Catherine looked at Arthur in stunned silence. She was carefully holding the impossible scroll and tried to return it to him.

  "No. You need to be holding it until we meet with the Baron." He waved his hand negligently. "You must act like a maid of someone as important as the scroll suggests."

  "What…? Ummm... My Lord... What would your authority allow you to normally do if you were offended by something in a foreign country? I ask, as an example, could you petition your Emperor to take an official action against offenders?" She asked, still shocked.

  "I'm an Inquisitor, Catherine. If I find enough reason, my authority allows me to declare war upon such a country. The only thing my Emperor would ask is if I need the help of the Navy or if the Immortal Legions would suffice." He answered.

  "Oh..." She nodded, then she froze. "Gods... Are you serious?!"

  "Dead serious." He shrugged. "But enough about me. He called you a Black Cat. What did he mean?"

  "You don't have the Black Cats in Arcadia, my Lord?" She blinked in surprise.

  "Of course we have... Or at least I believe so unless I'm wrong. Your race is called Nekomi in Aderon. Black Cat is awfully specific and Nekomis have different fur and hair colours. Are all Black Cats, well, black haired and black-furred?"

  "All Black Cats have black fur on our ears and tails, but hair colour varies. Honestly, my hair colour matching my fur is rare, my Lord." She answered with a strange pride in her voice. "We are also quite rare in the Kingdom but not to the point of being something sensational."

  "If you are such a rare person, then why weren’t you sold?" He asked with confusion. "I would expect your rarity would be a good selling point even for your inflated price..."

  "With a huge slave mark on my back? With the price four times higher than usual? I really doubt that even if I had a class, it would have helped me..." She deflated slightly but quickly cheered up. "However, if that had been the case, we would have never met! So I'm glad it ended like it did, my Lord."

  Arthur simply nodded in acknowledgement, uncertain whether he wanted to delve into the discussion about fate and life. She sensed his uncertainty but smiled nonetheless as she looked once again, at herself in the big mirror. He noticed that she was giving judgmental, but overall approving, glances at her reflection from the moment they entered the room. Catherine smiled sweetly at him.

  "Right now, I actually almost appear as a slave that a high-ranking noble would like to buy, my Lord."

  "Don't forget that you are a free person, Catherine..." Arthur repeated quietly without turning towards her so she couldn't see his expression.

  "My Lord..." She started, equally quiet, but he raised his hand.

  "I will never accept that." He started and suddenly fell silent.

  "My Lord?" She tilted her head without understanding.

  Instead of answering, he slightly inclined his head toward the door that opened moments later. The same Captain who had interrogated them earlier entered the room with a very polite smile on his face.

  "Lord Ives, I’ve arranged for a carriage that will take you directly to the meeting with the Baron. I'm very sorry we have made you wait."

  "A moment of respite from the burning sun in a pleasant room is always welcomed, Captain." Arthur smiled in a way that could have been perceived as friendly. "Lead the way. Any more delay and we will have to apologise to your Baron."

  "Baron Howthorn is aware of the delay and, in fact, he asked for a bit more time so he could prepare. It's not a daily occurrence that an important person like yourself, Count Ives, visits our remote city." The Captain was sweating.

  "In that case, we can proceed, but without hurrying." Arthur offered. "Or would the Baron like me to wait until he is ready?"

  The large ‘yes’ on the Captain’s face told Arthur a lot, however, the warning tone in Arthur's voice caused him to rethink.

  "I'm sure that my Lord will be ready by the time we reach his manor." The Captain surrendered.

  As Arthur thought, ordering a noble to wait was a very bad idea in Saftia. Normally, he would have gladly seen the city first and maybe even visited a few shops. However, with Griss Vul's people around, it wasn't a good idea. Especially with Catherine in tow. They followed the Captain and, once they left the waiting room, they were welcomed by the soldiers who were supposed to be some form of honour guard judging by Catherine's expression. The waiting room was on the upper floor of the gatehouse, and as they returned down the staircase, an extremely quiet staff and a fairly expensive-looking carriage was waiting for them. They climbed aboard with the Captain, who nervously sat on the backwards-facing seat after Arthur took his place.

  "Sit down, Catherine. I'm not comfortable with you standing." The Inquisitor pointed to the empty space near him and looked at the Captain who couldn’t hide a strange expression. "Since we have a moment and, thanks to the benevolence of the Baron who has allowed us the use of this carriage, could we take a… more indirect route? A little sightseeing, perhaps? I would gladly visit the shops in your city, and if you could show me some of the best places, Captain..."

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  "My apologies, Lord Ives!" The man relaxed a bit, sensing the opportunity to prolong the ride as much as he could but upon hearing the last pause, realised that he had never introduced himself. "I'm Captain Amos of Howthorn's militia, Lord Ives. I would gladly inform the coachman of your request."

  "Excellent!" Arthur smiled as the man left the carriage. He quickly leaned in towards Catherine and whispered into her ear as he pretended to look outside her window. "We are being closely watched."

  She simply nodded as they waited in silence for Captain Amos to return. It took a bit longer than necessary, even as he listed every single shop by its name to the driver. However, now that they were in the Baron's carriage surrounded by his people, Arthur couldn't care less about how long it would take to get to the noble. They moved... Slowly. So slowly, in fact, that the accompanying guards walked faster than the carriage and had to adjust their speed to a lazy stroll. Arthur simply turned to the Captain and started laughing, honestly amused.

  "Ahem..." Amos turned red in embarrassment and looked at Arthur apologetically. "We will be following the main street of Howthorns, so we must adjust our speed to the foot traffic."

  Arthur looked outside the window only to see that the street was indeed crowded. His surprise must have been clearly seen on his face because the Captain relaxed with an honest smile.

  "It's a market day, perhaps?" Arthur asked in confusion.

  "Unfortunately that's not the case." Amos sadly shook his head. "It's embarrassing to admit, but we are gradually losing control of the surrounding area. High-level monsters like the Steelfang Boar you defeated have become a common sight, and many surrounding villages were forced to be abandoned. The situation has, frankly, overwhelmed us."

  "Oh... It's remarkable that you’ve managed to maintain order." Arthur said with an impressed tone laced with an Interrogative Suggestion.

  "If that were only the case." The Captain said with a sigh, hesitating for only a moment. He lowered his head and clenched his fists on his knees. When he continued speaking, his voice was bitter. "The crime in the city and nearby areas is on the rise. We have no idea whether the bandits work together, or if we are dealing with separate groups. However, travelling is currently becoming extremely dangerous."

  "Thank you for your warning, Captain Amos. I will ensure we are careful."

  Arthur rubbed the back of his head while Catherine stared at him in shock. The Inquisitor, then, simply crossed his arms and remade plans according to the unfavourable situation. He wasn't particularly moved by the situation as Amos described it. If they considered a level thirty boar a high-level monster, there shouldn't be anything that would bother him. With Shade protecting Catherine, he was sure their travel would be relatively uninterrupted. Bandits might be trickier to deal with, but he planned to buy a large stock of the cheapest arrows he could find. His magic, while powerful, was medium-range at best. They would need a wagon, large enough for beds and space for a shower or bath. Bath would be better from a logistical point of view. They would need some storage space as well as supplies. He wanted a wagon with solid walls and a roof, but he didn't want to spend too much money on it. With the right materials, he could add some reinforcing runes to make it more durable...

  Well, all things considered, whether or not he succeeded in convincing the local lord to support his plan, he only needed money. He would need to achieve a healthy balance between staying low profile and making it clear that messing with him wouldn't pay off. Depending on how the next two days went, he would have enough time to plan his next steps, or they would have to run. In order to make this city his base, he would have to deal with the people who could prove to be his enemies. It would be worth it even if he had to reveal slightly more about himself than he was comfortable with. He would prefer to stay as friendly with this city lord as possible because it was the closest city to the ruins where he teleported in. He needed to properly investigate them and uncover their secrets, if that was even possible.

  Unaware of Arthur's inner thought process, Captain Amos pointed out sights with the enthusiasm of someone who had no idea what they were doing.

  "On the main street, you can find the best shops and taverns in the city. If you look closest to the city gates, there are dedicated blacksmiths and armourers who take on more complicated jobs. However, for generic items like arrows or pikes, you would be better off looking through the Trade Companies' shops located near their production areas." The descriptions of the places were scarce, if any, but fortunately he didn't require the equipment. He seriously doubted whether he could find even a single piece that would come close to the quality of his gear. "Next, you can find taverns and lodgings. And lastly is our potion store and magic store. Near the street's exit is the Adventurer's Centre which manages quests and requests."

  "Please, tell me, Captain Amos... Do I need to register as an Adventurer or something else if I would like to take on some jobs? You see, I like hunting various beasts and big game. I usually keep a trinket, a claw or tooth as a memento, but leaving the beast would be a waste. Back home, I usually take quests at the Guild to entertain myself and I would like to continue my pastime since it helps to cover a few expenses during my travels..."

  The Captain looked at him with shock mixed with some careful calculation. Most probably, he wanted to hire Arthur to exterminate some particularly nasty monster, and if the pay was right....

  "I believe you will have to register, Lord Ives... If Baron Howthorns allows it, I will gladly serve you with my help." The Human nodded with a slight reluctance.

  They passed the forges and Arthur looked closer. They weren't very advanced at first glance, but weren't shabby either. He could probably forge a decent weapon there if he needed a spare, or something for Catherine for self-defence, but it was very low on the list of his priorities. However, as they passed, the buildings themselves piqued his interest. They were usually five stories tall, and their upper three stories were painted white, while the lower ones were usually red, green, or, more commonly, the entire building was simply uniformly white. Each building seemed to have a large and rectangular structure, which Arthur would normally call a chimney, but it was too big and produced no smoke. Besides, there were smaller chimneys visible from the ground so the towers were intriguing.

  "Excuse me, Captain Amos, but what purpose do those large chimneys serve?" Arthur decided to ask the guide.

  "Chimneys...?" The guard looked at what he was pointing at and gave him a slightly puzzled look. "Oh, those aren't smoke chimneys, even though they look like that. They are wind catchers. They are connected to the ventilation system of the buildings allowing the inside to be effectively cooled. You don't have them in your country?"

  "Fascinating..." He hummed to himself and decided to betray harmless information. "An air conditioning technique that doesn't require magic... To answer your question; no. My homeland has a much more temperate climate, but summers tend to be hot. However, we use magic to cool our dwellings."

  "Using magic to cool homes?" The Captain's eyes widened in shock. "I heard that the King's palace was cooled with magic, but to hear it's widespread..."

  Well... Shit. The level gap made something ordinary for him unbelievable for others...

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to and who edited the chapter!