The villagers said nothing more to the Jarl, and they had nothing to say to him as they all stood there. Indeed, whether they like it or not, they had to put their trust in the Jarl as he gave his word to his people. And so, they left the Jarl and went on in their daily lives and went either back home or back to work. Simon also leaves the palace with the other people, and he stands next to the palace door and looks around. Like Delphine, he was a traveler who went to many places all by himself, with his weapons close to him and his armor always being kept to himself.
Suddenly, the housecarl of the Jarl came walking next to Simon as he wandered all over the city that was before him; his name is Dirge.
"I don't know who you are. Are you here in Eastmarch looking for trouble?" He asked him.
"I'm just passing through," Simon answered.
Then, Dirge said to him, "Yeah? Well, I got news for you; there's nothing to see here. The last thing we need around here besides killing monsters and demons is some stranger sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. In case if you didn't know, the Ebony Warrior is simply someone that traverses the earth in search of a thing far worse than death. You see, the lower-levels of these people believe that such a warrior cursed with blood and darkness would come and save them, while the rest of us higher-level thinkers do not so accept such a person to do our dirty work.
"Indeed, many demons have fallen by our hand, so that means we have the nerve and the will to kill any monster that stands in our way. You see, I don't need some mythical person who claims to hunt the night; someone who can kill a demon is more than enough for me. As Shield-Thane of the Jarl, I advise that you trust in the strength of your sword-arm, over myths and legends."
And suddenly, a large crowd of people began to be standing next to the front gate of the City as they began to see something amusing.
Who... is that? Simon wondered. He decided to walk where the people were standing to see who it was that was heading to their direction.
The villagers said aloud, "She's here! It's the Ebony Warrior! The one who walks in the darkness!" They saw her walking towards them, and not looking up to see who these people were.
She wore ebony armor, ebony boots, ebony gauntlets, and called her greatsword the Crissaegrim. She also wore a very long black cloak that she uses to cover herself and make it easy to hide in the shadows. Simon looked at Delphine, and he stared at her along with everyone else; they have never seen a person carry and wear such things before.
The villagers of Eastmarch spoke amongst themselves again, saying, "She looks terrifying. I've never seen one before. So, she's the one who killed thousands of demons. She's just like the rumors say. She looks quite charming, and that sword is so big! I've heard people say she killed a lion... with her bare hands and ripped out the lungs of a werewolf!"
Simon begins to see something odd about this woman as she kept walking, and the people started to step aside to let her pass.
"Is this a good idea?" A villager asked.
"How do we know she won't turn on us?" Another asked.
"She's half-demon, after all," a third villager said.
"Why did the Jarl call for such a person?" A fourth villager asked. Simon wasn't as suspicious as the other villagers that were standing there, even though he was a bit curious about this knight coming to Eastmarch.
And one of them answered and said, "We've got no choice. The only one that can stop a demon in human form is someone who is part demon. We have to trust her, even if she's not like any of us."
Then, Delphine kept walking ahead and pretended as if she heard none of the villagers of Eastmarch say things about her. More people step aside to let Delphine pass, and so she walks on as they look and stare directly at her and nobody else. And as she walks, her long blonde hair began to breeze with the wind that blew over her and the villagers. She might've not looked like what the rumors say about her, but she did look beautiful and very cunning. Simon began to observe her while standing with the villagers and did nothing more as the people were surprised and shocked at everything about Delphine.
She was here because there were many demons abroad in the land, especially around Eastmarch, and the castle was her destination.
"You fool! What did you go and say that for?! What if she gets angry and comes after us?!" One of them shouted.
Simon's ignorance about the other people was what made him keep looking forward, and he never looked behind... only ahead. Before Delphine could go any further, she went to the Jarl to speak with him about some matters that she must attend to.
Then the Jarl said to her, "Welcome. I am Dengeir; I'm the Jarl of Eastmarch. I've been waiting for you... or someone like you. Well, then... let's get down to it. Here's a bag of money for your service. It's all here; please see for yourself."
Then, Delphine answered and said to him, "Not yet. After the job is done, it will not be a problem for you or me. I do not need any money. If someone's in danger, I help them... not get so eager about what will happen. And in any case, if I get killed, there will be no reason to pay."
"Oh... I see. So then... what happens now? Will it be easy finding them?" Dengeir asked.
"That depends. If the monster has suppressed its monster aura enough, it will be hard to detect. But do not worry, I will sniff them out. Eventually, one of us will lie dead somewhere in that castle," Delphine said.
And so, Delphine left the Jarl's palace, and she went back outside where everyone saw her and scattered... except for one. And then, the Jarl stumbled back onto his throne, and he felt his heart beating very quickly and could not stop it.
"That took a few years off my life. It was even scarier than I expected. I thought she would be more human. But I felt... like I was facing a monster," Dengeir said.
Delphine was walking in town and saw that the sun was about to go down, and yet, she knew what would come. As she walked, the people were terrified at Delphine's presence as they were staring at her, and they hurried to their homes. Her very existence always caused quite a stir to villagers, for they've never seen a person such as Delphine before. Then, she started to hear footsteps coming towards her as she walked around Eastmarch. Delphine pulls out her ebony greatsword, and she swings it back to see who it is that was following her.
It was Simon who was following Delphine from behind, and the razor-sharp blade comes to a quick stop as it was before Simon's face. Delphine noticed that he wasn't anyone worthy of being killed, but just a mere wanderer, just like herself. Simon began to shiver down his spine, and lots of sweat started to fall from his face.
"What was that for? I wasn't doing anything wrong! I was only walking behind you," Simon said. Delphine stares at him for a brief moment as she puts her sword back to her holder and starts to walk around in the village again.
Simon started to walk behind Delphine as she had no business to speak with anybody at the moment, let alone some ordinary hunter.
"Hey, is it true what they say? That you're the Ebony Warrior?" Simon asked.
"I am. But not everything they said about me is true. Your people thrust that name upon me," Delphine said.
"Oh... I get it. Still, I can't believe it. You look like an ordinary girl. I guess I thought you'd be big and fearsome," Simon said. Delphine looks back at Simon, and she gave him a confused look, and he looked back at her for a few seconds.
"You're very strange. Do not fear me," Delphine said.
"No, not at all. You're just like an ordinary girl. You're not so common. You're prettier than the girls around here," Simon said. Delphine did not look behind her, but she did see that he was blushing as he said that to her.
"Hey, wait! I didn't mean it like that," Simon said. And so, Simon continued to follow the knight from behind, and he started to feel very interested in her.