become especially familiar with Joshua. Due to his long work hours, he's at the gate for most of the day and night.

¨Nope, today I´m going out on official business.¨ I puffed my chest out and made a thumbs-up gesture.

Joshua had a dubious expression and squinted at me, ¨Forgive my rudeness my lord, but are you joking right now?¨

Understandably, he didn't believe me. I have never joined any company or guild before, I have only just left on my own or with a teacher.

I simply nodded and said, "It's true, the news hasn't gotten out yet, but I've recently joined the adventurers guild." I turned to look around wondering when Liara would arrive. I could not see her just yet, she must still be too far.

"Impressive, the young lord has joined the adventuring guild, so you must be out on your first assignment." Joshua had a somewhat proud expression when he looked at me. It was as if he was watching a young child finally turn into an adult.

He looked at me again and asked "So, are you waiting for the rest of your team?"

"That's mostly correct, one of my teammates decided to go on her own, so I'm here to bring her back."

"Is that so? So who is this runaway teammate?"

"Liara Cross." I bluntly said the name without thought, but Joshua's jaw immediately dropped when I said the name aloud.

"The 'Lightning Flash Liara!' Young master Maxon was grouped with the prodigy of Knightford!"

I was taken aback by Joshua's excitement. I had heard that Liara was incredible from the two instructors, but I did not expect her to be this famous.

"Is she really that extraordinary?"

"Huh? Do you not have access to the news? You don't know about her?"

I shook my head and Joshua looked at me with a disappointed look. Wow, Liara must be something, huh? My face became warm when I thought about her, so I quickly shook my head to rid myself of those thoughts.

"Liara Cross was a commoner at birth, but she quickly showed signs of immense talent in the sword, specifically the rapier. As soon as her parents realized her talent, they quickly invested all of their savings into building her strength."

"Her mother and father worked her to the bone, having her train for days on end sometimes. However, this intense training allowed her to improve at an unfathomable rate. And by the young age of 11, she was able to enter Knightford academy through a scholarship."

Joshua spoke of Liara as if she were his idol, but isn't it a bit weird for a fifty-year-old man to idolize a 17-year-old?

As I was thinking that, Joshua continued his explanation, "Although she had gotten a scholarship, she was still a commoner in the eyes of the nobility. As such, she was subject to constant harassment by the other nobles. This led her to have a deep resentment towards nobility."

I didn't know why, but my heart sank when I heard that. I felt bad that she was discriminated against because of her position. But unfortunately, this is the sad reality of the world we live in. Power and upbringing are everything here, and if you don't have one or the other, you are bound to be mistreated.

"However, this did not make her despair, and next week, she confidently challenged every noble in her to a duel at once. It was a crushing defeat for the nobles in a 20 vs 1, this caused everyone in the school to view her differently. Most nobles kept their distance from her while other commoners who attended began worshiping her as the one who showed that a commoner can beat a noble."

I took time to think about such a feat. Even though no royals were attending the academy at the time, for her to defeat her entire class alone is quite astonishing. She must have an immense amount of talent, how amazing.

Joshua looked at me, gave me a smug grin, and continued his exposition, "However, due to her feats, no one dared speak to her, so I'm sure she doesn't have much social experience. Perhaps if the right noble approaches her, she'll lighten up."

"What are you saying right now? And why are you looking at me like that old man?"

My face felt warm for some reason, so I cast detoxification in case I was sick. For whatever reason, I began feeling lightheaded whenever I thought about Liara, it's an unusual feeling because I've never felt this before. Maybe it's a flu or something?

As I was thinking, I noticed a figure starting to show up in the distance. It was Liara. She was still quite a distance away, but due to my mana-infused eyes, I could see her.

She was walking swiftly and gracefully. Her luscious sky-blue hair fluttered in the wind as she made her way toward the gate. She strutted forward with purpose while having both the dignity and grace of a noblewoman.

Both commoners who recognized her and those who did not would make way when she passed by. It was as if they could sense her superiority.

"Did you spot her, my lord?"

"Yes I did, how could you tell?"

"Your face says it all." He once again had read me like an open book. I decided that I would go and confront our runaway party member and bring her to the weapon shop, even if it would require a bit of force.

"I'm off, Joshua. You might need to evacuate the surrounding civilians, I have a feeling I will need to force her to come."

Joshua sighed at my words, "You nobles really can get away with anything, can't you? Please refrain from causing too much property damage."

"You got it."

I began to make my way to Liara with determination in my eyes. I will make you my teammate. That thought made me embarrassed for some unknown reason.

I hastily cleared my mind and continued.