As we rode in the horse-drawn carriage to Fayhelm, Sophia happily sat next to me. The carriage was slower than usual because of the weight, but we weren't too far from Fayhelm. While Wilhelm was the driver of the carriage, Justine and Isabelle sat across from me. Isabelle was playing her Celtic flute as I started a conversation.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you guys get captured by Fred, anyway?" I asked.

"On our way back from a weekly settlement meeting, those idiots ambushed us. I should've known that they wouldn't play fair. Otherwise, I would have decapitated them as soon as they arrived," Wilhelm said annoyed.

"What do you mean? You guys have a security detail, right?" I asked.

"It looks like you aren't from around here, huh? Your strange attire gave it away. But to answer your question, we don't really need security when we already have Wilhelm. He's an A+ rank Half-Demon," Sophia proudly stated.

"What?! What did you say?" Justine shouted.

"Wilhelm is one of the most powerful Half-Demons in Adrios. He possesses 5 stars in every attribute except Charisma and luck for...obvious reasons. If we factor in that I'm a B rank sorcerer, it makes having a security detail somewhat useless," Sophia stated.

"If you guys had an advantage over them rank wise, then how did you get captured?" I asked.

"Paralyzation magic. It's considered by many to be lost magic. These idiots aren't smart enough to cast it, so it must have been someone from the shadows. I'll have to report this to the Mayor immediately," Wilhelm confidently stated.

As I looked out of the carriage, I saw the town of Fayhelm on the horizon. It looked as fantasy as you would expect, with a moderately sized wall and a group of guards protecting its inhabitants. As Sophia suddenly grabbed my arm, I was unprepared to feel the softness of her breasts pressing on me. Considering that I would've been in college right now, I felt that this was an absolute win.

However, the pleasant feeling quickly dwindled as I felt the penetrating gaze of Wilhelm, as he peeked behind his back with an icy stare on his face. It was the gaze that an overprotective father would have, which felt as if you were walking on the most delicate of eggshells. I tried to break the tension.

"What type of opportunities does the Town Of Fayhelm have for a Merchant? I obtained a few gold and platinum coins from those thugs, but I'm looking to begin my road to riches. That's why I came to Adrios," I said.

"If you want some expert business advice, I know a few people from the Tavern who could teach you. Since you saved us, I'm sure they'll be open to giving you some knowledge for free! Visit The Dusty Palm later tonight and it'll be my treat!" Isabelle happily said.

"Thanks! I think I'll take you up on your offer! I know I have several things to learn, but I have the ambition to follow through!" I said excitedly.

"If only you could be this excited about your actual quest," Justine muttered.

"Oi. Don't forget your end of the bargain, woman! We're working as soon as we arrive in Fayhelm!" I said.

"What?! You monster! Can we at least rest our legs first? Just how badly do you want to be a Merchant?" Justine said worriedly.

"All I'm saying is that the time you spend complaining could be spent making money," I argued.

"Huh? What are you? A workaholic? These demands are unreasonable! How do you expect me to accomplish this!" Justine said.

"It's almost like I told you the same thing earlier today...," I said.

"Tch. Touché. I suppose you have a point. Saving Sophia prevented the Town Of Fayhelm from falling into anarchy, but we still need to train more! I'll allow this Merchant dream to persist for now, but the threat befalling Adrios is not only real but deadly!" Justine said.

As we continued to converse with Sophia and Isabelle, I felt as if Wilhelm was eagerly eavesdropping on every word that I uttered. If I didn't know any better, I would say that he was suspicious.

---------

We eventually parted ways with Sophia when we arrived at Fayhelm's gate. Wilhelm offered to take the thugs to the Town's guard office since we still had to go through security. As we waved Sophia and her party goodbye, we walked into the Guard Tower that was outside of Fayhelm's wall. There were two distinct lines for getting approved, with the shorter one being exclusively for heroes.

In typical Justine fashion, she nudged me into the hero line, but I wasn't too mad about it. While I originally planned to hide my identity as a hero, people would undoubtedly call me heroic for saving Sophia. We also have to consider the fact that I agreed to perform heroic duties 40% of the time, so I might as well reap the benefits of being designated as one. But as we walked into the hero line, we noticed that most of the civilians were looking at us. While the men were looking at Justine, the women were looking at me. It was as weird as you would expect.

"Why are they looking at us?" I whispered.

"Why do you think? We stand out too much! Our attire isn't what you would call 'normal'. We must get ourselves some more appropriate clothing. We can't have you in your college attire forever!" Justine whispered.

While we continued waiting in the line, I took the time to identify the diverse civilians that were in the line next to us. I noted the different types of females that were staring at me earlier. There were Catgirls, Bunny girls, Elves, Fairies, Dwarves, and other female Demi-humans in the line. There was even a busty Minotaur woman, who looked to be significantly more human than minotaur. In contrast, the 6 heroes in front of us were predominantly human, which piqued my interest.

But since we were moments away from getting approved entrance to Fayhelm, I was excited to start on my path to becoming a Merchant.

Even if it was an unusual one.

CautiousTitan

In the next few chapters, we will see Owen start his quest to become a Merchant. He will learn more about Adrios's economy, currency, and additional details that a Merchant needs to know. He will also learn the various ways of making money in Adrios, with one of his favorite being gambling.