A warm breeze stirred the clothes hanging high above their heads, drying on lines strung between the buildings around them. The hustle and bustle of the Nerena Marquisate had a cheerful air to it, making Rowena close her eyes and breathe in the scent of fresh produce and the flowers that adorned a large fountain in the center of the plaza.

It wasn't as if she could have fallen with her eyes closed, as she opened them again and looked down at her arms. To her left was an elderly man holding onto her forearm, to her right a young man, both similarly dignified. And both held her as if she were a convict on her way to the gallows.

She looked beyond her older brother to see a girl with frizzy blonde hair trudging beside them, her eyes fixed on the floor in front of her, until she noticed her mistress and gave her an understanding smile. How had they gotten into this awkward situation?

Right, after bringing Charlotte back from the verge of death, they still had to give her time to replenish her energy, but she had made a good recovery in the course of mere hours. If they stayed another day, they might have been able to take her with them, but that wasn't possible since they were already on a tight schedule.

They had spent slightly more time in Lodden than they had planned, and Rowena had wanted to spend some downtime in Eisenwacht before finally returning to the capital. It would be much more crowded and busy, especially since there would be a lot of dancing. She should have taken lessons before all this, especially since she knew before anyone else that there would be a Victory Banquet and a Hunting Festival soon after.

Her brain felt like it wanted to melt when she thought about the whole ordeal. Norina was sad and confused about everything that had happened, so Rowena suggested that they get a small get-well present for her sister.

She would be brought to Avarinth as soon as she was better, which was why Logan Randall would stay behind again. "But shouldn't I also thank Sir Logan for his help with Charlotte?" the maid had asked earlier that same day and that was by far not all that was on her mind, "And Sir Sean as well. I don't even know how to thank you, my lady. I can't even do that much."

"What? I already told you it was an equal exchange between the two of us. And what about Sir Sean?"

Rowena hadn't known about her maid's feelings until that moment and hadn't even noticed that there had actually been a moment of gratitude between Norina and the knight.

"He carried me up the ladder and saved me back then. I was foolish to go down in the first place, but he still risked his own life by carrying me."

It wasn't wrong, though the noble daughter didn't really find it strange that her knight would go out of his way to save a damsel in distress. 'I mean, it's just another Thursday for a guy like that, right?' she thought.

On the other hand, even if all was well that ended well, she knew that they had taken quite a risk back then. Of course, she wouldn't know that herself, since she was unconscious the whole time. It was obvious from the accounts of what had happened in detail, that tiny bit of extra weight could have caused him to lose his footing, or made him too slow to get up. In that situation, the water alone was not the problem, but the Visitors still within that water could have ended his life.

She could understand the maid's desire to show how thankful she truly was, but it didn't feel like either of them had expected such an attitude. And yet, here they were, roaming the streets of her grandfather's estate, looking for gifts.

Understandably, they couldn't take their knights with them, so she had asked to go alone with her maid, which was met with solid resistance from Rowena's older brother and said grandfather. They were barely swayed after an hour of pleading and assurances that they could both come along and that she would not stray from them for even a minute.

So that was the result. Another glance went to the two men beside her. She could have asked to be accompanied by a bunch of church inquisitors and probably would have felt more comfortable.

With a sigh, she looked around again and casually pursed her rosy lips. "So, what would be an appropriate gift, Norina?"

As it was, Rowena didn't know any of the people who were supposed to receive these gifts well enough to make that judgment. It was probably the same for Norina when it came to the two Silver Lion Knights, but her sister would be someone she knew well.

After a moment of silence, she heard a soft sigh. "I know what to get for my sister, but I have no idea what to get for Sir Sean or Sir Logan."

Right, but didn't they have the ultimate weapon for that? "Alan, what do you think they would prefer?"

Flinching, the young man stared at his sister, incapable of answering her simple question. "I, well, I haven't thought about it before." He seemed confused, unable to help.

"What a shame. I thought there might be something you liked that would make a good present."

"Hmm, a sword would normally be a good choice, but you would have to know the preferences of the person who wields it. It is also not very cheap."

Norina looked up at him. It was true, she didn't have much money, but she had saved a little and she didn't have to pay for her sister's care, which was very expensive. Of course, her savings weren't enough to buy a whole sword, but something smaller?

"How about a dagger?" Her eyes rested on the sign that showed an anvil on a wooden board, just below another sign that showed the most generic symbol of a pair of crossed swords upon a shield.

"I see, this is a shop I have often consulted regarding our own knights. His wares are well made by the blacksmith he houses in the back." The aging Marquis said this while clearing his throat, oddly proud of the assets his estate held.

Rowena had to suppress a chuckle at his behavior and smiled instead. "Then we should take a look, right?"

As they crossed the cobblestones to the door, the lady's eyes widened at the small room in front of her. In reality, it wasn't that small, but the walls, heavily decorated with all kinds of armor, made it seem quite crowded. There was hardly any room for doors or windows, which at best let in a tiny amount of light that was reflecting mystically on the displayed iron craft.

A chandelier swayed under the ceiling, a row of candles dimly illuminating the counter where a middle-aged man sat sipping from an old mug. The building was built quite rustically, the walls were mainly made up of wooden planks, so there was none of the scarce electricity installed that was found in towns like this.

It gave the place a kind of special atmosphere, maybe even a bit sketchy, but her grandfather would not let her enter a place that was not safe. So Rowena struggled out of her guardians' grasp to get closer to the row of swords on the wall.

"They're really well made," she commented with amazement in her voice, her eyes slowly gaining a sparkle in their pearly structure, "can I touch one?"

Her question was directed at the man who was eyeing her suspiciously. The shopkeeper was able to tell the difference between people with the financial power to buy his wares and those who just came in to window shop - or worse, to try to steal something out of desperation.

This group obviously fell into the former category, as the young woman had immediately caught his attention. But not only because she was well dressed and her brown hair looked neat and well-groomed, no, it was the man she had come in with.

Even though he had changed his clothes, now that he looked at him more closely, even in the bad light of the room, he finally realized who had graced him with his presence.

"Your Grace, to what do I owe your visit?"

There had been an update in the estate's armory just a month ago, so was there a need for a sudden restocking? One of the places where information about upcoming conflicts and dangers heading for a territory was first gathered was from blacksmiths and traders like this man, Rodwell.

"Do not be alarmed, I am only here on unofficial business. This young lady is trying to find a dagger suitable as a gift for a knight." He pointed at his granddaughter's maid, who seemed overwhelmed as she tried to find it in herself to approach the talking men that were both well above her station.

"Excuse me, but can I touch them?" Rowena asked, still standing near the wall, as she only needed that information to keep herself occupied until they were finished.

Puzzled, Rodwell looked over at the girl who had come in with his Lord. She must be someone important, so even if she broke something, it would be paid for. The problem was that, in case she was truly important, it would be his fault if she managed to hurt herself in some way.

A girl in an armory wasn't something to be seen on a daily basis, so it felt like uncharted territory to him. "No, please don't touch anything."

"Oh, that's too bad."

"Why can't she touch them? If she breaks something, I will pay for it."

Alan didn't like to see Rowena disappointed, and it wasn't as if she had never touched a blade before. In fact, he wished that was the case, but it wasn't.

"That's right, old friend," the Marquis added in a calm voice, "Alan will go through them with her while we choose an appropriate gift."

Feeling nervous enough to suspect his hair was turning gray, Rodwell nodded. "In that case, please help yourself, my lady."

"Thank you," Rowena replied, already examining the blades in front of her and deciding which one to hold first. "This one seems pretty good."

She took one of the short swords and aimed for the door next. "Where are you going?" Alan asked.

"I need some sunlight."

While the other three stood by a freestanding cabinet displaying a variety of daggers, some more practical than others, Rowena held the blade up to the light outside, letting it flare to see how even the surface of the iron had been forged.

The sword balanced well in her hand, but a more thorough examination was needed to see how well it was truly made. It was not perfect by a long shot, but it was a capable tool that would last for a good amount of time and in dire situations, this would safe one's life likely more than once.

But her happiness about that fact faded quickly when she remembered that a normal sword wouldn't be a good companion for her, so she shouldn't get her hopes up.

Surely, there was nothing to stop her from buying it with her own pocket money, but for what reason would she need it?

Dejected, she hung the sword back in its place and looked over her shoulder to see Norina paying the owner while the man himself was wrapping something in an unusually pretty box. An indication that she had chosen one of the "less practical" and therefore more decorative items from the display, as it had been prepared in a gift box that didn't fit in with the rest of the shop.

"Was the sword not worth it?" Alan asked, making her jump a little.

"Pardon?"

"You put it back. Was it poorly made?" He didn't think so, although he hadn't seen it in the light of day.

"No, it was well made. But it wouldn't be of use to me anyway."

Nodding, he took her arm again as they left the shop, feeling a weight lifted from her shoulder. He heard them talking about how they had to go to a tailor now, because the maid wanted to get an extra beautiful pair of ribbons for her sister, because she was told that her hair would soon be healthy again and she liked to wear it in pigtails.

It was all just background noise to him. His sister had said that she didn't need a sword, although she was obviously excited about the prospect of holding one in her hands. That meant she wouldn't fight again, even with the Numbered by her side. Surely that was a good sign.

In reality, her words had just come out without thinking, because she knew that many high-ranking knights would use natural artifacts, like her brother or her father, but not all knights did. If one used Mana, a normal weapon could also fight a Visitor, even if it was harder to do so.

There was no way that she would ever do something that difficult, in fact, it had already been a pain to use the faulty sword that VAULT had issued.

No, if she started spreading the new way of making man-made artifacts as soon as she got back to Eisenwacht, there would be a time when she could get her hands on a sword that could actually be used.

But it was better for her brother not to know about such details just yet.