Feyre

  Those guys were quite nice considering I was an insanely suspicious character trying to get into their city with no identification. The fee was a bit crazy but I was hoping that I could find somewhere to sell off the Goblin detritus or be able to sneak into the city.

  What I wasn't really expecting, was the absolutely massive queue to get into said city. Considering that the forest I had just left was super dangerous for me until I found a group, one might think that there would be less people around. That was obviously not the case though. It seemed like this place was a hotspot for people to congregate and become adventurers. Maybe there was something in that, but I wasn't sure.

  I approached the back of the queue and the people, kids would have been a better term, in front of me turned and gawked. I raised an eyebrow which quickly got me some mumbled apologies and the kids looked away. I guess circumstances would lead lots of different types into moving to a border city like this. Furthermore, upon a closer inspection of their party comp, I realised they had no front-liners. No vanguards or tanks or even a melee DPS type.

  An archer, a magician of some sort, and some kind of priestly type going from his book with a swanky little symbol on it. All three of the boys were in similar grade of stuff and a quick identify told me that it was all beginner gear for adventurers, no enchantments and minimal protection. I don't know whether I was worried for them or if it was simply instincts that made me enter my "AlmightyPotatoMasher" guide mode. It didn't actually matter in the end, it was incredibly unlikely I'd meet these kids again after we'd all gone through the gate. Or in my case over the wall I reckoned.

  I cleared my throat to grab their attention and smiled lightly, trying not to intimidate the poor lads.

  "So, you guys planning on becoming adventurers then?"

  Their eyes might have bulged out of their heads when they turned to look at me, it took everything I had to not laugh at their faces even with acting. All three nodded to my question and before I could say anything the magician one replied.

  "Yeah, what's it to you? Gonna try tell us we're too young or something?"

  I didn't react but the archer elbowed his friend in the ribs and hissed something in a whisper. Probably telling him not to antagonise the front-liner in melee range or the like. I liked the balls on this kid, he'd go far if he didn't die being an idiot first.

  "Nope! I was going to berate you for your team composition. Why are you all pure ranged, being squishy... Pretty glaring weakness in that."

  That shut the magician up before he could say anything more, as much as he must have wanted to. The priest one visibly flinched and lowered his head.

  "It isn't... We were going to... We thought we could find some at the Guild... Ma'am..."

  I hummed. A solid plan in theory I guessed, but entrusting your safety to some random adventurer probably isn't the best out there.

  "How would you check your team-mate or team-mates? It's a dangerous world out there and not everyone is a good person you know."

  A moment of contemplation before the archer turned to the priest and whispered something, causing him to do some sort of hand signal and all three stepped away from me, out of the range of my sword, should I draw it. It was kind of cute, although I was hurt that they saw my worry for them as a threat. Oh well, it's a lot harder to get people to trust you when you don't have a title in the community like Eurani's Benevolent Goddess.

  "Hmm. While that might be a good idea, there's one glaring problem in that approach you know?"

  I go as fast as my stats would allow, tapping all three on the head with my knuckle before returning to where I was standing at a slower pace. Magician boy yelped and that got the others in the line to turn around and look at these three boys all holding their foreheads as I giggled softly into the back of my hand. I was so going to get some label as a Weirdo Old Woman who messes with upcoming parties... Oh well.

  "You see? If you want to get out of range of a melee specialist you need to lock them in place! Do one of you three have a spell or skill that can stun or freeze a person?"

  A trio of shaking heads. I hummed again and sighed, that was no good.

  That was when a pretty firm hand landed on my shoulder. I turned quickly my sword already halfway out of my sheathe before I saw a decently large man in the same colours as those guards earlier, if a lot more protected.

  "Is there gonna be a problem here, Ma'am?"

  His voice was gruff but I could see the slight worry in his eyes as he looked between me and the three ranged kids. Yeah I wasn't getting out of this with a good reputation. Thankfully the priestly one interjected before the Guard could also reach for his sword. I think my having already re-sheathed when I saw his colours helped my case a bit.

  "Ser Greofth! I know this looks bad for her, us yelping and her facing us like that, but she was just demonstrating something which I hadn't thought of before when it comes to safety. I have no reason to believe it was out of anything but concern that she did what she did."

  Awh, shucks. The smart little kiddo understood what I was trying to do. The Guard very quickly took his hand off my shoulder and gave a huff. He looked to my sword and then the rest of my get-up before smirking slightly. He quickly turned to the three boys and walked over to the priest.

  "You dolts I thought you were in trouble when you yelped like injured puppies! I'm sure I told you earlier that you ain't meant to talk to strangers, especially strangers who could give me a run for my money!"

  He knelt down due to towering over them and ruffled all three's hair. I noted it and locked it away as Father-Figure. However, as much as he tried to put levity in his voice, the kid's visibly recoiled at the fact he'd given them. It was always a shock when the father figure you saw as invincible admitted he might not be able to win. From the looks the other adventurers and people queueing up on either end of us were giving, that claim was quite an important one. Great, now I was even more of an outlier. The queue moved forwards anyway.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  The magician from earlier was giving me an appraising look, and of course his eyes lingered in some places. I scoffed internally, boys. Ser Greofth hit his head. I held back a laugh at that, chivalry wasn't dead! Yippee!

  Anyway, by the time that everything had been happening the queue had moved quite a lot and we were basically at the gate. The two gate guards saw Greofth and straightened up a bit. I assumed that he was their boss or something, but then wondered why or how he knew some early teens that want to become adventurers. Oh well, guess I will never understand the cliches.

  I paused at that. Did I just become that cliche, overpowered teacher who becomes the main goal for the hero's party? Oh please no, I didn't want to be the reason that they did something stupid like attack a Kuryuk Settlement by themselves without any backup! Whoever would do that must have been wildly idiotic and stupidly lucky to survive! Oh wait, hehe.

  I waved them off and instead of following them Ser Greofth stuck around, seemingly he wanted to talk to me after I got in. As I walked up I turned conspiratorially to him.

  "Are Aetherium Credits an accepted Currency here?"

  He stared at me like I'd just told him the true name of [REDACTED] and sighed. When we both made it to the booth he placed the necessary payment of a Silver Huntress on the counter and stared at me again. I felt some blood rushing to my cheeks and looked away. This wasn't fair, I didn't have an opportunity to sell my wares because of the boys atrocious team comp. I couldn't just let them think that they could actually be successful with only ranged fighters. What would they do if they encountered a rush tank!?

  Ser Greofth, of course, didn't hear my internal monologue and chuckled at my humiliation. One guard even asked if I was his wife! As if I'd for some tall, well built, polite, father figure, and chiseled man. Simply unheard of. Forcing the blood in my cheeks to go back to the rest of my body, I thanked him quietly and cried internally. What an introduction to the city.

  The first thing that I noticed was the hawkers. Well, less hawkers and more desperate parties. A lot of people needed a mage, or some sort of ranged specialist. I even saw one party that was only made up of people in cloaks holding knives! The team comps were kind of sad. I looked at Ser Greofth and he just shrugged.

  "Not everyone is blessed with good charisma stats, and sometimes Hyrupies of a feather flock together."

  I nodded sagely, before letting him lead me to a building aptly named Information Centre. Inside was a ton of different maps and other useful things that I would come back for once I'd sold all my Kuryuk treasures. Obviously I was taken to this place for a good reason, and I quickly found out why when, after a few whispered words, the receptionist here smiled jovially and gave me a map of the city. It was pretty plain but with most of the landmarks and important things like guilds, banks, inns, and the guard's barracks all scribbled onto it. I turned to Greofth but he just smirked at me with that annoying smirk I had quickly learnt was his signature. I glared at him. Stupid muscle brains and their stupid ideas that work out for the better.

  "Oh... Uh... thanks... Do you take Aetherium Credits as payment?"

  The receptionist raised an eyebrow at me and turned to the muscle-brained idiot.

  "You didn't tell her who you are did you... Frontier Nobles... You all try to act mysterious when you're just massive softies."

  It was my turn to raise an eyebrow and then the other one followed quickly afterwards. I quickly slammed a hand to my chest and bowed at a perfect 45 degrees. Sending a quick thank you to [REDACTED] for the maxed out acting skill, I started some made up introductory speech. I guessed the name Feyre was probably off the table now, just in case Tyrril or one of his people heard about me.

  "Knight-in-training Eleanor of the Aetherium Republic greets Lord Greofth! Most people just call me Lea."

  So I wasn't entirely sure what made me choose Eleanor as a cover name. It might have, maybe, possibly been in reference to Eleanor of Aquitaine. Not that I was as ambitious as that She-Wolf, but Aquitaine and Aetherium had enough similarities that my noggin probably thought it was good when put on the spot. Well done me!

  I wasn't entirely sure why I said Knight-in-training either and not just Squire, but I guessed it was fine because Lord Greofth didn't really react to that, as much as the whole bowing and saluting. Acting was quickly becoming my favourite skill ever, other than my absolutely broken unique one of course.

  Ser Greofth, Knight Captain of Errol

  I looked between Mel and the newly introduced Eleanor. I guessed I should be calling her Lea though. I'd thought when I first saw her that she might be some higher ranking knight from a different kingdom or empire that had been sent into the Great Divide for one reason or another. Obviously that could still be the truth, I didn't have a zone of truth type skill or anything, but I had to take everything at face value for now. The fact that someone who I assumed must have been in the higher levels of the first or lower levels of second advancement was only considered a Pseudo-Knight or Para-Knight was a bit worrying should we ever find ourselves on the other side of the battlefield to her country.

  Of course that was only true if she didn't end up being a lot more important than she was letting on. He salute and bow were clearly second nature to her, so I had no reason to doubt that she was at least who she said she was at one point. Levels and potions could do wonders for physical looks but I, again, doubted that she was hiding her true form or whatever the greater wizards of the court do.

  This did make her reaction to my hand on her shoulder earlier in the day make a lot of sense. The fact that her arming sword, very well kept arming sword at that, was already halfway out before she had fully assessed the threat was surprising at first. I was very thankful that she hadn't been causing trouble for the three, I'd promised their fathers' that I'd look after them when I was nearby and it would have been pretty bad if I'd failed that before they were even in the city.

  Mel finally spoke again, of course the only other things she had said would be insults thrown my way, rightfully so.

  "Knight-in-training? I uh... Is that a class like Squire? Or is it more like a Para-Knight?"

  She quickly covers her mouth at the very rude questions. It isn't a sin to ask about people's classes and abilities in Errol like it is in Iftania, but it was seen as bad form to ask it of someone without either offering yours first, or being a very good friend of theirs. At this question Lea looked up at me slightly and I realised that I probably needed to tell her to rise, or some such. I was never one for the formalities of nobility, only being such due to my position rather than birth.

  "You may rise, Dame Eleanor. And I'm not a Lord as I'm not Landed, please call me Ser if you must add an honorific to my perfectly adequate name."

  Laughing good naturedly, I looked at Mel who quickly composed herself. I didn't know the proper way to address Lea, but she didn't flinch at my words or anything so I assumed I must have gotten it close enough to be acceptable. Now this was when I found out that this Aetherium Republic called all Knights Ser and she was just being polite. This was going good. If I was lucky I'd manage to recruit her as a mercenary or some such before the Adventurers Guild got its grubby mitts on her.

  "Yes Lor- Ser Greofth, and to answer your question Miss... I am- was above a squire in the Republic, but below a Knight. Hence, Knight-in-training. I apologise if I am incorrect but are Para-Knights usually apprenticed to a fully fledged Knight in this Kingdom?"

  I nodded, not speaking in hopes that she would reveal more. Call me paranoid all you wanted, if their apprentice knights were on the same level as a fully fledged knight such as I, even if I was one of the weakest Knight Captains, then their military must have been pretty insane. After thinking about it for a second or two I realised two very important things that both reassured me and made my face blanche. She talked about the Republic in the past tense and because, unlike the Para-Knights here, she was apprenticed to a Knight, then she might have just been apprenticed to a monster.

  What worried me the most was the fact that if this Republic was as powerful as her strength only being on the level of Para-Knight, how had it fallen? What relieved me was if she was the ultimate outlier and had some eccentric monster as her master. If this was the case then maybe the actual republic was more like the Unkildre Coalition where there were a few really powerful monsters in the higher ranks but the common foot soldier was weaker than normal.

  A fighting man could hope.

  I wanted to believe that the System was always fair.