The mercenary was an old man with a strong build.
"She said no young man. Don't make me force you to squeal!".
Hearing that, the knight grabbed his sword from his waist and said,
"Do YOu KnoW hic-up, WHo I Am?!".
Old mercenary,
"It doesn't matter who you are, you don't treat a lady like this!".
Saying that the mercenary took out his blade.
"Now leave her at ounce boy, if not your buddies will have to drag you out".
Young Knight 2,
"ScRew YoU!".
The drunk knight swang his sword furiously at the old mercenary.
As the knight was swinging like a mad drunk, the mercenary just kept stepping back bit by bit to dodge. Finally seeing an opening, he used his leg to kick the knight in the stomach where he was unprotected by the armor.
The drunk knight immediately fail to his knees, vomiting all over the floor.
Old Mercenary didn't yell but spoked loud enough for everyone to hear,
"Disgusting, a person like you doesn't even deserve to dirty my blade. Now tell me, boy, what crummy family do you serve".
The other knights immediately unsheathed their swords after hearing the mercenary's comment.
Knight 1,
"WhO Do YoU ThINK you Are diSrespecting uS Like ThIs!".
All knights,
"YEAH!".
Not all the knights were drunk so they were about to intervene and apologize, but with the mercenary ridiculing the lord they pledge allegiance to. They completely lost their temper and were dying to kill the mercenary.
Seeing all this infuriated Ritzy but he was confused at the same time. While watching what was happening, Ritzy was waiting to see how the tavern reacted.
Unexpectedly, nobody reacted. The people were still drinking and conversing like nothing was happening at all. The people that were nearby where they were fighting, either moved their table farther away or just completely changed tables. What surprised Ritzy, even more, was that some people were gathered around a single table and placing money on the table. They were betting on what was gonna happen and who would win.
Ritzy's mind,
'What in the world is happening? Isn't anybody gonna get a guard or something? It doesn't seem like he is pro-killing people, I'll just watch how this progresses before I join in'.
All the knights were charging in unison. Yelling at the top of their lungs and ready to swing their swords.
In response, the old mercenary just walked forward and swiftly swung his sword. Every swing they did, he would just need two-steps at most to completely dodge. At the same time, he made sure to use the broad side of the blade so he wouldn't kill them.
As he knocked out the last knight in front of him, one of the knight's falling forced himself not to fall unconscious. The knight quickly fixed his stance and swung his sword with the last of his strength he could muster.
The old mercenary unprepared, defended his self with the sharp side of his blade. The mercenary quickly parried the knights swing and swung his sword at the knight's neck out of instinct.
As the blase was about to chop the knights head off, Ritzy intervened and kicked the mercenary's side. Launching the mercenary across the room and saving the knight's life. The mercenary fell on one of the recently left alone tables.
The knight now seeing his life was not in danger anymore fell unconscious.
Ritzy,
'Damn, I was hoping I wouldn't have to intervene. He seemed like a good guy. The only reason he almost killed my knight was because he was caught off guard. I better apologize to him'.
Ritzy walked up to the unconscious mercenary.
'Hmm, something's off. I don't sense him breathing'.
Ritzy then turned the mercenary over and saw that he was impaled by his own sword.
'Dammint what was I thinking. I should have been more careful to make sure that I didn't accidentally kill him. Now not only have I killed another person since I came to this world, but now I'm part of a crime scene!'
Sighing, Ritzy headed to one of the waiters and said,
"Sorry about causing all this trouble, could I see the manager to reimburse him for the table?"
The waiter responded in a nonchalant voice,
"Sure, I'll get him".
Ritzy's mind,
'What is wrong with the people around here. They act as if this is nothing. The waiter could've at least be a bit more demanding in paying for the table. What is exactly happening?'
A couple of minutes later the owner of the tavern came.
"Good sir, you must be a noble. Am I correct?"
Ritzy,
"Why do you ask?"
Owner,
"Well, first of all, you offered to pay for my table. Unlike your noble life, people don't care if the table is broken because of them".
Ritzy mind,
'Seems like I did live a closed-off life'.
Owner,
"Since this is a matter of noble pride, I'll take 1 iron coin. Also since your new to this, I would like to sell you a beast-kin slave. The slave lives with us most of its life so it should help you conform to your new environment".
Ritzy,
"Hmm".
Owner,
"You're going to the stronghold nearby for the war right? It would be good for you to have a slave. Not only can it help you conform to your new environment, and it can also tend to your every need".
Ritzy,
"Hmm".
Owner,
"Also since it's just a lowly beast-kin, it's cheaper than a human slave. Instead of 1 silver, I'll give it to you for 50 iron. What do you say?"
Ritzy,
"Sure".
Ritzy then handed the owner 51 iron coins to the owner.
Light was glistening on the Owner's eyes,
"It's a deal then!"
"Cleaner! Come here now!".
While Ritzy waited for the slave to come, he listened to all the conversation near him. What he heard was a bit shocking. They were calling him a fool. Some said he should've at least look at the merchandise first before buying. Other's were complementing the owner for being a sly dog.
Once the slave arrived, Ritzy was a bit completely surprised, he had been completely duped. What came out was a dirty child. If it wasn't for the girl's ears, he wouldn't have thought she was a beast-kin. Worst of all she looked sick and ready to collapse.
Owner,
"I hope you enjoy your new slave. Also cleaner, your better do everything he says. He paid 50 iron for you!"
The slave showed a face of shock. She wasn't surprised that she was sold off but surprised because of her price.
"What do you mean, I'm only worth 80 copper at most!?"
After she finished saying that, the owner got angry and launched a punch to her stomach. Causing her to throw up.
"Don't you dare talk back to me!".
Owner,
"Sorry about that, but all deals are final".
Ritzy,
"It's fine, she seems to be fit for the job. She was honest about her price, this means she'll be a good person to teach me about the customs around here. That she won't be lying to me".
"Also, it's my fault for being duped".
Owner,
"You praise me too much. Now before I leave, is there anything else I can help you with?"
Ritzy,
"Yes, can you get me some people to help me bring these guys back to the inn. I am willing to pay each person 20 copper for carrying them back".
Owner,
'Of course, that would be no problem. Also before I forget, I want to thank you for killing that old mercenary. He was a bonafide lady repellent. I couldn't do anything because he was from a high profile mercenary group".
Ritzy,
"What do you mean?".
Owner,
"That old man was notorious for being one of the worst people around here. That man had a horrible kink. He would frequent our bar to fill his sexual desire. Sadly, I couldn't do anything. He is part of the Red Wing mercenary guild. You know, one of the top ten guilds in all of Phenix kingdom".
Ritzy,
"Makes sense, but what do you mean by kink? He looked like a heroic guy?".
Jacky was hiding in a corner the whole time. She didn't want to see what was gonna happen when the fighting began. The only reason she dared to turn around again was that she was hearing Ritzy's conversation with the owner.
Jacky,
"Yeah, he seemed like an honest guy. What do you mean by lady repellent. I would've thought ladies would flock at him".
Owner,
"It would seem that way but in reality it is not. That old man likes to play the knight in shiny armor, but once he senses you trust him or see him as a hero. He would torture and rape the poor girl. Suppusbley he felt satisfaction in hearing the girls cry in pain because of their savior. One day I heard him say that he loved hearing the girls keep screaming 'why', and 'is this my fault?'. He said that those words were what turned him the most on".
Ritzy's mind,
'Seems like my theory when I was younger was right. Seeing all those slaves horribly treated, and my father saying 'they should learn their place' during my trip to the city when I was younger was correct. I better be more on guard, this world is completely different. Justice doesn't exist here".