Taking half of the reward, Angela walked over to the entrance and turned to Cyrus. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow," She stated before leaving the guild.
Cyrus turned to the guild master, puzzled by her words. The grizzled man shook his head, refusing to elaborate. Since he wasn't getting any answers, Cyrus took the other half of the reward, and as he prepared to leave, the guild master stopped him.
"What're your plans for the rest of the day?" The guild master asked.
"Find somewhere to eat and sleep?" Cyrus was unsure of what else to do, as getting the basics sounded like the right thing to him.
"I think you should take a look around town, as things are a bit different here than in other towns. Oh, be sure to come back when you're hungry. We may not offer the best food, but you'll find we have the best service," The guild master proclaimed.
The demon-kin didn't respond and left the guild. Once outside, something dawned on him. There were very few people on the streets; he assumed a town would be bustling, especially in the evening. Instead, it was just a few adventurers like him going to taverns.
Cyrus decided to start with the buildings near the guild first and work outwards, noticing that the town was built around the guild since the main road supported adventurers with the guild being in the center. There are a few Blacksmiths, some shops containing various items, and taverns for adventurers to spend their coin.
noticing a church on a hill overlooking the town, he decided to check it out next. Even from a distance, he understood what Angela meant by the guild being the second-biggest. The church was big enough to fit the entire populace and still have room to spare.
Walking to the hill, Cyrus noticed guards stationed around the church. They were in full enchanted plate mail, the shields bearing the church's symbol of a winged sword, and their blades giving off a yellow glow. One of the guards notices Cyrus and marches over to him.
"You know your kind isn't welcome here, so I suggest you turn around and leave," The guard spoke with a threatening tone, glaring at Cyrus.
Cyrus looked at the guard and then glanced at the church, "There are five stained glass windows on the front. Could you tell me what's on them before I go?" Cyrus asked.
"Hmph, if it will get you to leave. The five windows represent the five heroes who killed the Demon Lord. The Angel's Blade, The Heavenly Spear, The Holy Bishop, The Great Martyr, and The Princess of Light," The guard stated proudly.
satisfied with the answer from the guard. he turned to leave, "and don't come back, or else," the guard warned.
Cyrus was disappointed that he couldn't see the stained glass windows, as the heroes were all people he met and fought. Aside from the one known as the Bishop, he enjoyed his battle with the other four. However, he was curious if history changed anything about them.
His next stop was to the blacksmith, needing a sheath for his sword or a new sword altogether. Seeing a man hammering on a piece of armour nearby a forge, he would look up at Cyrus only for the man to look up shake his head at the demon-kin.
"I don't serve your kind here," The blacksmith stated.
"Why not, Is my coin no good or something? I need a new blade or a sheath for my current one," Cyrus asked.
"It's not about the coin; I simply don't like you," The blacksmith waved his hand, shooing Cyrus away.
Cyrus reluctantly left the blacksmith and planned to check the others for better luck, but his stomach started to growl. He didn't realize how late it was as the sun was already disappearing behind the distant forest. Remembering the words of the guild master, he decided to head back, curious as to what this better service was.
Seeing Cyrus walk through the door, the guild master waved him over. "Hey, kid, how did you like the town?"
"Can't say it's very hospitable for a demon-kin," Cyrus pointed out.
The guild master gave a little chuckle, "this town is eighty percent owned by the church and twenty by our guild. So the church's anti-demon views are shared by many people here."
"That's why you suggested I eat here," Cyrus surmised.
"Sadly, it won't get much better. The destruction of the Demon Lord means most of the church's land will be given to a noble and ruled by them. Usually, the noble is an ally of the church, and you can guess where that leads," The guild master explained.
"Why isn't it given to a noble in the first place?" Cyrus questioned.
The guild master just shrugged, "There's isn't anything to rule over, no farms or industries. However, the church gains money from its followers, rents out the houses to adventurers and reinvests the money into the town."
"That's why there is no inn since people go to the church and rent out one of the houses," Cyrus understood.
"Yea, the church and the guild is where all newcomers go. Though in cases like yours, newcomers can only go to the guild. That's why we own twenty percent," The guild master reached under the table and pulled out a key with an engraved number on it. "If you're planning on eating here, I could just add the price of the room to your meal."
"What's the contract for the rooms?" Cyrus asked.
"You pay for the house weekly, and if you miss a payment, we assume your dead, then we confiscate your belongings. It's the same contract the church has," The guild master concluded.
Cyrus nodded his head, everything seemed fair enough, but one thing bothered him. "Alright, but one last question. The church despises demon-kin and the guild connected to the church, so why have you been offering to help me?"
The guild master scratched his beard, trying to think of an easy way to explain the situation. "Our relation with the church is complicated and not something I can bring up lightly. Anyway, why not take a seat in the back, and order some food."
"I will, thanks," Cyrus would go to sit down in the back of the guild, setting his sword against the wall, as a young black-haired woman wearing a maid apron approached.
"Hello, I'm Flora, and I'll be taking your order for today," She smiled at Cyrus. She appeared to be eighteen with short hair in the back and her bangs coming just above her eyes. Behind the apron was leather armour that had weak magical enhancements to it. All the servers wore the same thing, a maid apron with magically enhanced leather armour underneath. Cyrus assumed it was to deal with bar brawls or other troublesome guests.
Cyrus gave off an amused smile, "never knew demon-kin worked here," being a demon lord, he could sense the demon blood in her and assumed the bangs were to cover the girl's horns.
"How did you know?" She asked in surprise. Since Cyrus had the appearance of a demon-kin, she wasn't worried about him finding out her secret. However, if he discovered it, perhaps others could too.
"Relax, I'm just sensitive to demon blood. If no one's discovered you before, I doubt anyone will just by looking at you," Cyrus reassured her.
"If that's the reason, then I hope your right," She breathed a sigh of relief, "So what can I get for you?" She spoke, remembering her job.
"Do you have any recommendations for a new adventurer," Cyrus wasn't sure how much the house would cost him and preferred to eat something cheap for today.
"Hmm, well I reccomened boar meat. It's locally hunted and is quite filling. Things like fish or other seafood are imported, so they're more of a luxury," Flora explained.
"Alright, I'll have some," Cyrus agreed.
"I'll be right back with your order," Flora smiled and walked off.
While waiting, however, Angela would barge through the guild door. "Alright, where is he?" She asked the guild master harshly.
"You'll have to be more specific," the guild master gave a cheeky grin.
"Look, I don't have time for this, so I'll just look myself," She stormed past the front desk and glanced around the tavern area, Cyrus' white hair stuck out among the rest as she walked over and plopped herself right in front of him.
Cyrus brought his arm to the table and leaned against his hand. "I thought you said you'd be seeing me tomorrow, not later this evening," he sarcastically remarked.
"Ya, so did I," She replied with a hint of exhaustion.
"I assume something urgent came up?" Cyrus asked listlessly.
"Something annoying," Angela handed a rolled-up piece of paper, tied with a white string that contained the church's seal. "This is for you."
Cyrus opened it and read it aloud, "to the demon-kin known as Cyrus. Your actions early today interfered with the church and obtained a reward that you did not justly earn. We have found this act to be shameful upon the church. Therefore you shall prove your innocence under the eyes of our goddess by duelling against the sword maiden Angela. The duel will take place at sunrise, failure to show up will result in harsh consequences by the church and all affiliations to it."
Cyrus glanced over the paper again, then to Angela before chuckling, "so a duel because I wounded their pride?"
Angela's hand slammed on the table, "this isn't a laughing matter!"
"Sure it is, one thing goes wrong, and they lose their minds. Sadly your reputation might take a hit, but the church will take an even bigger one when I win," Cyrus declared.
Angeal could only sigh. She didn't believe Cyrus was taking this seriously, "it seems you don't understand. Anyway, I gave you the duel notice. Just don't die."
Angela prepared to leave around the same time Flora appeared with Cyrus' food. She put the roasted boar meat in front of Cyrus, "here you are," Flora smiled again as per her job and continued to other guests.
"Oh, I know exactly, what the church will do," Cyrus spoke, with a mouth full of juicy boar meat. "It won't be anything direct, but I'm expecting foul play," Cyrus took another bite of his meal hungrily. "This is surprisingly good."
Angela watched him for a few moments, pondering if Cyrus had negative experiences. It wouldn't be surprising for a demon-kin, but making an enemy out of the church wouldn't do anyone any good. She couldn't dwell on it too much and left to prepare for tomorrow.