Chapter 9: Rumors of a Princess

After I have received my quest, I stayed inside of the guild for a little while and looked at board where countless quests were posted on papers. Well, not really as I had another motive in mind.

“Have you heard?”
“About what?”
“I heard rumors about the princess visiting the town west of the capital. She's a total spender”
“Oh really?”
“I heard that she uses money indefinitely without a care. If I were In her place I’d rather save up that cash and buy a mansion or two!”
“Dream on sucker, Hahaha”
“Same to you, Ahahaha”

Two men were talking to each other in their respective tables, I moved a little bit closer to hear what they had to say and honestly I wasn’t disappointed at all. Even if I were the princess I’d rather save up that all that money rather than pointlessly spending it all.

“Oh and I heard that there's a war going on right now, Travelling might be a pain later on as they might put a ridiculously high toll”
“Eh? Isn’t that bad then? We barely receive enough money to feed ourselves and we have to pay? Ugh”
“Its life brother, just be happy that we were able to travel from the capital to this city easily”

When I was about to leave my spot, I heard another thing. I was so curious that I didn’t have the thought to stay quiet this time.
“Excuse me, But is that true?”
“Oh a cute lady, about our little talk right now. It is honestly the truth, Be careful though as Slave trading has become frequent around these areas. Don’t travel around alone by yourself, Because of the recent high toll rates Travelers who camp outside the walls sometimes gets kidnapped and auctioned off as slaves by traders. “
“I see, Thank you for the warning. I’ll be making sure that I don't go that route. “
“Oh and little lady, If you happen to get caught or something this big brothers of yours will come to save you!”

“ Ahaha, No thanks.” Waving my hands, I left the guild and the two men who still kept drinking heavily. After that, I detoured around the city and visited the shops I haven’t seen yet since I last came in to resupply.

“Oh yeah I still have that entrance tag, Maybe I should return it then?”
As per rules, One must return their temporary tag after a specified amount of time, For my case it’s about 1week maximum. If not given back within that time frame, the usual brown color of the tag will turn grey and the guards will be notified almost instantly.

A long time ago, Around the time when I was at the city a similar case unfolded. Apparently the guy who had his tag expire was caught by the nearby guards once they saw him. The guards also patrol the city so it is pretty safe around here, and they have a communication device with them so not only information can be relayed, but orders too.

And since it has only been a day since I was issued a temporary tag, I have at least 5 more days to go.
“Well I'll return it anyway so no biggie”
Walking my way through the crowds of people across the streets, I arrived at the gate when I first entered and passed my tag to the nearby guard.

“Oh it’s the same missy, Its only been a day, Did you get yourself a new tag?”
“Yep!” I showed him my black tag, It was like a plate. No, rather it was a plate with my information in it containing my blood print.
“Oh so you went for an Adventurer aye? Are you going to leave already?”
“Nope, I have some work left to do here, I just passed by to return this”
“I see, well then. Have a safe day”

After I had finished my business, I went straight to the mansion. Along the way there, I saw a rather lavish carriage with a crest in it with a rose like design. The windows covered in a lavender hue, gold plating covered the entire hull.

A lot of people were standing by too, so I stood by them and watched the extravagant carriage pass.
“Isn’t that the insignia of the kingdom?”
“Yeah you’re right, Who came this time though?”
“Maybe it was just a random noble not knowing their place”
“I’d rather be with the lord”

It seems the lord who manages this city is loved, and the others… Not so much. The wind was strong as it blew the curtains covering the carriage; there was a person inside as I caught a glimpse. A girl and a man, Other than that, The curtain closed with the eyes of the girl locked on me, Exchanging glances.

“What a weird day is it today? How do you even pee with this thing?”

“Welcome back Lady Estella, How was your venture?”
The butler greeted me,
“It was tiring. “
I replied.

“If you have any problems, Feel free to consult to me and the lord. We will do anything with our abilities to help you out” Can you turn me back into a man? Having to the bathroom was hard, Well. As if I can boldly say that, So I’ll just keep it to myself
“Yeah yeah, Anyway Where’s my precious babyblade?”
“Certainly, Please follow me”

When I came to follow him, there were a few maids who were cowering from the corner and a few men who were soaking wet in sweat. When we reached our destination, the sword I personally forged was stabbed on the ground with all the heavy weights everyone could attach on top.

“that, Why is it like that?”
“The blade itself is fine per see, But due to that toughness and the sharpness it has it was even able to cut off an entire brick wall our workers made. It had seemed that one wrong slip and this sword might even bury itself to a rock”
“.. Sorry for the trouble”
“Its fine Miss. You can be rest assured that this thing will be kept safe in this place for now”

Not that I particularly mind but, what I was afraid of is that the possibility of it being stolen and used mischievously by someone else. Alas, there is nothing to worry about right now as my main problem is swordsmanship itself; I want the ability to wield a blade, Not just holding it.

My eyes were glued to the sword that was hung at my waist, one of the blades my father once made when he was still alive. Even though it has been years since this one has been made, with careful maintenance and proper care it should be fine. Feeling the lost flames this blade once went through, I was determined to hone my own skill for my safety.

It was as if the flame itself was my soul, My heart was pounding in excitement and fear of the unknown. But recognizing that someone is behind me at all times, I felt relieved. I felt relieved that I can still be myself even if I’m alone. This place is full of good people, and for that I felt grateful.

The night passed and the maids taught me the proper methods of how a girl should act, And the day after I requested the knights who guarded the mansion some light spar with a training stick. It went on until noon and sweat was making my skin sticky, waving my goodbyes I left and went back into the mansion where I was hugged by Noelle. With such a small body of hers, she managed to turn me over and slam into the ground.

The maids that followed her of course quickly scolded her, But all I did was laugh. Another day passed by, The morning was full of training and practice swings from the knights and the noon was me going back into the guild to receive some information about the quest.

A carriage was prepared for me by the lord, But I left on foot afterwards since I didn’t want to stand out. The butler also followed suit but none of that was my problem. I also got my sword back and I tied it tightly on my back with a string and some rather tough leather bleached in white.