After walking until the sunset, Blaze and the scarlet imps were worn out completely, almost on the verge of dying from fatigue, except for the ones being carried. But before everyone started complaining, the view of a small town was appearing in the horizon.
"Oi, cheer up, you edgy teenagers! We finally arrived at Blazeton." Blaze announced in a cheery voice as he stared at Fritz, Ace, and Dimitri.
"Blazeton? The town is named after you?" Dimitri widened his eyes in surprise before he questioned Blaze.
"Yes. I did a great service for the town a very long time ago, so they named it after me in respect and admiration." Blaze replied as he kept walking forwards.
"A great service? What did you do, Mr.Blaze?" Fritz inquired.
"Nothing that important, I think the villagers were even a bit melodramatic about it, or maybe they thought my name was cool and just used it for shits and gigs." Blaze nonchalantly replied.
"Well, I see why they would think it's a cool name." Ace stated.
"But, Mr.Blaze. Can you tell us what was that service you did for the village? I think the three of us would like to know." Fritz curiously asked.
"Well-...how about you ask the folks there? They love telling my story to newcomers all the time, I honestly don't know why they like it so much. Anyways, how about you tell me about yourselves?" Blaze changed the subject and asked the three.
"About the scarlet imps?" Ace asked.
"Of course, tell me everything!" Blaze happily replied.
"Well, it all started when I met Ariston twelve years ago-" Ace took a deep breath before he started his cliche exposition.
"For the love of God! I regret asking about the biggest taboo in conversation history! Please be as brief as possible." Blaze exploded into an irritated rant about Ace's storytelling.
"Well, six months ago-" Ace started his exposition again before he got immediately interrupted by Blaze.
"No! Just stop! I changed my mind, I don't want to know about the history of the scarlet imps. Just tell me why did the people of the tavern insult you?" Blaze inquired in an unenthusiastic manner after he finished his short rant.
"Well, I think because they were very drunk. But other than that, I think it's because we are not a good team of adventurers." Dimitri stated.
"Why so?" Blaze wondered.
"Well, I think that's mainly because we are a bunch of outcasts that have gathered up as a team," Fritz stated before he looked at the ground with a sad expression.
"How? You all have amazing powers.." Blaze reassured them.
"Well, yes, but the main problem is that people hate us for our background." Ace corrected.
"Huh?" Blaze asked in confusion.
"Lilith is part of the exiled Mohund tribe, so everyone hates her because of her origins. Dimitri is a foreigner who abandoned his homeland because he was a criminal. Chiva was expelled from the mage academy after she was called a witch for using a grimoire rather than a staff or a normal spellbook. I was hated because I was called the prideful abomination of the Apollo household after I refused to marry a certain girl and ran away. Ace is disliked because he's Ariston's brother, while Ariston is completely loathed, despised, and abhorred by everyone because he's a user of demonic magic." Fritz started explaining in a depressed voice.
Blaze listened carefully to Fritz's brief exposition. He didn't dare complain nor utter a single word after hearing the hardships and hate that the six of them were going through.
"Oh dear, I am starved! I honestly can't wait to show you how amazing the blueberry pie I serve in my tavern is! I assure you that you will love it! Oh, and let's not forget about the different kinds of beverages we serve there, and the beautiful girls that can give you an amazing quality time in the night! This will be amazing! Hahaha!" Blaze said in a cheerful voice as he tried to change the subject and cheer everyone up.
Fritz, Ace, and Dimitri blankly stared at him for a few seconds before they smiled and also joyfully laughed in sync with Blaze.
After a few more minutes of walking, the seven have finally reached the town of Blazeton. The town was a medium one in size, full of houses made with an amazing quality of wood, streets built with cobblestone, shops, markets, and much more. The people were peacefully walking until they saw Blaze.
"Oh, Blaze! You finally came back! What took you so long?" a random villager asked with a friendly smile.
"Nothing that important, Joe. These kids were a lot of fun, so I decided to spend some time with them, hahaha." Blaze replied in a cheery attitude.
"Oh, classic you, hahaha," Joe replied with a friendly smile before he continued walking.
The villagers all greeted Blaze with friendly smiles and cheery attitudes, completely forgetting the fact that he was kidnapped by a bunch of adventurers.
Fritz walked to Blaze and leaned towards him, "Mr.Blaze, don't these people think about your safety? Shouldn't they have informed the knights about your kidnapping?" Fritz whispered with a perplexed and doubtful voice.
"Are you crazy? Why would they do that?" Blaze questioned Fritz.
"Huh? Why wouldn't they? You are a popular figure in the town yet they just forgot about you." Fritz debated.
"No, no, no. You got it wrong. It's not that they don't care about me, it's just that they trust me to the point where they know that no matter who it is who tries to kidnap me, fight me, or kill me, they just wouldn't be able to do anything against me. I bet you that those cheery bastards continued drinking and singing when you teleported me out of the tavern." Blaze reassured Fritz with a gleeful voice before he released a joyful laugh.
The seven continued walking until they reached the tavern and casually walked in.
"Hey, you bastards! You forgot that I was kidnapped, didn't you?" Blaze coaxed the customers as he cheerfully smiled at them.
"Welcome back, Blaze!" The customers all replied with a drunken yet happy voice as they saw Blaze standing on the doorway.
While Blaze was enjoying this warm welcome, Mia walked towards him with hurried steps.
"Oh, Mia. I'm sorry I took a little longer to-" Before Blaze could finish his sentence, Mia delivered a swift slap to his face that shocked everyone.
Mia didn't say or do anything else before she turned around and walked in hurried steps to the back of the tavern and walked upstairs.
Everyone stared in silence and didn't dare say anything as they looked at Blaze.
"...*Ahem* Everyone, please show your hospitality and your cheeriest attitude for our guests today, The scarlet imps!" Blaze announced as he introduced the imps like a showman, which the customers reacted to with cheers and shouts of agreement.
"Please make sure to give your all-out best to make this the best day for these adventurers." Blaze stated for one last time to his customers that replied with even louder cheers.
------
The tavern was livelier than ever.
After the night has fallen, the tavern interior was lit with the yellow lights of the lanterns, the myriad of customers was enjoying their time drinking, chatting and signing, and Blaze was having a blast dancing on top of one of the tables while drunkenly signing an incoherent gibberish that sounded more like the summoning of a devil, which the drunken customers replied to by clapping their hands in sync with Blaze's drunken dancing.
Fritz, Ace, and Dimitri were the only ones of the scarlet imps that were down at the tavern, while Chiva was in the inn above, still sleeping off her fatigue from the supreme protection spell, Ariston still unconscious after his fight, and Lilith sleeping in one of the inn's rooms.
Ace was staring at Blaze's drunken dancing and choking on his blueberry pie as he continuously laughed for twenty seconds without stopping. On the other hand, Dimitri was drinking lemonade with an irritated look on his face, refusing to stare at the group of adults having fun, while Fritz was sipping from his tankard that was filled with orange juice with a perplexed expression on his face.
Ace's started smacking the table and laughing even harder as he saw the group of adults start dancing in a long line.
"Ace, could you please stop hitting my shoulder?" Fritz asked in a lightly irritated yet gentle voice as Ace started laughing even more.
"Oh, sorry. These guys are just so hilarious I lost control of my self, hahaha." Ace said as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"This is honestly the worst. I thought we were going to drink as well and start partying, yet they only give us juices and tell us that we are not old enough to drink, what the hell?" Dimitri complained as he slammed his tankard on the table from frustration.
"Well, every place has its policies, and Blazeton's policy is to only give alcohol to people who are above the age of 23, we must respect the law," Fritz stated as he sipped from his cup.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm having a blast right now, it kinda reminds me of the village." Ace said as he finished eating his pie.
"Well, I am not having fun at all. Fritz, could you please ask for a refill from the bartender?" Dimitri pleaded.
"Me too." Ace said as he gave his plate to Fritz.
"Of course, I'll be back in a sec." Fritz grabbed the wooden mug and the plate, then proceeded to walk towards the counter.
Mia was alone, leaning on the counter while cleaning the cups and mugs with a look of complete depression.
"Excuse me," Fritz cleared his throat before he tried to grab Mia's attention.
Mia was still out of her mind as she stared at the wall in front of her.
"Excuse me!" Fritz exclaimed.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. What can I do for you?" Mia asked in a tired and shallow voice.
"I want another blueberry pie and a refill of lemonade, please." Fritz calmly declared as he placed the plate and the tankard on the counter.
"Of course." Mia unenthusiastically replied as she grabbed a glass pitcher and poured lemonade on the mug.
Fritz gazed at Mia with a perplexed look before he cleared his throat and talked, "So, what's your name?" Fritz spoke in the friendliest voice he could muster up.
"Mia Blaze." She replied in a shallow voice.
"Ah, Blaze's daughter. Nice to meet you." Fritz replied with a friendly voice and half a smile.
"..." Mia didn't reply as she placed a blueberry cake on the plat and started cutting it to multiple pieces.
"So, Mia. I know this might be a little too sudden, but can I ask you about your father's great service for this town? It's something that really caught out interest when he mentioned it." Fritz inquired Mia with a friendly smile.
"Huh? He actually mentioned that? In front of you people out of everyone?" Mia asked in a perplexed and annoyed voice.
"Y-Y-Yes, is there something wrong?" Fritz asked in a nervous voice.
"*Sigh*...It's nothing. That old man doesn't like to talk about that in front of anyone...He saved this town from a monster invasion twenty years ago. The people of the town all see him as a hero." Mia explained in a tired voice before she cracked a sad smile
Fritz blankly stared at Mia for a few seconds before he asked her out of nowhere.
"Why are you sad?" Fritz asked.
"It's just that-...I hate him. He was always fun, happy, and an amazing father until he resigned as a mage captain eight years ago. He became a depressed, drunk, and moody old man that never stops complaining about how he wants the alcohol to kill him, how the sins got him to this low point in life , and how I don't deserve to be a mage.
If he just tried to change his complaints into supportive comments-...I would have become a superior mage captain already, but he never did." Mia slammed the table many times and held herself back from crying as she started her rant in outrage.
"Shouldn't you be glad that he finally came back to his old self?" Fritz asked.
"How?! If that happened because of me, I would have been happy as well. But he only came back to his old self after a group of adventurers tried to kidnap him! A bunch of people he never saw who had hostile intentions towards him made him happy again. That-...that only makes me far more worthless as his daughter." Mia slammed the table with the palm of her hand before she rested her head in her arms, softly crying after she finished her rant.
"Please don't say that about yourself, Miss Mia. You must realize that the only thing that kept him going for so long is you. He even pretended to be kidnapped so he can bring the fight to somewhere safe, a place where you won't get hurt." Fritz asserted.
"There's no way in hell that's true, he only cares about this shitty tavern!" Mia shouted before she slammed her fist on the counter.
"Miss Mia, Mr.Blaze didn't want to hurt one of our teammates because she reminds him of you. Her name is Lilith Mohund, he said that she reminded him of you with how she talked and acted, he-...She's the only who he liked from the beginning."
"Huh? Is-...Is that true?" Mia asked with teary eyes.
"Yes, that is completely true," Fritz stated with a friendly smile as he gazed at Mia.
"T-...Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr.?" Mia asked.
"Fritz. No need to thank me, Mia. But, please get along with your father sooner. He's a good man, he doesn't deserve to be hated." Fritz said as he picked up the plate and tankard.
"I-...I will. Thank you again, Fritz." Mia forced a friendly smile as she stared at Fritz, which the latter replied to by a simple nod of his head and a cheerful smile.
Fritz placed the plate and the tankard on the table while averting his eyes from the irritated Dimitri.
"I now know why that noble girl wanted to marry you," Dimitri said, "Because you're so Goddamn slow."
"First of all, she didn't want to marry me, we were both forced to. Second of all, I can neither confirm nor deny your erotic joke. And lastly, you should be thankful that I got us a little bit of information on Mr.Blaze." Fritz said in an indifferent voice.
"Boo, boo. Get out of the stage, you party pooper." Ace badgered at Fritz as he poked him in the ribs.
"Did you hear what I said?! I told you that I have some information on Mr.Blaze!" Fritz exclaimed in frustration at Ace.
"Can you sit down and start talking then?" Dimitri said as he grabbed his tankard and started chugging.
"Right." Fritz said before he took his seat, "Anyways, the first thing that I know, he protected the village from a monster invasion twenty years ago." Fritz said as he sipped from his mug.
"By himself?" Ace wondered.
"I don't know the details about that, but I think so. Anyways, that isn't as important as the second thing. I need you to brace yourselves for this, don't panic." Fritz warned the two.
"Just hurry up and say it, I don't think anything in the world can make me excited or intrigued right now," Dimitri said as he chugged down his drink.
"Blaze is a former mage captain." Spoke Fritz.
In a split second, Dimitri spat his drink all over Fritz and glared at him with eyes of shock and disbelief, while Ace was violently coughing and choking on his pie before he grabbed Fritz's drink and chugged it down in one go to gulp down the pie.
"He's what?!" The two exclaimed in a loud voice as they glared at Fritz.