Crowell Netley

—The commotion at the bar ended almost as abruptly as it started.

The man with the red headband stepped inside the bar and then commanded, "All of you, stop fighting at once!"

Surprisingly enough, everyone listened, even Callum.

"Who started all this?" He asked.

Callum stepped forward, "I did."

"Why?"

"I was going to use that kid as bait to capture Katherine Morrison," Callum explained while pointing at me. "That kid there is her younger brother."

The man with the red headband glanced towards me, but then focused his attention back at Callum.

"I'll have you explain everything later. Guards, capture him."

Two armored men walked from behind him into the bar and then grabbed Callum, who wasn't resisting at all. He even had a smile on his face as he was being dragged out of the bar.

A little after he was dragged out of the bar, the man with the red headband said, "That will be all. You may return to your usual activities."

The people inside the bar began picking up the chairs that were thrown around and then after setting everything back, went back to drinking.

Even I felt the need to go back to my seat, but it seemed like he still wanted to say something more to us.

He turned towards Lewis, "It has been a while, friend."

Lewis nodded with a great smile, "It's great to see you finally getting things under control now. Oh right, let me introduce you to my new pals. This here's Din Morrison and that there's Tal. Din, Tal, this one here is the governor of this city, Crowell Netley, Crow for short."

Crowell bowed, "It is a pleasure to meet you."

I gave a quick bow back as well.

"Now, how about we go for a walk? After that little incident, a breath of fresh air sounds nice, don't it?" Crowell suggested.

Lewis patted him on the back, "We can catch up on all the good stuff! Oh Din, join us! Tal too!"

"Sure," I replied.

"No thanks, I'm stumped. Going back to the house now," Tal replied.

"Suite yourself!"

—We walked up the stairs back to the city center with Tal but then went different ways from there.

"Why didn't you try to stop the fight back there, Lewis?" Crowell asked. "I only heard a little about what happened before I got there, but it seemed like you escalated the situation there."

"Ay, that bastard had it coming. You think I was going to let him talk down my friend like that? Not to mention he threw a glass at him!"

"I would've thought you would be used to dirty moves like that by now," Crowell mentioned while shaking his head.

Lewis laughed, "That ain't mean I won't give them a beating or two! Just because I'm used to it, doesn't mean I have to respect it. So anyhow, I heard from old man Oskar that the city has been peaceful lately, but the instant we entered a bar, we already enter into a brawl."

Crowell sighed, "Just because the city is mainly peaceful doesn't mean there aren't any conflict at all. Compared to how things used to be, I'd say even two big conflicts a day is a big progress."

"Only two conflicts a day? This ain't a city like Ravenwalt or Zante, Crowell. You're dreaming pretty big for a governor! I like that!" Lewis complimented while patting Crowell.

After regaining his balance from the force of Lewis' pats, Crowell explained, "It wasn't easy getting the citizens of Lanport to treat others fairly. You should know, the people here really don't like listening to the higher power. Doesn't help the fact that pirates would come here every so often and ruin any kind of order we were able to build."

"So then? How did you manage to calm things down? No other governor would have the balls to come to a bar and stop a fight like that. I don't think I've ever seen pirates and Lanport citizens act like that! And no offense, but you aren't exactly the strongest one around either."

Crowell laughed. Lewis seemed glad Crowell didn't take the negative comment too seriously.

"You're right, Lewis. Even I wouldn't expect the past me to be able to do something like that. But now, things are different. I am strong. And people see me that way as well," Lewis claimed with a confident smile.

I hadn't realized this until now, but Crowell was actually only a bit taller than me and compared to Lewis, he almost looked like a child. But what was amazing was, just from the aura he was presenting, I had seen him as someone bigger.

"Oh that reminds me, what brings you to Lanport?" Crowell turned to me. "I expect it's not just to visit with a friend, correct?"

I shook my head. "I need to get a boat to Aegis."

"Aegis? I don't think I've heard of a place like that. Is it from a different country?"

"Yes, but I heard it's close to Grandel, just northwest from here. Aegis is an island by itself."

"An island northwest of Grandel. I can't say I've heard of such a place, but I'm sure you can find a captain that would take you there. Lanport is the city with the most bravest captains and crews in the world! Although there is a thin line between brave and stupid," he laughed.

Lewis asked, "About that Crowell guy, what do you plan to do with him? He's an Ace knight, you know? If he wanted to fight the guards in this city, he probably could."

"No need for worries, you won't have to run into him any time soon," Crowell replied calmly.

"How can you be so sure? Are you throwing him in jail?"

"That is exactly what I'll be doing."

"You know that Ace knights are treated as one of the highest-ranking figures in the country, right? I'm not sure how the king would react if he found out one of the Ace knights had been jailed," Lewis spoke his worries.

"You don't have to worry about that, Lewis. Sir Crowell will be just fine with calming himself in prison. Didn't you see how easily he let himself get captured?"

Lewis froze for a moment. We all stopped walking.

Lewis mentioned, "You really have changed a lot, Crow."

Crowell placed a hand on Lewis' shoulder, "You need not worry, Lewis. Just stay calm and keep everything peaceful. Everything will be just fine after that. I will keep Sir Callum in prison until your friend has enough time to leave the city. That will be alright, won't it?"

Lewis gave a bright smile before nodding, "You're right. Thank you."