A Shared Perception Of Deception

The next day, the streets were surprisingly clean. Most of the possible trash amounted to human waste in a number of forms, glass shards, and a lot of broken clay. An almost excessive amount of clay shards.

Other than that it was mostly simple things like fruit skins and bones. Clean up had already begun by the underage apprentice adventurers, who were busy practising for recovery missions. They would bring specific garbage items to locations throughout the city for collection and decomposition purposes.

Many shops were also closed for the day while cleanup occurred, while others like the local pharmacy had lines longer than both of the fire god's tails.

Most were sick from overeating, allergens, or simply hungover.

It was a familiar sight to me. I had been the star of many parades, and the outcomes of said celebrations rarely differed.

However, while I was simply wandering the town a guild messenger caught up to me. They had said it was quite important that I make my way to the governor's office immediately. Seeing that it was quite important, I said farewell to the cleaners and moved on. As I made my way through the many streets with the messenger leading the way, I noticed another man wearing the same insignia as my messenger leading Rose and her party. It had only been for a moment, a simple glimpse through one of the cobble alleyways. 

Deciding that it was likely we'd see each other at the governor's office, I decided to simply wait and not call out to them now. 

…

As we made our way towards the centre of the town, I began to notice the common sights and smells slowly disappear. Buildings that were once made of cobblestone walls and wooden roofs became stark white painted bricks and orange clay tiles. A clear cut difference in both the effort and cost of the construction of this area. Another thing was the small patches of front lawns. Something completely absent from other places within the city now sat in front of most houses and businesses. Gardens, whether flowering or medicinal, lined the streets with a variety of colours and species in their plots.

Finally we reached a large building with a large tower at its forefront. A glass window just below the tower's spire allowed me to see the shadowed face of a small man looking down upon me and my guide.

The suns glare however didn't allow me to get a good look at him as we entered the building. Entering the building, I immediately took in my surroundings. White paint upon the walls matched the outside, whilst wooden ebony accents broke up the environment as two large windows, aided by strategically placed candles, lit the rooms up to a surprising degree.

The floor was made of thinly sliced planks, half the width of a man's foot. Tiles of clean white marble broke up the glossy wooden floor between each of the rooms. All of it screamed class and exorbitant expenses.

"Wait here sir, the governor will call for you shortly."

"Understood."

The guide then did a slight bow before turning and exiting, leaving me in the entrance alone. This did not last long however.

"So what did they call us for?"

"ONCE AGAIN MADAME I JUST DON'T KNOW!"

"I don't know man, you seem very suspicious."

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU WON'T STO-"

"Oh! Acros!"

Turning around, I was greeted with the sight of Rose's lively party and an exhausted guide.

"SEEING THAT WE'VE MADE IT I'LL TAKE MY LEAVE!"

The moment the women made it inside, the man left without a second thought.

"Oh dear, I'll have to apologise to him later." said a taller woman who towered above the group of three. 

The trio was an odd one to say the least. A tall pale woman in a flowing set of black mages robes seemed to lament her group's actions, her blue eyes well hidden by the brim of her hat. Even so, her witch's hat could barely contain her lengthy straight green and blue hair. On either side of her was Rose, and another woman I didn't recognize. This one while tall was not my height like the mage.

She simply was big. 

Not fat mind you, but her musculature gave her quite the broad figure. Even wearing simple pants and a shirt, one could tell she was well trained. I began to focus on her, noting strange things about her. Her skin was well tanned from time in the outdoors, yet her wrists were unusually pale. Shinier patches of skin were scattered across exposed portions of herself, including her face, neck, hands, and ankles. Her hair was also a strange mould of purple and white. But the strangest thing was a teardrop marking below her one exposed green eye. 

'A labour slave? Or perhaps an arena slave given the scarring?'

My musings took less than two seconds, making my gaze seem like nothing more than a glance at the new arrivals.

"Greetings Rose, what brings you here?"

Rose beamed as soon as she laid eyes on me, relief taking hold of her features.

"Acros! It's good to see you, honestly I was hoping you could tell us why were here! Our guide was reall-"

"Tired of your constant prattling?"

The room went silent as the muscular woman spoke, her arms crossed in discontent.

"And you are?"

"Ah! She's Xanthe. Don't mind the attitude, it comes as a package with the lovable girl beneath."

"Hey!"

Rose then pointed to the tall woman who was seeming to mutter something.

"And this absentminded woman is Anesa. Anesa, snap out of your thoughts on the messenger, Acros is trying to talk to you."

"Huh? Oh, hello sir, thank you for taking care of Rose on the recent expedition."

"And thank you for holding the line during the exchange. I felt the chill of your magic when the Ogres nearly charged me."

The woman widened her eyes, surprised that I noticed her readiness.

"Well I only… and …"

Slowly she descended into mumbling as she pulled down the brim of her hat to hide her face. 

"Sorry about her, she has a couple of problems with talking to people but nonetheless she's good at what she does. Xanthe, you have a sour look over there, anything to add?"

"Nah."

"Alright then, yeah we're what's left of the "Thorne Hearts", an adventuring party that's taken quite the beating over the last couple years."

"My condolences."

"Nah it's alright, we're over it. Also, do you know what's up with the governor calling us?"

"I do not, but they said it was quite urgent."

"It can't be urgent if they're making us wait like this." grumbled Xanthe.

For a moment, Rose, Xanthe and I exchanged some pleasant words to pass the time. But even that had its limits. Even the few scribes surrounding us seemed a little confused.

Finally, unwilling to see us stand around like this, one of them spoke up.

"You four, go upstairs and follow the spiral staircase, it should lead to the governor's office. We'll take the blame if something's not wrong. Right lads?"

The other scribes nodded, prompting me to look back at the group behind me. They shrugged, so I simply thanked the scribes and began to head up the stairs. We passed by a few maids and butlers before reaching the tower portion of the building. We then began up the winding staircase when I noticed something peculiar.

A wire laying across one of the steps. It was flat on the step meaning it couldn't trip anyone, but it could definitely trip a trap or alert someone to our presence.

'Since we are uninvited, let us make ourselves known."

Deliberately, I stepped on the wire and continued up the stairs. The others were in civilians clothes, and only Anesa and I were armed. Even if it was suspicious, now was not a good time to be pushing our luck in an enclosed space.

Reaching the door, I decided to knock twice.

"Come in!" a muffled voice said from beyond the door.

Opening the door, we filled into the small office. It was lined with two shelves that had various objects on them. Some held up monster materials and sculptures while others were simply filled with books. The main feature of the room however was the giant window behind the governor's desk. 

It granted clear oversight of the whole townscape. A beautiful sight. Also behind the governor's desk was the governor himself, who was a small but healthy older man. Lines could be seen across his drawn face, while his greenish brown eyes still retained their youth with one being hidden behind a thick glass monocle. Even so, his thick brown hair was streaked with strands of white. His clean shaven face managed to pull itself into a smile against the strain of whatever weighed upon him.

"Hello esteemed guests, where is the maid I assigned to guide you here?"

Rose stepped forward and bowed her head in respect before speaking.

"Greetings governor, to answer your question we received no escort."

"Hm?"

The man furrowed his brows as he curled a fist below his chin in thought.

"Strange… I will investigate the matter at a later date. Nonetheless, welcome to my office Thorn Hearts. And I believe you are Acros the supposed summon? Take a seat for a moment. A servant should be here soon with refreshments. We are still waiting on one more person before we begin."

"We take your gracious offer with gratitude in our hearts, governor."

We then each took a seat in the two couches that sat before his desk and faced each other. I had not spoken a word, allowing Rose to do all the formalities. She seemed experienced, and I was not. 

I continued to scan the room, only pausing when a butler entered the room and placed glasses of water in front of us. 

Even so, no one drank it. I looked to Xanthe who looked back at me. Her brows were furrowed and her muscles tensed.

I then glanced at Anesa who's glass now had small balls of ice forming in it. Even the normally laid back Rose was sitting at attention.

I flicked the rim of the glass, sending fire skirting around its edge before it returned to my finger and extinguished. The rim of the glass glowed orange for a moment before Anesa absentmindedly cooled it with a wave of her hand.

The only noises in the room were the scratch of the governor's pen, the occasional clink of a glass, and Xanthe shifting warily in her seat.

Finally, after twenty minutes the door to the office opened again to reveal another strange character.

"Honourable Governor, sir. I apologise for my tardiness."

A man in white and black robes stepped into the room. He was bald, clean shaven, and heavily out of breath. His hand slowly slipped down his staff, slick with sweat. He looked to be a priest given the familiar insignia that hung from his necklace. It was similar to the black star that adorned my pauldron. However it lacked the four borders that surrounded the star on mine.

"Hello head priest Gavol. Your tardiness is forgiven. The children of the church must be quite a hassle no? I understand since my daughter was the same long ago."

The priest gave an anxious smile as he rubbed the back of shiny bald head. However something to note was…

"Where is the maid who was supposed to escort you here?"

"There was none milord, the scribes in the halls below told me to investigate."

"I see…"

The governor's eyes narrowed before glancing towards me.

"Well I called you here for a simple task, that man there claims to be a summon of Firmina."

The bald man's eyes widened in shock as he looked at me.

"What!? Then you are the one who drove away the Ogres! Excuse me for not introducing myself exalted one."

The man instantly fell on his knees and grovelled, his forehead pressed to the floor.

"There is no need for that here, rise. And a simpler title may be better here."

My words had the man race to his feet as carefully as he could.

"My thanks ex- I mean sir."

"Your welcome, Head Priest."

The bald man bowed his head before he tapped his pen on his desk, grasping Gavol's attention.

"So I'm guessing he's the real deal?"

"Indeed!"

The man pointed at my pauldron which bore the sigil of Firmina.

"This is the sigil of one under Firmina's protection! It cannot be worn by someone who did not have it graced upon them by Firmina herself."

The governor nodded slowly before taking the papers he was signing and rolling them up. He then stamped them, stood and came over to hand them to me.

"These are yours then. They are papers detailing your authenticity. If another governor asks for your documents, these are them."

I was slightly surprised they were what he had been working on there, but nonetheless accepted them.

And so with a flick of my wrist, I set them alight. In less than a second, they burned till there was not even ashes left behind.

"Wha-

"Sir!?"

"Acros?"

Shock spread around the room as I realised my "mistake".

"My apologies, allow me to explain."

Flicking my wrist again there was a burst of flame and the papers appeared in my hand.

"This is how I store most things."

The governor, shocked, then laughed as the tensity within the room faded as thought it were a lie.

"I see, I see! Can I have a look at the paper?"

I handed back the yellowish document which he took in his fidgeting fingers before adjusting his monocle and murmuring the contents back to himself.

"Its all there! Marvelous! You'll have to excuse me, this is quite a brilliant form of magic, and I am a big fan of spells. I was born without proper mana veins you see and- Ah! Sorry, I must seem like I am rambling."

"No, no, its fine. The only one here laughing is Rose."

The governor turned a tinge red with embarrassment as he noticed the giggling woman. Suddenly Xanthe and I turned to look at each other, a certain subtlety in our glances. The two of us had felt it again, even so I wasn't going to ruin the mood I had established.

"So these papers are…?"

"Ah yes! These papers are legal documents detailing what you're allowed to do within the country. We have a residence being restored at the moment for your use, but for now you have the option of a guild suite, or one in my manor."

"I would like the guild suite for now."

"Alright then! When you get back to the guild, a woman named Mirabelle can assist you with anything you don't understand."

"Understood."

For a moment, the governor paused, his excitement dying down as bit as he considered something, likely a query.

"Sir Acros, if you don't mind, may I ask what the gods are trying to do? The mamono lor-"

"I'm not here for the demon. I'm here to restore the title of knight to its former glory."

"Ah, the original meaning of knight, you mean restoring it to being a chivalric order correct?"

"Something to that effect. I need to learn a bit more. For now though, my foe is not the mamono lord. Instead it is current societal norms."

"I see, that's a daunting task you have there. If you would like, there are several libraries within my manor that may be of value to you and help you learn why the title of knight degenerated so far."

"I will keep that under consideration."

A quick glance behind me showed veritable confusion, something that governor had not shown at all.

"Excuse me if this question seems odd, but why are you so well versed in the topic?"

"Hmm, well it boils down to education. History is generally not taught to commoners as it is an expensive subject to share." He said, as he gestured to the paper in front of him.

"I learned a lot about the military history of this country, and indeed we once had a knight order. For nobility and most historical administrations, this is common knowledge."

"I believe I understand a little better know, thank you. For now, I will take my leave."

I then turned to the bald man as he seemed to straight up, almost immediately spilling his glass of water.

"Sir!"

"Thank you for your help."

"Your welcome sir!"

I then turned to leave, nodding to Rose who's eyes had glazed over at the mention of history, and Xanthe who cautiously nodded back. Anesa was completely mentally absent so I simply let her be.

…

The scribes at the door had asked if I needed a guide back, but I declined. Instead I slowly made my way back through the upper-class district. The sights and sounds were far different from the common districts in the fact that it either amusement or whispers. Everywhere I went, the attention shifted to me. While there was a sense of luxury, there was also a sense of boredom.

My simple presence was enough to spur the prattlings of speculators, wildly spinning what little information they had into conversation amongst themselves. 

Even so, I didn't ignore them. I listened quietly as I strode, considering their impressions of my presence and image. They were fleeting, but consistent.

Imposing. 

Strange.

Tall.

Shiny.

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I was looking for. 

"Hey you!"

A stern voice from behind, caused me to stop and turn.

"Xanthe? Is there something I can help you with?"

The muscular woman jogged up to me, slowing as she approached.

"Yeah, We need to talk."

Beneath my helm I smiled, recognizing how perceptive she was.

"Well then, let's walk and talk."

The two of us strolled in silence for a moment. As the eyes on us faded away, no longer interested in what we may have had to say.

"You felt it right?"

"The wire? The intent? Or that second of pure hatred directed towards Rose."

"The intent and the hatred. I only noticed the wire on the way back down when it was tought again."

"I see, sorry about that. I purposefully tread upon it to make our presence known."

"No problem. I'm just bothered what in the three hells might be going on."

"For now, let's consider it a cold reception."

"That's one way to say it."

Our conversation came to an sudden yet smooth halt as we slowly came back to the common district as cobble and wood made a monotonous path on our way to the guild. Xanthe had nothing left to say. 

And to be fair, neither did I.

Or at least, I thought such was the case.

"Hey uhh, Acros right?"

"Hm?"

"I just kind of realized I don't know who you are."

"And I do not know you."

"Well uh, I'm-"

"Knowing each other takes time. A moments shared interest is not enough, and a second introduction won't help. Perhaps if we meet again under forgiving enough circumstances, we can get to know each other."

"... Thanks."

"You're welcome."

…

The moment we entered the guild, Xanthe said goodbye and headed to the table where her party usually sat, likely claiming it for the other two who still hadn't caught up. In the meantime, I approached the front desk and came before Mirabelle.

"Oh? Hello there sir. How may I help you?"

"I am here for the reward you offered when you sent only three people to recover the missing adventurers."

"The reward for the recovery of the missing adventurers and the expulsion of the Ogres is ready for you. Would you like to move to a more quiet location?"

I could hear the adventurers quiet down slight as some of them began to listen in. Even so, I wasn't particularly bothered by any of the consequences revealing anything to the likes of them.

"Here is fine."

"Alright then, please wait for a moment as I get you your reward."

Mirabelle then delicately moved her skirt and got up off the seat and headed into the hallway behind her.

As I lazily scanned the desk, I noted a slightly rusted black star that looked like the one Gavol wore. 

'Perhaps she is a follower as well?'

"Here we are."

Mirabelle hefted a sack on the table. It looked like a two pound sack of flour, but the material itself was made of a strange black leather.

"This is 90 gold coins. Please count them out to make sure everything is in order. When you're done you can sign this receipt and move on to other matters."

She then flashed a sales woman's smile as I looked at her unfiltered indifference.

"Thank you. I would also like to review some documents with you. Perhaps in a more… quiet, location."

Mirabelle's smile twitched as she grabbed a key from beneath her desk.

"Of course!"

Mirabelle once again stood up in the same, smooth, hommunculic fashion and opened the small gate leading behind the front desk. I then passed through and followed her behind the counter into one of the many back rooms.

…

"So in summary, these documents provide access to all cities within the Larinian empire. It also serves as a voucher for most imperial offices, and may waive certain fees in those territories. It also allows you to have several different types of jurisdiction, from the enactment of justice according to the laws of the land should sufficient evidence be provided, to the lawful assembly of a paramilitary force. Should you ever be without your sigil, these right will be made null and void. I believe that's about all, is there anything you wish for me to clarify?"

"No, for now that's fine."

Despite her earlier irritation with my prodding, she had decidedly made herself quite informative. She had thoroughly explained the rights I had been granted, and the many benefits these documents provided. It had taken a couple of hours, but the information I had acquired was invaluable. The most important piece of information however, was that these documents made me the equivalent of an S-class adventurer when considered for requests, while also putting me outside of guild jurisdiction. I was essentially a single person administrative entity, second only to highly ranked nobility and royalty. Even then, I stood shoulder to shoulder with them in terms of my rights.

"Alright then, before I make myself scarce, do you have anything else I can help you with, or any questions I can answer?"

I thought for a moment, before deciding finally on my course of action for the rest of the day.

"Yes, two things in fact. Firstly, where may I find Utbrot? I have a few things to discuss with her. Secondly, what is the current situation with my guild residence?"

Mirabelle put a finger to her chin as she furrowed her brows in thought. 

"I believe Utbrot is currently living in a mamono friendly inn called the Quiet Plank. You can find it by going down the main road, making a left, a right, and then another left. After that you should see a sign with it written in bright pink paint."

"A left, a right, and then another left… understood."

"As for your residence, we're still preparing it at the moment but it should be functional by nightfall."

"I see, I will return then."

Standing up, I put out my hand for a shake.

"Thank you for your help Miss Mirabelle."

For a moment she seemed unsure, before grasping my hand and giving it a firm shake.

"Your welcome."

After that, Mirabelle showed me the door and rid herself of me as soon as possible. As I passed through the common area, I looked to see if the Thorne Hearts were still here, but it seemed as though they had moved on while I was reviewing the documents. There was however a slight commotion at one of the nearby tables.

"Are you serious Kent? After everything we've been through!?"

"It's because of everything we've been through that I am doing this."

Kent and his whole team were sitting around a table, a slightly heated air surrounding them.

"I still have family I need to come back to everyday. My mom relies on me for a lot of things, and I'm not sure she will be hold it together if somethings happens to me. Besides, I'm not quitting adventuring, I'm just becoming a registered hunter."

"But that means yo-"

"Have a lot more restrictions on what I can do? Yeah. But it also means that I can still see you guys, and bring home meat for the diner. It's a compromise that will help my mom sleep at night."

The group quieted as I passed by, and the eye's of Kent and I met. At that moment, I simply nodded, and he nodded back. He understood what he had to do, and executed it flawlessly. Hopefully he will be able to regain his mothers trust slowly, and become more careful in the future.

…

What is a knight in this world? A familiar stranger, perhaps a shadow of something I once knew. The governor was strange. I had very little trust in him or the information he could provide.

Thus I had to find a more trustworthy informant.

Making a final left, I turnt onto a smaller dead end street. On one of building to my right, a white sign with pink writing signified my destination. The building's entrance was almost ground level, and had a fairly low front porch. In fact the entire building stood out for being quite squat. The other thing that stood out was the reddish tiling that covered its roof compared to usual wood or stone.

There were also no visible windows.

And I could tell why.

The strange noises coming from the literal entrance of the home told me a lot more of what I didn't need to know than I should.

And so I considered waiting for the noises to stop, and thus decided to wait.

For ten minutes.

Then twenty minutes.

And that's when I decided to get dinner.

Before coming back another hour and twenty minutes later to the continued "noises".

It had been two hours, and as far as I knew, they were going to keep going. It was nearly dusk, so finally, I knocked.

Instantly the sound stopped.

And a moment later, the sound of scrambling and opening and shutting doors echoed through the door. 

I had to admit, had I not been standing right at the door I would have never managed to hear what was going on. The building lived up to its name perfectly.

Finally, the door creaked open as a panting Utbrot opened the door.

"H-hello?"

She was sweating, and her clothes were dishevelled. If the sounds were not enough, now I knew.

"I need to talk to you and your husband. There's a bench up the street where I'll meet you so we can decide where to talk. I'll wait there so please, clean yourself up."

Utbrot blushed profusely as she looked down at me, before nodding meekly and closing back the door.

…

"Acros!"

Sitting on a bench I watched the reddening sun set on the emptying streets. Two people, however, rode up to me.

"Greetings Utbrot and… Cartor Brun, I presume?"

"Indeed sir, I am Cartor Brun. You'll have to excuse me being mounted for the moment, my leg isn't in the best of conditions"

'Is that so?' I wished to ask, but instead withheld my musings for a different time.

Cartor, seated upon Utbrots back, shifted his thick glasses up and peered down at me from his saddle-like sheepskin seat. He was a fairly tall man, lightly built and wearing a thick wool vest, a red long sleeved shirt beneath it, and a pair of brown trousers.

A black tudor bonnet cast a small shadow down his face, granting his glasses a slight orange tint in the evening light

"I see, and I apologise for contacting you both on such short notice. I need some information for my journey, and was hoping the two of us could talk somewhere private."

"Ah! I see, Utbrot dear, could you take us to the bar on Milde street?"

"Of course honey."

"Follow us sir, there's a place nearby where we can talk in private."

"You have my thanks Mr. Brun, and please, call me Acros."