As the necromancer king was slain, the expedition ended in a complete success. With this in mind, the remaining adventurers decided to head back to their respective towns. However, they were still rewarded by Belairt itself before leaving. It was considered compulsory by the town to compensate for the many lives that had been lost in defending it.

  A grand sum of fifty silver lion tooth was given to each and every one of the survivor. It was a great amount. However, it was not even close to what the men who risked their lives deserved with some even getting maimed in the quest. Not to mention that many had lost their comrades, party members and some even their family in a foreign battle.

  None complained, though. They had expected nothing from the corrupted masters of the town who would have chewed them and spit out the remains if it provided them with any benefit.

  After saying their farewell to the fellow members of the expedition, Harwin and his group departed for Yugsolvia.

  Out of the original hundred, only forty or so remained. They had decided to stick together for the journey due to the perilous road ahead. Moreover, the lot were comfortable with the young mage as their leader. Well, except for Lyam, but he still decided to join in regardless of his personal opinion.

  It was a tough way back. Monsters and the harsh environment remained punishing to these victorious bunch. They still co-ordinated much better than before, so it was not all too difficult to defeat their enemies if they chose them carefully.

  The ruins of the ashen lands were just a cheat for these fellows — they could have rested in them for a year and not a single creature would have even come close. It provided the perfect shelter for rest, so they seldom needed to remain guard even during dusk.

  In two weeks and a few days, the group managed to reach its destination. Word of their exploits had already reached the ears of every single man, woman and child of Yugsolvia. So, they were welcomed back as heroes. A grand celebration was held in their honor and the lot entered with roars of cheers from the entire town.

  However, some eyes were busy in finding their loved ones from amongst these returned warriors. This certainly made some members of the party dejected who had to announce the death of their comrades to these poor souls.

  They were immediately led to the town-square where the guild master and other important figures of Yugsolvia awaited them. Harwin was in the lead which surprised the old guild master. Soon enough, the latter was informed of the death of Kaith which certainly saddened him.

  None the less, they were still received with great respect and admiration. As the small-folk gathered around the square, the old man of the guild addressed them:

  "People of Yugsolvia, the adventurers of this town have once again proved their loyalty to the empire, better than anyone else for that matter. They have taken down the right hand of Qareen, one which had shuddered fear in the hearts of many. Even when faced with absolute impossible odds, they did not cower away."

  Some amongst the group looked down in shame as they knew the whole truth. The old man continued regardless:

  "We have lost many in this great quest. However, we shall not lament the deaths of those noble men, but celebrate their immortalization. One of them was a dear friend of mine, many of you might know him as the leader of the Mortis. Ser Kaith upheld his oaths in times of great difficulties, he was the embodiment of chivalry, truly the strongest adventurer of Yugsolvia. I fear, we will never see a man of such standing ever again." The guild-master stepped away after this. His words were full of grief as if he had lost a son.

  However, most men in the returning party frowned at his last statement. They knew what had occured on the battlefield and, unlike Harwin, they did not forget nor forgave.

  Then came the representative of the saint. He had his own agenda to preach:

  "These men are brave, yes, there is no doubt in that. However, it is also true that without the blessing of Alomos and saint Raemon, they could never have succeeded. The gracious blood of saint Yanis had granted these men an audience before they departed on their journey. There could not have been a greater reward for anyone. Finally, I commend all of you on your efforts and hope you remember Alomos and his holiness even in this moment of rejoice."

  His words were just as sweet as the ones which Harwin had heard in Belarit. The young mage knew that these statments were as light as feathers — lacking any emotions and meaning.

  'Even in the victory of others, the shrine did not forget to take credit.' Harwin thought.

  The lot were excused for the day to rest. They were to visit Raemon in the morrow. Even this was considered a favour by the saint upon the adventurers, yet Harwin found no one else frustrated by all of this. Infact, many actually believed that they were extremely lucky for such an opportunity

  Harwin's original party finally made their way back to their headquarters – the shabby room — and it felt like they had been away for years. Celebrations were still going on in the town. It was an atmosphere of a festival, but the bunch were too tired to attend any of it.

  However, they could not rest either as their door knocked after each passing second. Gifts and food awaiting on each turn. The items varied from clothes to decor to even some basic necessities — whatever the common man could afford. They even got home-made dishes which was something the group looked forward to.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  At the end of the day, they did not have enough space to store all of goods they had recieved. They had to rent a room at an inn to even sleep.

  As expected few guards arrived at dawn. They wore smiles this time instead of the usual scowl. They were not sent to bring in just every single member of the expedition, no, it was to fetch Harwin that they had arrived.

  None doubted the famous reputation of the Mortis. Many might have believed that it was only due to them that S'kaal had fallen. Yet, the other adventurers had not wasted even a day in spreading the true accounts of the battle, after which Harwin had become the talk of the town. It was something the young mage would have best avoided.

  In the end, He had come on top as the orchestrater of the grand victory. His position as the true leader of the expedition had been secured instead of Lyam or even Kaith.

  Never the less, the bunch made their way towards the shrine grounds. There were walls surronding it all, with a total of three gates even within. The place was more protected than the town itself.

  The outer-most zone was where the followers of the saint would gather to catch a glimpse of the "God's chosen". It had well-maintained gardens but overall was not paid much attention to.

  The middle one was occupied by administration of the shrine with a number of buildings constructed around. Residence for some and storage for others. At the edge of this area were dozens of quarters built for the guards as well as some of the labour force.

  Harwin and his party made their way all the way to the heart of this grand temple. As they entered through the last gate, every single of them felt as if the entire world had changed. From fountains to gardens to orchards, it was a settlement within a settlement. It was spread through tens of acres and maintaining it were at least a hundred men and women alike.

  There were various structure built throughout this vast parcel of land. Of course, the main residence of the saint was the most magnificent, breathtaking piece of architecture to look at. With polished limestone, tall columns and a great statue of the first saint in the front-yard. Harwin did feel an uncanny resemblance between it and the council-building of the First town.

  Surrounding the main house were small huts lined up from one end to the other. These were occupied by servants of the main house.

  The bunch made their way right through the main door, only to be welcomed by dozens of servants lined up. All of them dressed elegantly, but most importantly, all young and stunning in their own right.

  A red carpet was spread all the way towards another door which was as tall as the main one. Above them were chandelier and a rather heightened ceiling which was just as lavishly decorated as the rest of the place. Harwin and his companions did not try to stare too much. At the entrance, all of them were stopped, and only the former was allowed to proceed forward.

  Reassuring his comrades, he stepped inside of what appeared to be a great hall. There was a thin veil at the middle of this huge room. Behind it, the saint — Raemon — sat on a throne elevated from the rest.

  Harwin was told to keep on walking till he finally reached the thin separation. He was then told to step right through it.

  The young mage saw a rather bizzare and obscene sight. Raemon sat leisurely on his golden throne while two ladies were standing on his either side. All three were barely dressed, yet none felt even remotely embarrassed. Well, none except Harwin who could not even take a glimpse at them. The supposed concubines wore perfect smiles, however, it only made it look unnatural and artificial.

  He immediately knelt. The spoiled saint was busy playing around with his servants and had not even noticed the lad's presence yet. It was only after one of the girls pointed out that he glanced at him, carelessly.

  "State your name." Raemon said while still paying attention to his servants.

  "I am Harwin, member of the expedition who fought against S'kaal, honourable saint." The young mage replied carefully.

  "Oh, the star of the battlefield, I see. You are the talk of the town. Harwin the valiant, is it not?" The strange fellow finally paid him some attention.

  "It is a silly title bestowed upon me by my fellow adventurers. I am hardly worthy of it, everyone fought bravely out there."

  "Nonesense. People do not compliment another just for fun. I have heard that you were the reason behind the success of your group. I am disappointed, however." Raemon paused slightly which made Harwin uncomfortable. "I was referring to the demise of Kaith. He was a boisterous fellow, I am sure that he would have accepted any and all titles without a care in the world."

  Silence loomed for a few moments after this. Harwin did not know what to say or if to say either.

  "Well, never-mind the dead. You are a strong man, eh? Do you wish to enter my service?" Raemon inquired.

  "I am honored sire, but I am neither worthy nor responsible enough for such an important position."

  Of course the young mage did not want to work for some shameless perv.

  "Shame. But, I will not force you. I have plenty of others after-all. You are still to be rewarded for bringing glory to Yugsolvia, though. Hnm, what shall it be?" The saint pondered for a while.

  Meanwhile, the ladies stared at Harwin, who in response did not meet their gaze at all. It was unfortunate, their intention was something rather desperate.

  "I have decided. First of all, you shall be officially known as "Ser Harwin The Valiant". Secondly, you will be given a blessing from myself. Worry not, it is not a common one that I bestow upon just anyone." Raemon claimed before beginning some incantations that Harwin had never heard before.

  The young mage had already made up his mind that this man was a fraud, and that this was all but a farce that the saint pulled to solidify his position.

  At the end of this ritual, Harwin, once again, felt nothing changed.

  "You are not complete, ser. It is the first time I have felt something like this. It is strange, very strange. Something is a miss in your very being." The saint mumbled to himself but could be heard around the room.

  Harwin was just as confused as Raemon but did not speak for now.

  "Away with you! I can not help you!" He shouted.

  It was certainly something that Harwin had not anticipated. Albeit, he did not stand around, and adhered to the command almost instantly. Just as he was about to leave through the hall, the representative of the shrine handed him a pouch.

  "His holiness is just tired, do not let it get to your head. This is your reward, and if you need anything else, find me or the guild-master. We are glad to have you amongst our ranks, ser."

  The shrewd man shook the hands of Harwin multiple times, and then accompanied him out with respect.

  His party members were also handed some pouches, of course, the contents were not the same for each. Also, none were not allowed to visit the saint's hall which disappointed almost all of them.

  On the way back, Harwin tried to contemplate what Raemon had meant, but he could not make anything out of it. After coming back to his room, he finally peeked inside the pouch. There were about two hundred silver lion tooth in it. A grand, grand sum for an adventurer.

  The others had received varying amount with some getting ten while others getting fifty. It was true that the young mage had been awarded with the most.

  Now the difficult decision had finally arrived. A thought that constantly bugged Harwin throughout the journey back:

  "Should I go to Guilmeshan or not?"