They threw me to a bed, kinda kinky if you ask me and started undoing my bonds and lifted the sack over my face.

“Sorry for the Gag bro, it’s a precaution we rebels use, so that magicians don’t just chant spells from out of nowhere and endanger everyone.”

“Yeah yeah I know.” Yeah yeah I know, what the hell was that thing?

“Mah underwear, hehe.”

“Your WHAT!?”

“Ofcourse they’re freshly done in the laundry, what? You think I’d let gag you with my used ones.”

I sat upright on the side of what seems to be my bed I looked around and the room was only lit with a shining shard in a glass casing. The walls were hardened stone and dirt.

Where are we? I asked Eine beside me.

“Well we’re here, the Rebellions base mah bro.” I hear an sense of ire in her voice “Really?” I asked “This must be some kind of joke? ”

“Well latest base, ya see, since the event at Queen’s castle happened the entire kingdom is after the heads of the Elkian Nobles who conspired with Garfel, including the Boss.”

“Soo.. we’re”

“Underground, hiding from the law.”

“well that’s just great.”

…

She twiddled her fingers a bit and broke the silence “I’m sorry for gagging you”

“You’re definitely paying for that” I threatened her.

“Ahh!! What? I was just following orders!”

“That was a safety hazard? And for fun? don’t try to make me laugh”

“Oh come on brooo it was a joke no hard feelings right???”

A rebel soldier came in

“Sorry to interrupt but Mister Veron, the Boss wants to speak with you.”

I stood up

“I’m coming with.”

The boss requests to speak with him alone.

“Oh hmph that’s no fun” she says pouting with her arms crossed.

The Rebel soldier led me to her makeshift office

The door opened and the Boss was talking to a young petite girl in a black cloak, as the rebel soldier and I entered, their attention quickly fixated to me.

Then suddenly the short petite bob haired girl walked up to me and raised her voice to me “To feisty conniving bastard, are you trying to trick me? ”

“Are you looking down at me with these pathetic stats of yours?” She says looking up to my face with a piece of paper in her hand.

Uhh.. What is that supposed to be?

“A record of your stats from the guild in Olken, you already capped at level 5 and you’re threatening me like you’re some kind of hot shot?”

Dinna, are you finished” says her boss behind her.

“Hmph.” Finished venting her fumes she left the office with the Rebel soldier and the door shut in a wooden thud.

Please take a seat mister Veron.”

“Okay..” I casually dragged a chair and sat there

She held her hands together looked at me with leering eyes

let me ask, is it true that you are the one responsible of saving my people from the Queen's dungeon"

"Yeah" I quickly snapped a reply

"Why?" she asked

"Why? Because I believe that the rebels have a sense of justice in them and I want to support that ideology (Big fat lie)"

Oh really now, just by looking at you I can tell you are a man of greed and  I mean it’s really hard to believe that you aim for good will by the helping rebels when you already have immense favor with the Queen by saving her life, you could have lived a life of luxury and yet you're here with Eine in the middle of the woods without a doubt a bounty on your head for undoubtedly helping them escape"

I irked from the truth of her words nonetheless it is true that "I have my reasons."

"And what may those reasons be-"

“Listen, I have my own goals and one of the steps towards taking those goals”

…

The room fell silent for a minute, then she spoke again

“I see… well let’s talk about your schemes for another time Mr. Veron I think it’s better we know more about each other, my name’s Hildegard Oulit but my People call me Hilda or Boss.

I looked at her shocked, but I didn’t show her, instead I raised a brow in surprise, but it didn’t stop her from answering my hidden curiousity

“Yes” she assured me “Einelee is our daughter and If you’re worried about me knowing his death, don’t, I already know ages ago.”

The female guards stationed there were under my payroll they were also there to keep him safe and also from infidelity but unfortunately I was too careless from my decisions.”

She knows a lot, quite a lot of eyes and ears we have here..

“No one really knows what happened since the guards I stationed there have their minds fucked up to the point of no return, and I can’t reverse the death of my husband… but I’m interested in you. Ever since that incident, you went under the radar and returned fighting in the annual fighting event in Olken even surpassing the legendary Swordswoman Eldritch Aize and became the commander for the Iron Noble’s legion of soldiers”

She looks at the paper, the petite woman was holding a few minutes ago and looks at me again

“And I’m amazed how you could complete all these amazing feats with stats as low as these.”

She slides the paper to my side of the table and its contents shows my level cap of 5 and my Registered name Veron Oulit.

“You’re more than meets the eye aren’t you mister Veron”

“And what of it? Do you have proof?”

“Oh no, I don’t have concrete proof of your real identity Mister Veron but I do have speculations.”

“Enlighten me, what are your speculations”

“Well the name Veron is a common name here in the Kingdom of Njilven, the rumored eight hero who disappeared after the fight of the ancient demon God Sien. Quite infamous if you ask me.”

“But if I were to put two on two together, like the missing Verron from the Fasnild Family who disappeared a year ago and A Veron Oulit with no clear background and taking the name of my own household. It all comes quite suspicious, don’t you think?

I looked at her blankly not showing even a slight change in emotion

But It’s all mere speculation it’s nothing to be worried about…

“This isn’t a question about what I am to your husband, you’re trying to find any truth to who I really am.”

Well jokes on her, I’m just as confused as to who I am with all this mixing memories of my host and my own.

“Hmm…partly true. But I also want to know, what you want Mr. Veron.”

She’s just misleading me so she can ask about my true intentions, but I just want to be done with it.

“Fine, since you know already that much about me, you must know that I need some help from the rebellion to help me retake what was taken from me.”

“I see… you are quick witted and it is true that I know your true intentions and to be honest it is quite a tall order considering the condition the rebellion is at the moment, but for you to request such a favor needs a favor done in return.” She replied blatantly

“But I saved many of your soldiers and even your own daughter.” I reasoned

“Yes, but you also obstructed them from their mission, which is your fault entirely am I wrong?”

I gritted my teeth.

“I know many things Veron, and besides even if you didn’t intervene to save my daughter, Mr. Veron I had already laid out a plan to save my daughter and my people thus you have just shortened, but not my trust… it is your undoing coming here and betraying the Queen.”

She’s clearly blaming the mission’s jeopardy to me, even though the Elkian Lords who attacked were clearly not under her command but of their own accord, yet everything else she said was true, she’s quite skilled putting people under her thumb.

“I assure you, if you help me do my bidding, I will grant whatever that is in extent of my power to achieve what you need in return, that’s just business isn’t it?”

“And why would I trust your word on that.”

That much is what I can do for being a good friend of my lousy Husband unless you want some collateral when you yourself bring nothing but your knife.

“Fine… but before I agree to anything, what is it that you want me to do?”

She gave me a smirk “I am glad that I have piqued your interest mister Veron.”

A drawer opened beneath her desk and she brings out a small envelope

“Because of the stunt poorly handled by the late idiot, Garfel. The Rebellion has been forced to both come into hiding and start moving.

I don’t completely trust you but if you can deliver this to a close ally of mine in the Port City of Diebin and bring their forces to our aid.

Why don’t you go then?

And obviously I cannot go there myself since I have a civil war to prepare for, so I’m letting Einelee be in charge of persuading them since she’s the only anyone they can trust.

All you got to do is to keep her from harms way.

You’re betting your own daughter’s life with me?

“Like I said, I don’t trust you but I see potential, and since you even made a grumpy man like my husband trust you to be his employee, I don’t see why I won’t? But if you fail, not only will the empire but also the rebellion will be on hot on your trail, got it?”

And if I do this, I can I get what I want?

Well from the extent of my ability.”

“Then consider it done.” I said with a grin

~Are you sure that is wise master?~

Don’t Chrome worry it’s all according to plan.

“Then you’ll leave first thing tomorrow.”

I shake her hand, while her breast jiggles

I love this world.

After my agreement with Ms. Oulit, kinda weird saying since it technically sounds like she’s my step-mom.

I shivered for a bit remembering the memories of younger me, I then try to return to my room.

Where was it again? I wondered sarcastically

The underground base was a basically a complicated system of tunnels, gives me the vibes of being inside a mine shaft of some sort.

But even knowing

I kept walking till I reached a door, and it had room written in the front and it was slightly open as if inviting me.

I took a peek and inside.

It was the Assassin leader from earlier, With her short White hair and a petite body.

I looked from the sides.

Chrome?

~I feel no other presence within the Vicinity.~

Good.

I silently went inside without her knowing.

*Click

…

My true intentions have just begun.