Chapter 27

"Are those two more than just from rival factions? It seems like them being in the same building as you two is almost unbearable." Timothy after hearing some of the nasty comments his two brothers had said about those sitting at the other table troubled him. There had to be more to these stories than just being rivals because otherwise Andrew and Ian would have acted outright against them immediately upon seeing their presence.

"That guy over there's father is notorious for selling items to just about anyone including bandits and mercenaries that take on jobs concerning stealing and pillaging weak villages. The only reason no one acts against their merchant group is because no one could tell just how deep their roots have gotten. In this world there are those who walk the path of righteousness such as our own merchant group and those who walk a different path such as theirs. However, that is not the only issue we have with them."

"There was a time that my father was going through some minor troubles and they took advantage of that weakness and outright stole many of my father's clients at the time even though they were not big clients by any stretch of the imagination. Plus, due to our merchant group's reputation being well received, they obviously see us as a threat to their own business because bandits and mercenaries just aren't as wealthy as actual organizations that have been established several hundred years ago. It will not be long until they are unable to even touch us, but until that time I was told to keep a close eye out."

"As far as that girl, Ian told me a story that her grandfather being a high ranking military officer who is just a step away from being given the title of general has used his rank to boost his own family members even those who did not deserve such promotions. While his family is more spread out taking on roles across the empire wherever they are needed, that girl's family focused specifically on the western section of the empire."

"You may not be well researched enough to know this, but in the military there are those who reward those they are close to while suppressing those who are competing with them. Ian's family similar to our merchant group has always done their best to not suppress anyone unless a terrible crime was committed. However, there will always be those who can only build their influence and strength by suppressing others until there is no one left to think about standing against them. Since her family chose to remain in the western section of the empire, it is much easier for her grandfather to have their family flourish since anyone at the general rank or above have more pressing matters to attend to generally speaking."

Getting the entire rundown from Andrew finally helped Timothy understand a little more about how this world operated and he couldn't help but to let out a deep breath because he would not know how to handle it if he had to be roommates with people like those at the other table. "Do not worry the night is still young and we shouldn't let those people ruin our fun! We came out to celebrate and damn it that is exactly what we will do!" Timothy shouted while raising his drink saluting the other two.

For the next two hours, the trio enjoyed themselves and were even approached by some nearby guests inquiring about their little celebration. These guests had some status of their own but of course recognizing Andrew they chose to show him face on behalf of his father. Even if an expert reigned supreme in a large city like the one they were in, it was impossible for them to truly give someone like Andrew trouble because his father was connected to many cities in the region and offending him could mean more trouble than they would think.

Before long one of the attendants that was going from table to table in the building finally approached their table and explained what she was doing. As part of their entertainment for the night, there would be several sparring matches for anyone who wanted to be involved. Not only was betting allowed, but each contestant would receive a small compensation if they were to compete with others. The catch, was that only those of the same rank were allowed to spar and if there were not enough people of a certain rank, then said expert who volunteered to compete would simply not be able to.

However, before any of them could answer, another attendant who was just over at their rival's table headed over with a halfhearted smile. "I am sorry to bother our wonderful guests, but that table over there wanted to issue a direct challenge to any one of you who would accept. That individual has chosen to compete is rank two concerning his strength and from what I could gather, every single one of you is of the same rank. Would any of you wish to accept the challenge?" she asked the trio.

It was very obvious that the youth who issued the challenge had done so in order to make things difficult for the trio and most likely would not hold back in order to severely injure one of them. But hearing such a strange offer, the artifact told Timothy that he should be able to be that youth's match even though he looked to be two years older and close to breaking through to the third rank.

"I will accept the challenge and hope that this assistant will make the proper arrangements." Timothy told her while passing her a few gold coins as a friendly tip. "Do not worry you guys, I am fairly certain that I can take that guy on and if I could help you both embarrass all of them, it would make for a wonderful bonus!"

Since being in this world, Timothy had yet to spar with someone that was both the same rank and had ill intentions towards him. It would still be a while until he would be able to temper his strength in life and death struggles whether against evil people or demonic beasts, so this was his only chance to really see how well his previous experiences were. Timothy had over twenty years of daily combat experience due to the war in his home world, and although that does not completely translate to him being able to overwhelm someone of the same rank as him, it was still something that gave him a very good edge!