Heading to the horse stable, Sierra skipped while humming cheerful tunes.
"M-Mi-Miss N-Ne-Neves. G-Go-Good m-mo-mor-morning."A hobbit with a stutter, dressed in muddy, ragged overalls and worn down leather boots stood atop two crates.
"Good morning Dalda." Sierra walked into the stable. "How's work been treating you lately?"
"W-Wo-Works b-be-been go-good." Dalda nodded, holding a horse brush in her hands.
"I hope Bella hasn't been giving you any trouble." Sierra stood before a stunning pure white mare with a missing left eye, caused by an arrow. "Wanna go for a little walk, Bella?"
"Neighhhh!" Bella giddily stamped her hooves.
"Good girl." Sierra ran her hand along Bella's silky-haired neck. "Is she okay to head out?"
"Y-Ye-Yes, m-mi-miss N-Ne-Neves," Dalda replied.
"Click!"
Bella was released and immediately went to snuggle her face against Sierra's.
"Hahaha! Calm down girly. You're a little too excited." Sierra giggled.
She weakly pushed Bella aside and picked up a riding harness, to which she equipped the horse.
"Alright, we're heading out. Sorry that I couldn't stay and chat with you some more, Dalda." Sierra walked out of the stable, guiding Bella through the door.
"It-It's n-no p-pr-prob-problem, m-mi-miss N-Ne-Neves." Dalda waved them goodbye, her sleeves rolled up. "S-St-Stay Sa-Safe."
Jumping on Bella's back, the two journeyed to lesser center city, within Vanchordé, where the Williamson family lived. They took the shortest route from the Inner-low West Wing to the west entrance of center city, which was situated in the middle of the city with a higher incline to the rest of Vanchordé.
"Haaa! We're here, finally. I was getting worried we were lost." Sierra dismounted Bella and was awed at the sight in front of her. "It's so big!"
As Sierra approached the residence, she came closer to the huge iron gate that had a metal engraving of a sword pointing downwards with flames coming from its tip. Beyond the gate was that exact symbol but as a statue with red petal flowers surrounding it.
"Oi! If you're just gonna stand there and gaze, then do that somewhere else." A voice called to Sierra.
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, it's just my first time coming here." Sierra then looked at the owner of the voice. "Todd! Is that you? I haven't seen you in forever."
"Yeah, Yeah! Just tell me what you're here for so I can get this done with." A lanky, mean-faced guy with a guard's cap over his head stood at the door of his post. "My lunch break starts in the next two minutes and I can't afford to be late. Those turkey sandwiches go as fast as hot bread around here."
"Well, that's rude." Sierra frowned. "We haven't seen each other since graduating training academy and that's how you greet me… Toddler Flintstone."
"First off, it's Toddle Flingstone," Todd replied annoyed. "Second off, my apologies for not being nice to the person who bullied me in every sparring match."
"Oh yeah… the good ole days." Sierra reminisced.
"Good ole days my ass! You never once held back, even when you knew I was weaker than you!" Todd jumped out of the guardhouse and pointed at Sierra. "Because of your shoulder throws, my back still randomly aches to this day!"
"Really? You should get that checked out, it sounds serious." Sierra had a fake look of concern on her face.
"And whose fault do you think that is?! Huh?!" Todd raised the tone of his voice.
"Tee-hee! Oopsie!" Sierra further taunted Todd by shooting him an innocent expression.
"Don't "Tee-hee" and "Oopsie" me! Do you know how much money that would cost me?!" Todd was sweating from his increased stress levels. "Argh, Damnit! I'm not gonna let you pull me into your little… stupid mind games."
"Tck! And it was just getting fun too." Sierra rolled her eyes.
"I hate you so freaking much." Todd mumbled to himself while pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know you didn't come here to just annoy me. So what brings you here?"
"Well, I came to deliver this envelope to the Williamson family." Sierra took out the envelope and showed it to Todd.
"Deliver it to who?" Todd asked.
"Who?"
"Yeah. Who is it to be delivered to?" Todd clarified.
"Ah… it's to be delivered to… Ex-Captain Frederick. I remember now, almost forgot." Sierra lied.
Captain Frank had forgotten to mention who the actual receiver of the envelope was.
"Frederick? Haaa! Just hand it over, I'll give it to him." Todd stretched his palm closer to the gate.
"No… I'm not giving it to you." Sierra refused.
"Huh? Look stop wasting time and just hand it over." Todd became annoyed once more.
"I want to give it to him myself." Sierra put the envelope behind her.
"Look Sierra, I can't just let you–."
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
A loud bell was heard ringing and Todd instantly turned to his watch.
"Damnit, my turkey sandwiches." Todd looked up at Sierra who was smiling. "Tck! Fine, you win. But the horse stays outside."
"I always knew you were understanding, Toddler." Sierra tied Bella to a nearby street lamp.
"It's Toddle, not Toddler! Ah, I hate you so much." Todd opened the pedestrian gate. "He's in the courtyard. Just stick to the left path and you'll see him."
Sierra walked through the gate and the view looked even more real. Three stone walkways led to either the mansion's front door, left or right side of the noble building. Following Todd's instructions, Sierra journeyed along the left walkway. She took notice of the beautiful array of floral designs and patterns. Bright red rose bushes were planted along the walkways. The flat grass fields had pruned trees that looked like a horse with a soldier on its back, while others had the family's insignia.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
Sierra heard the faint sound of a sword swinging. Walking a little faster she soon came upon the courtyard that Todd mentioned. Next to a fountain, an orange-haired teen swung a wooden sword. A short distance from the young man, an old butler in full white prepared a small table with biscuits, sandwiches and tea. The butler took notice of Sierra's staring and waved to her.
"Ah, excuse me." Sierra approached the butler and gave a polite bow. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm looking for someone named Frederick… Ex-Captain Frederick."
"That would be me." Frederick answered with a smile.
"You're Ex-Captain Frederick!!!" Sierra took a step back in surprise, she expected him to look bigger and have more of a commanding aura like in the books. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."
"Haha! Worry not young lady, your reaction was amusing." Frederick covered his mouth as he chuckled. "If I may ask, what is your name?"
"Si-Sierra Neves, Sir."
"Well, how may I help you, Lady Neves?"
"Oh yes! I almost forgot." Sierra handed the envelope to Frederick. "I was told to deliver this to the Williamson family. Although, I wasn't told who to give it to."
Frederick opened the sealed envelope and pulled out two cards. A quick look at the cards and he put them back inside the envelope.
"Sir Arthur, the citizenship cards arrived."
"Really? That's great!" Arthur answered, putting down his wooden sword and wiped away his sweat.
"Thank you for delivering this. It's much appreciated." Frederick looked back at Sierra.
"N-No problem, Sir. Just doing my job." Sierra saluted.
"Lady Neves, if you aren't in a rush right now, would you like to stay for a short brunch?" Frederick offered.
"I-I would love to!" Sierra accepted excitedly.
Frederick prepared an extra seat for Sierra and the three sat together at the table.
Wow! This coffee is super tasty." Sierra took a second sip. "What is it made of?"
"It's Prabian beans mixed with Vanilla extract." Frederick poured Arthur a cup.
"I've never tasted anything like this before." Sierra complimented, speedily sipping the coffee.
"Did you know, Frederick's ranked second among butlers when it comes to coffee making?" Arthur stated eagerly.
"Really!? That explains why this is so top-notch." Sierra took the last sip of coffee and a euphoric feeling ran through her body. "I could die happily right now."
"I know right!" Arthur excitedly exclaimed. "It's always the last sip that's the best one."
"Haaa! I never would've imagined having coffee served to me by the legendary Frederick." Sierra put down the cup. "Thank you for inviting me. It's an honour, Sir."
"No need to be so formal." Frederick smiled as he poured Sierra another cup of Prabian coffee. "I am just a humble butler and caretaker."
"I'm sorry, it's just that many of us orphans look up to you. It was especially thrilling to read about your actions during the dungeon break 30 years ago." Sierra looked at her reflection in the coffee. "You singlehandedly cleared away more than 10% of the demon minions and even defeated a class 3 demon lord. If it weren't for your leadership, and you pushing yourself past your limits, more people would've died that day."
Arthur signaled for another cup of coffee and Frederick poured.
"Your skill with the sword was top tier. Even your proficiency in mana strengthening techniques was ranked within the highest grades of our military. And despite being poor, you climbed the military ladder, forcing those who only acknowledged people of high social class to recognize your hard-earned achievements." Sierra became lost in her admiration of a now old butler. "And even better, you were a man of the people. An inspiration to the poor and lower class like me."
"Well, I'm happy to hear that I inspired you," Frederick replied, serving the sandwiches.
"Ah! Darn it!" Arthur abruptly exclaimed, springing to his feet, hands on the table. "I'm such an idiot. How could I have missed something so important?"
"What seems to be the matter, Sir Arthur?" Frederick asked his face showing concern.
"Haaaa! I forgot to give Shelly a place for us to meet again." Arthur facepalmed, sitting down. "How are they gonna get the citizenship cards now? Why didn't I think of that?!"
"Worry not, Sir Arthur. I'll find Lady Shelly and Sir Maou myself." Frederick assured. "They should still be in Danzai District."
"No, I can't let you cover for my mistakes." Arthur refused.
"That is very responsible of you, Sir Arthur," Frederick noted. "But I can't allow for a noble to randomly search the city by himself."
"Uhm, excuse me."Sierra kindly interrupted. "Are you talking about Shelly Baker? The one with the small child named Maou?"
"Yes! You know them?!" Arthur excitedly asked, moving closer to Sierra.
"Yes, we met yesterday and even had drinks together," Sierra answered. "I also know the Inn they're staying at Pixies Inn. So, I could deliver it to them for you."
"Really?! You're a lifesaver, thank you." Arthur excitedly accepted her offer.
After finishing the brunch, Sierra collected the envelope once again. She walked the same route back to the front gate of the mansion, marveling at the decorations and design.
"Hey Bella, did you miss me?" Sierra ran her hand across Bella's silky back.
"Neighhh!" Bella replied, rubbing up against her.
"Good girl, I missed you too." Sierra mounted Bella. "Hey, can you believe it?! I got to meet my hero, firsthand. I even talked with a noble. Thankfully, he wasn't like the typical noble. Their arrogance makes me sick."