"Very well, Mr Ives." Dolan looked as if he had regained his composure.

  "You shouldn't keep your status a secret during a registration process, my Lord," Catherine informed him with a formal but slightly amused voice.

  "In that case, I'm Count Arthur Ives of Arcadia." He shrugged. "I was informed that I need to register if I want to hunt."

  The boy tensed and started shaking as he raised his head and looked at Arthur.

  "A C-c-count?" He asked, terrified.

  "You write it with one c. Don't forget about the following ‘o’ as well, because without it, it gets awkward." Arthur grinned in amusement while Catherine snorted quietly. "But I would appreciate it if you wouldn't write it at all. I don't see how my noble status might be helpful while monster hunting. When I last checked, the monsters ignored me when I told them to line up in an orderly fashion and stop being rude to the people."

  That caused a few amused chuckles, as well as a few unsavoury comments, but he didn't care.

  "I... I will keep that information only in records, Lord Ives." The clearly panicking man was slowly writing something.

  "My thanks, Mr Dolan." Arthur smiled at the terrified man. "I want the rest of my companions registered as well."

  Dolan looked at the siblings and Catherine with despair in his eyes. Clearly, there was something wrong but he wasn't brave enough to voice the problems. Arthur waited patiently, but it was obvious that the situation overwhelmed the boy.

  "Something wrong?" He finally asked with a calm voice.

  Truth be told, Arthur expected all kinds of problems. From him being a foreigner, through the fact that he was a noble, to even problems with the registration of Cate, Silfa, and Ben, who were nominally slaves.

  "I will take it from here, Dolan." A very tanned Elf woman approached them and Dolan left with a visible relief. "My name is Val'narii Ashfallen. I'm the branch manager of the Howthorns' Hunters' Association. Lord Ives... If you are really him..."

  Arthur nodded and took out the scroll that confirmed his nobility and thanked his Emperor. He simply handed it to her and looked at the woman with curiosity. At first, he thought that she was just a tanned Elf, however, her purple eyes with hints of red and platinum hair that was almost white hinted that Arthur was wrong. She was about his age and, like nearly all Elves he met, was incredibly attractive.

  "So you truly are the rumoured man who singlehandedly eliminated an entire crime ring the local Lord couldn't touch." She returned the scroll to him and smirked. "Do I look strange to you?"

  "My apologies if I'm being impolite. It's just because I have seen many Elves in my life but this is the first time I’ve seen one like you." Arthur bowed apologetically towards the woman, who was clearly taken aback.

  "It's quite refreshing to see a noble who will apologise. No offence taken." She bowed as well and smiled. "Unfortunately, I have to inform you Lord Ives, that you can't register as a freelance Adventurer if you don't have any prior documented experience. Normally, you have to spend your time as a guild member and gain..." She finally noticed his flat stare. "Please, Sir, those are the rules..."

  "It so happens that I have a letter of recommendation. Maybe it could change your mind?" He passed her a letter written by the Baron.

  The branch manager started reading it and her expression changed from sceptical, through disbelief, to absolute shock by the end of it. She refolded it and stored it in her storage item.

  "Ehem..." She cleared her throat. "Technically, you can prove your skill by clearing a series of quests or hunting down a powerful monster."

  She wasn't happy about that.

  "Would that take care of registering the rest of my companions?"

  "I assume that you want to work as a party so that shouldn't be a problem..." The Elf woman sighed.

  "Excellent! I knew we could reasonably work things out! What do you want us to hunt down?" Arthur beamed a wide smile at her.

  "Well..." She trembled slightly. "The only quest appropriate to be a test is killing the Armoured Lion. But... That would be suicide!"

  "I’ve never heard of that monster before!" Arthur mustered all his enthusiasm. It was time to play his best performance of an eccentric noble who loves hunting.

  "It's a ferocious feline beast, covered in metallic armour protecting its back and sides. It's said that this armour is as tough as iron but flexible like leather. The beast itself is usually nearly three metres tall and ten long. Its fangs and claws are made of a material similar to adamant, so it can shred through any armour, my Lord." Ben immediately explained with a slight bow.

  "Ohhh? That's pretty amazing game!" Arthur smiled in a way he always imagined an obsessed noble would. He only hoped that local Adventurers would buy this. He was happy that Ben actually interjected, giving more credibility to the setup. "How can we track it?"

  "Finding it wouldn't be a problem, my Lord," Silfa added with a slight bow. "Like my brother said, the monster is ferocious, but what he really wanted to say is that the Armoured Lion is very aggressive and territorial. Once we encroach on its territory, it will inevitably try to scare us away or kill us."

  "Humu..." Arthur nodded, pretending to be disappointed, but in reality, he was delighted. That sounded easy. "While it certainly takes away the thrill of the hunt, it would make it easy to do it quickly. Where do they live?"

  "But... Lord Ives! Armoured Lions are at least level fifty!" The Branch manager protested with her tanned face going pale.

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  "Oh..." Arthur lowered his head with a grimace. "I see... It's too easy."

  "Easy?!" The woman asked angrily and put down her pencil with an audible click. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "In that case, we should embark immediately, don't you think?"

  "We?" Arthur looked at her with a puzzled expression.

  "Of course. I have to oversee the trial." She said with a dry voice. "We can't allow any kind of interference, can we?"

  "Of course, of course..." Arthur felt stupid. It was obvious if he thought about it. "Ben, Silfa, I will need you to rent carriages for us. You can ask Benjamin if he can help us. If not, tell me and I will ask Sion. Catherine and I will procure the supplies. Dame Val'narii Ashfallen, would it be acceptable if we pick you up in an hour?"

  She opened and closed her mouth in shock, but as her eyes narrowed into angry slits, she slowly nodded. "I must gather my own supplies as well so... Two hours will be better."

  "In that case, we will be ready by that time." Arthur dipped his head in agreement.

  They left the Centre with dozens of people watching them. Outside, Arthur stopped everyone with a raised hand and took them to the side where he activated his privacy barrier.

  "We were being observed with malicious intent. Watch yourselves, Ben and Silfa. Avoid back alleys and keep to the crowds no matter what. We will need a carriage that can withstand off-road conditions and camping equipment. However, nothing fancy, something adequate will do." Arthur handed Silfa five gold coins. "Ben, I trust you can keep your sister safe. In case of trouble, just go to the guards. If you are forced to defend yourself, you may use any means necessary, even killing the enemy. If anything happens we will be in the Baron's mansion."

  "Yes, my Lord!" The siblings bowed in unison.

  "Good. Now go." Arthur said and dissolved the privacy field.

  When the siblings disappeared in the crowd, Catherine looked at him with curiosity. However, too many people were around so she assumed her perfect maid stance. "You know that we could obtain everything from Sir Benjamin's company, Sir?"

  "I know." He nodded and headed straight to the manor. "But I want to see who and why is observing us and I doubt they are targeting the siblings. Besides, it's an excellent opportunity to see how they perform. The task isn't particularly hard so I don't expect complications. On the other hand, if they fail, I will simply free them once Ben gets old enough."

  "I see." The Nekomi smiled at him. "What am I supposed to do, Sir?"

  "Hmmm... We have some vegetables, and water isn't an issue. We will need meat and some spices... Honestly, I can only cook stew or similar camp food, and I'm not that good at it as well..." He tried to smile but only managed to grimace.

  "As your Maid, I will be preparing food for you." Catherine smiled more confidently. "While I'm not a Cook or have any class at all, my general skills are still pretty high."

  "I only ate the food you made once and it was amazing, Cate." He smiled thoughtfully. "We are still being observed, but whoever is doing it is just making sure not to lose us."

  "Trouble?" She whispered.

  "Nothing immediate. Perhaps someone will follow us outside the city... Well, I really hope they do." Arthur sighed as they slowed down in front of the butcher shop.

  "Why?"

  "It's easier to dispose of the bodies in the wilderness than in the city." He whispered back and opened the doors. "First stop, meat."

  ???

  No one bothered them during the time they prepared to embark, so Arthur was certain they were going to be attacked outside the city. The siblings obtained one carriage, but it was more than enough. Arthur was already thinking in terms of the camping wagons he wanted, but they weren't going to be ready for some time yet. At least, this was similar to the same carriage he used for the basis of their future wagons, so he would see for himself how its suspension felt and how it fared on the road. He expected to be disappointed but who knew? The branch manager was waiting for them in front of the doors wearing a strange variant of the chainmail that only covered her torso and shoulders. The rest of her body was protected by leather armour. She had two swords crossed on her back. On the ground near her, she had a cream-cloured sailor’s bag that Arthur recognised as a storage item of decent proportions. Arthur jumped from the cart and bowed with knightly grace to the woman.

  "Dame Val'narii Ashfallen..." he began.

  "I must commend you for not running away." She said, still angry. "The rules are simple. I won't interfere with your hunt, I will only observe, Lord Ives."

  "Very well." He nodded in acknowledgement but had no idea what could have made her so angry. He pointed to the cart pulled by a large and fierce-looking ram. "It's a simple cart, but the carriages I ordered are still in the making. We will travel using it, if that's not against the rules."

  "As long as you use your own funds or items you possess, it's allowed." The Elf shrugged.

  She let out a sigh and looked at him as she picked up her bag and loaded it into the cart. He stopped her right before she hopped inside and momentarily covered them in a privacy field.

  "I am being observed by someone who is giving out an intense malice. Most probably they will attack me during this quest." He said calmly.

  "Interesting. I noticed something, but it seems you have more bite and less bark than I imagined." She said wryly.

  "I will protect you, of course, but I felt obliged to inform you about it, Dame Val'narii Ashfallen."

  "I'm capable of protecting myself. You should be concerned with your own safety." She said and entered the wagon.

  Arthur shook his head and followed her. It was late afternoon as they left the city and travelled south for nearly three hours. While Catherine was skillfully driving the cart, Ben and Silfa were observing the area. Arthur was just sitting on the fairly comfortable seat and enjoying being surprised. The suspension in this cart was excellent and was nullifying the unpleasant rocking on the uneven road quite well. As it got darker, Ben and Silfa activated the magic lights that illuminated the road in front of them while also keeping the carriage well-lit.

  "Why exactly did you agree to embark so late in the evening, Lord Ives? Wouldn't it be better to travel early in the morning?" The branch manager finally asked.

  "Usually, that's how the Adventurers would proceed." He agreed. "However, we are travelling faster than a typical party that would walk all the way. The next advantage is the fact that once the sun sets, it will get cooler and we will be able to cover additional distance. After setting camp in a relatively safe place, we will have the entire night to rest. Tomorrow, we will have an entire day to locate and hunt down the monster."

  "Hmmm..." She looked at him for a moment and slowly nodded. "I see... It's something I'm not familiar with, but it seems reasonable. I will be taking notes and giving you scores according to your performance. From now on, when I am uncertain about your decisions, I will be asking questions, Lord Ives."

  "Very well." He nodded and looked at the siblings. "Ben, Silfa, are there any good camping spots nearby?"

  "There is an old campsite about thirty minutes away at our current pace, my Lord," Silfa informed.

  "Thank you." He nodded with a smile. "Take a seat near Catherine and guide her."

  "You won't be taking Silfa's place to spot the dangers? Val'narii asked.

  "I'm constantly using my skill to warn myself about any danger or monster." He shrugged. "But this is not a reason why Ben and Silfa had to become complacent. They have to level up and this is a perfect training opportunity."

  The Elf looked at him with newfound respect, but stayed quiet until they reached their destined campsite.

  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!