Two girls with sticks in hand played at the south entrance of a wooden-gated town. They chuckled while etching symbols in the dirt, then noticed a distant figure approaching with a pull-cart.

「Sakii's back!」 They both said in unison, running down the trail with wide smiles.

They approached the young woman, pulling a heavy cart filled with large barrels, meat racks, boxes, and metal objects twice her size. She lowered the cart with ease and bent down to greet them with hugs and smiles.

「I've got some treats I picked up from the festival in Phoenia. I'll give you some if you promise to share with the other kids.」 She said.

「We will! We will! Treats please!」 The two girls pleaded and held out their hands.

The woman searched beneath the white tunic on the cart and found a small jar of blue candy. She gave them one each, then put a handful in a white handkerchief.

「This candy will give you super speed! Run back to the village and tell Mr. Aiusu I'll be stopping at Bernak's before heading home. Could you do that for me?」

They both nodded excitedly and ran back down the path past the gates. The young woman sighed, gazing at the sky above.

「Sword Goddess, give me strength…」

Bathed in sunlight, her celeste-blue eyes and long butter-blonde hair shone brilliantly. The pristine-silver armor she wore, along with the dragon-wing-shaped blue-metal hair piece, only added to her radiance. As appearances would go, she was beautiful, having round-eyes and an athletic well-endowed figure.

After her self-serving prayer, she picked up the cart and began walking down the trail. Walking through the wooden gates, she passed short wooden houses, barns, and a large stone church overlooking the town square. Some women walked with a book in hand, reading to a line of children following them, while men plowed a nearby field. 

Sakiiya stopped near a bubbling stone fountain in the middle of the town. As if someone rang a dinner bell, curtains and windows opened, with men, women, and children rushing toward her with gleeful faces.

「You came back earlier than expected. How did the journey back from Phoenia go, Sakiiya?」 One man asked.

「I made some fresh soup for you long journey. Please come have some!」 Another woman said.

The line of children being taught ran out of line and jumped around Sakiiya, bombarding her with questions about any monsters she'd slain. She quieted them down and gave them the jar of candy. They rushed back to the church as their teachers scolded from behind.

She spoke with some elders, then brought a man over and pointed to the cart. 「I've brought some food and supplies you can divide between everyone. Please see to it. I've got to talk to Bernak.」

The man flinched and slowly nodded. 「P-please be careful, Sakii. I don't think he's in the greatest of moods since they didn't invite him to the coronation last night.」

Unfortunately, he's rarely ever in a good mood. She thought.

She took a turn and walked past the church to a larger, double-storied house more extravagant than the previous ones. The Chief's manor was among the earliest structures in Lanier, with the second being the orphanage church. Though nowadays, it wasn't just the chief who'd been staying here.

Two well-built men wearing leather tunics guarded the front door of the manor. As Sakiiya began walking down the path, they looked at her with lustful gazes, licking their lips and scratching their crotch.

「Hey Sasa, why don't I take you out for dinner sometime so you can unsheathe my long sword?」 The leftmost man joked with a hoarse laugh.

His companion swiped his dagger from his thigh and held it up to Sakiiya's throat with a grin.

「What business do you have here, girl? And do say it quick, or my blade may be quicker.」

Sakiiya, unperturbed by the two, simply smiled and took another step.

「Dumb bitch! Did you not hear me—」 

「«Pressure»」 Sakiiya whispered.

A gust of wind erupted beneath her heels, eliciting gasps from the men as their eyes rolled back. They then slumped down, passing out with drool escaping their lips.

「We go through this every single time. You two really don't learn.」

She knocked on the door, and after several seconds, walked inside. The house was lavish with silver pottery and intricate paintings scattered across the floors and walls. Though the wooden interior and worn furniture made it seem as if someone simply moved inside and decorated at their leisure.

On the far side of the main floor sat a red-rugged area with a glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling and an exquisite glass-circle table beneath. Despite the pleasant furniture, the air felt humid and smelt of sweat as a portly man wearing only a black cloak dutifully fucked a young woman on a cushioned settee.

His receding black hair, grizzly kept facial hair, bloated body, and long crooked nose would make one question why such a beautiful girl would want him to take her this way, but Sakiiya had gotten used to such a display, even if she was once her friend. The smacks of his thighs against her ass echoed through the house, along with the young woman's sighs and the man's uncouth groans.

He spread her legs along with his, allowing the full extent of their lovemaking to be seen. Her breasts flailed in rhythm with his tightening ball sack as he fastened his pace.

Sakiiya glared over at an older rotund man sitting on his hands and knees, only wearing his shirt, watching the display with a maniacal smile.

Bernak's eye twitched as he let out a sigh with a final pump, causing the man sitting on the floor to scurry over in front of him, panting with widened eyes. Bernak's shriveling cock plucked out of her hole, following the drivel of hot sperm as he snapped his fingers.

「Come lick the sown seed out of your daughter's cunt. But not too much. I want her to swell with kids soon.」

As if a dog given a direct order, the chief began lapping at his daughter's vagina viciously, licking out the sweat and white juices seeping out with a look of utter pleasure. The chief carried on licking as Bernak threw his daughter to the ground.

「Sakiiya, my girl. Finally back from Phoenia, eh?」 Bernak said, looking her up as his cock expanded in full view.

「Why not remove that armor and demonstrate the prowess of a Phoenian knight, hmm? I heard you warrior-class train well, means you're probably tight as shit.」

Sakiiya held her hand behind her back and tightened it into a fist. She knew she could easily defeat him with her hands alone, but she couldn't. The chief had spent the town's  entire treasury at brothels and gambling, eventually having to sell the town's land, his house, dignity, and even his own daughter to one of Phoenia's lenders. 

Bernak was the town's primary source of income, but of course he shortly got bored with the chief and his daughter, and threatened to kick all the residents out of town unless they paid him back his money. However, upon learning about a knight being stationed in the town, he realized her services were more beneficial than mere currency.

「I've sent all the messages out to the knights whose noble houses were present at the coronation, as you requested.」

「And? What did they have to say for themselves? Where the Ingesh was my invitation?」

「Out of the sixteen, only one responded with a sealed letter.」 Sakiiya said, extending the rolled-stamped parchment she'd kept in her hands.

Bernak swiped the parchment and flicked off the seal, each line causing his brow to furrow as he jumped from his seat.

「Goddesses, dammit!」 He roared, kicking the chief's head and causing blood to spew across the glass table.

Bernak continued to pummel the chief with the back of his heel as he ripped the parchment into pieces.

「They think they can cast me out to this dismal town and rid me of my status? Like Ingesh they can!」

The chief's face, grotesquely swollen and purple, was hardly recognizable as he struggled to breathe, blood seeping from his mouth and nose. Bernak then wiped the sweat from his brow and plopped down with a sigh.

「A good fuck and well-deserved beating can make a man thirsty. Why don't I have a drink in my hands, Tyga?」

Tyga rose from the floor with a distant stare and poured a cup of water from a metal pitcher on the table. Despite the many cuts and bruises on her body, she was a beauty, with mid-back length black hair and long eyelashes. Sakiiya remembered the days when they were close friends. She was a proud and fierce young woman who she thought she’d never seen diminished to this.

Bernak took a swig from his cup and spat it out onto Tyga's face. 「You really are stupid, aren't you? Not water, wine!」

He then slapped her to the ground, where she laid for a second before standing back up and pouring the next pitcher of wine. Sakiiya clenched her teeth together, bruising the inside of her hands with nail marks, unable to hold in her anger.

With a long belch reeking of alcohol, Bernak glanced back at Sakiiya. 「Do you have the other note I requested?」

She took another folded piece of parchment from a pouch at her side and handed it to him. Bernak looked down at the list and nodded before placing it in his shirt.

「This year’s Ushur recipients look promising. In fact, this is probably the most regal bunch from various countries we’ve ever had. The King and his obsequious group of advisers must be up to something.」

He then sat for a moment, contemplating, then nodded. 「Two things will occur in the next coming days. One, the noble houses will look for contracted adventurers and powerful knights during the Rite of Knights. This will give them the muscle they need for the second motion, to patron the towns of Ushur recipients they deem fit to join the Claster Munal.」

The competition for the limited twenty-five seats on the council, which are already occupied, guarantees a bloodbath. Only Ushur recipients can join by the King's invitation, but some consider the council too old and desire the new generation to replace them.」

Bernak smirked and began fitting on his clothes. 「Right. We should obtain some swords as well, Sakiiya. While I could bid over some of the stronger knights, discretion is important to m. Evaluate any new recruits and select those with promise. You're a decent fighter, so I'd assume you have a keen eye for strong potential.」

Sakiiya nodded. 「Understood. Anything else?」

「Hm, yes actually. Although it will be challenging, I aim to find an Ushur recipient to work under my supervision. You have strong connections being an Emerald-echelon, yes? I'm sure some knights are gossiping about who they're planning to strike down for their houses' plans. Get me some information so I can plan accordingly. This is time-sensitive, so get it done quickly and with no one noticing.」

Without making eye contact, Sakiiya bowed and walked outside the door, the two guards waking up and scratching their heads.

「The Knight's Vail rarely accept new recruits unless under precondition or patron of a noble house, so there shouldn't be any until the Rite of Knights. Let's just… pray that's the case. Nobody should deal with that man…」