One week passed since Sarah and the rest left the caravans, and the merchant group finally reached the Black Stallion Duchy. When they got there, it was already very late and the main gate had already been closed, so Annie's father had to pay a small fee of ten gold coins for them to go in. After that, they first looked for a safe place to keep their goods before heading to an inn. The inn was called the Sleeping Angel, where they were frequent customers.
"Mathew!" A muscular woman yelled from behind a bar, she waved her hands vigorously, "Annie, my darling!" To get to them faster, she jumped over the counter and ran up to them. When she reached Annie, she knelt down and gave her a crushing hug.
"Ow, mom, you're squishing me!" Annie croaked.
"Oh, I'm so sorry honey." She released her from her bear-like hug and Annie took a big gulp of air.
"You almost squashed her, Matilda." Mathew went for a hug, but was rejected.
"Don't touch me," Matilda said as she dodged another hug, "You promised you would bring back my daughter earlier. Next time, you are going alone, I don't care what happens to you as long as my daughter is safe."
"Really?" Mathew nudged her but she turned head to the side, "Really, really? You're sure you wouldn't miss your handsome husband, hmm?"
Matilda just snorted.
Mathew suddenly grabbed her and tickled her, she bit her lip and tried to act unconcerned, but Mathew didn't relent, and she was soon reduced into a giggling mess.
"Alright, stop!" Matilda said, then they both kissed – Annie made sure to hide her eyes behind her hands.
A drunkard stumbled towards them, disturbing the couples public display of affection. He pointed at Matilda and a drunken lopsided smile, "Hey, pretty lady! Don't just show him love, show me some love too!" Then he tried to hug her.
Matilda easily dodged his hug, then she grabbed his arm and forced in to his knees. Then she raised her arm up, brought it down in full force and hit the side of his neck with the side of her hand, and he immediately passed out. Everybody who was watching from the side burst out laughing.
"That's what you get!"
"You don't try that with Big Mama!"
Before he slumped, Matilda carried him over her shoulder and walked out of the inn, Annie and her father quickly followed her to see what she was going to do.
Instead of throwing him harshly, she gently laid him down on the decorative grass, then dusted her palms and walked back in.
"Is he dead?" Mathew asked.
"He's fine." Both Annie and Matilda answered. Matilda was sure that she didn't hit him with enough force to break his neck, while Annie had checked him out with [Inspection]. What she saw was;
[Name: Unknown
Level: 0
Status: Fainted]
Huh, so that's what I'd see if I used it one non-believers.
"My baby, let me look you. Oh, you've gotten so lean. Don't you feed her well?!" Matilda asked while punching Mathew on his shoulder.
"Ow! What do you mean? Of course, I do! Heck, she even eats more than I do."
"That can't be true, since you've gotten fatter."
Annie laughed as she watched her mother and father interact. Other people often said that their relationship wouldn't last, but Annie thought otherwise. She knew that even if her father's work demanded him to travel a lot their love would never break. After all, when there is space between you and the one you love, instead of growing apart, you miss them, and you spend every waking moment remembering why you love them.
Annie yawned, she was very tired from the journey and it was already time to sleep.
"Matilda, Annie is feeling sleepy. I should take her upstairs…'
"I'll come with," Matilda said, then she turned around and yelled, "Dana!"
"Yes, ma'am?!"
A short woman in a waitress dress came running from a corner. She dropped the tray she was carrying on a table nearby before coming up to them.
"Hello Mr. Mathew, I see you have returned from you journeys, hello Annie!"
"Hello Dana." Annie smiled at her. Dana could be considered a part of the family, she had been with them since forever, she even babysat Annie when she was younger.
"Dana dear, I'm so glad to see you. Don't worry, I brought something for you." Mathew winked at her playfully.
"Really? I can't wait to see it." Then she suddenly remembered why she was here, "Oh, yes ma'am, you called me?"
"I'm going upstairs for a while, watch over the shop till I come back."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And if someone causes trouble…"
"I'll ring the emergency bell. Don't worry ma'am."
Seeing that she had everything under control, Matilda followed them upstairs.
Their merchant group had a few rooms reserved just for them in the Sleeping Angel, they were the last rooms though, so they had to walk a bit. Normally, her mother would have made her bathe first and change into her night gown before sleeping, but seeing how tired she was, she let her sleep.
"I'm sure you've had a lot of adventures." Matilda said as she stroked Annie's hair.
"Oh, mom, you have no idea."
Matilda kissed her on her forehead, "Tell me everything tomorrow?"
"Hmm." Annie nodded; her eyes half-closed. By the time her mother left the room, she had already fallen asleep.
…
The next day, Annie woke up early to help her father set up the stalls. Even though she had been told many times by everyone that she didn't have to help, she still did. She also helped them sell some items, watching people bid for their goods exited her.
She had a quick breakfast and ran to the marketplace, although it wasn't far from the Sleeping Angel, when she got there, she saw that quite a few people had set up their stalls already. They must have woken up super early, like her dad. She kept on running until she reached the place where her dad's workers were setting up their stalls. Her father had a lot of goods, so he had to hire some people to sell them for him. While running, she shouted a greeting towards everyone she knew before stopping in front of one stall, the stall she worked in.
"Good morning, Aunty Unique!" She said as she sat down on a stood.
"Good morning, Annie." A woman wearing a rainbow-colored dress said with a bubbly smile. Annie liked working with Unique, she had a colorful personality.
"Did you go to your father's shop before you came here?"
"No, I have to be here to help you set up and protect you in the morning rush." Annie shook her head. She had volunteered to be the Unique's guard.
"Dear child, I can protect myself." Unique smiled, "Well, since you're here, help me put the vase there."
"Yes!"
By the time they arranged everything finish the sun was already very bright, by that time the marketplace was jam-packed. Some people knew what they wanted and went straight into the shops, some were just browsing. Some little children were directing customers to shops for a few copper coins. The people in stalls were yelling the price for their wares. Everywhere was lively.
Annie kept a sharp eye on anyone who cane near their stall, there were a lot of thieves in the area, and a lot of thugs that try to cause trouble every chance they get. There was one time when she was left alone to watch over the stall for a few minutes, she wasn't paying attention and someone stole something from them. No one blamed her, but she was disappointed in herself. She kept that feeling in her ever since, so she wouldn't make the same mistake again.
"How much?!" A gruffy voice disturbed her thoughts.
"50 copper coins, sir." Unique was talking to a man who was holding a tray of utensils.
"No, I'm not paying 50 copper coins for a basic utensil set, lower the price."
"This is the lowest it can go sir." Annie nodded when she heard Unique, if that man had gone to a shop to buy the utensil set, it would be more expensive than that. He was just being difficult on purpose. Annie stood up and inched closer to them.
"I said no, lower the price!" he shouted again.
"I'm sorry sir, that's not possible. If you are not buying it then please drop it." Unique answered calmly.
The man suddenly turned livid, and he tossed the tray at Unique's head.
"Unique!" Annie rushed forward and tried to block the tray from hitting Unique, but she stopped halfway, because she did need to anymore. A white shield protected Unique and the tray bounced off it. Annie then remembered that Unique was also a follower of the God of Origins, and she choose Cleric. They were the healers of the group, but they shouldn't be underestimated, they were meant to protect so they had ways of protecting themselves. When someone chooses the Cleric, they would be given three Power Words and two Curse Words, the one Unique used was [Power word: Shield].
"She's a sorceress!"
"Why is she selling wares then?"
The crowd watching quicky shuffled backwards, the man who threw a tray at Unique was already sweating.
'They probably think she's part of the Inquisitory Eye', Annie thought as she leaned on one leg. The Inquisitory Eye were a society that say they are searching for the extent of magic but were truly just a bunch of bullies. They were not the most powerful magical society, but they were very active in the Black Stallion Duchy. They also sell their services to anyone with enough money. They were not as righteous and just like the Emerald Crow society.
"I-I-I," The man stuttered as he tried to apologize, "I'm so s-s-sorry miss…"
"It's quite alright, but since you damaged our property, you will have to buy it." Unique said with a smile.
"Yes, yes!" The man quickly brought two silver coins out of his purse, and gave it to her, Unique helped him package his goods. immediately he took it he bolted.
Unique looked at Annie, "He didn't wait to collect his change." The both burst of laughing.
Business continued as usual – what happened was just a small dispute, things like that and more happens in the marketplace. They would all go home and talk about it, and the rumors they spread would change every time it would be said. Annie couldn't wait to hear how Unique summoned a magical beast which ate someone the next day.
They sold a bunch of stuff, went on break, and came back for the afternoon rush; when children come back from their schools and wanted to buy things that interest them. Unique already changed the displayed goods to something young people would like. It wasn't long after they finished setting up that many children with different school uniforms came to the marketplace. Very quickly, they sold two necklaces and a sword that had 'killed an ogre'. One kid even bought something called a yo-yo.
Rich kids really would buy anything.
Suddenly, a black carriage with a black horse rolled by and stopped in front of their store. The coachman stepped down and opened the door with a bow. A young boy, about Annie's age, came down from the carriage. The coachman then stood behind him as they walked towards their stall. Annie noticed that the coachman had a sword sheathed to his side, which mean that he was probably also a guard.
"This is Victor Crooke, the son of baron Cecil Crooke!" the coachman announced.
"Greetings, young lord. What would you like to buy?" Unique greeted them with a smile.
Instead of talking, Victor just nodded towards the coachman who brought out a sack of money, he then dropped it on the table, "The young lord would like to buy your services, great sorceress, for you to follow him to the birthday party of Viscount Argyle's daughter."
Both Annie and Unique were stunned for a second. It seemed the rumor spread faster than they thought it would.
"Um, I'm sorry but no, that won't be possible. I'm not that kind of – er – sorceress." Unique said while maintaining her salesperson tone.
Victor frowned a bit, like he wasn't expecting her to reject him. He glared straight at his coachman.
The coachman seemed to understand what the glare meant and brought out another sack of coins, "Don't worry about the money miss, we will pay you very well."
"I'm really not– "
"In both sacks are 500 silver coins, I'm sure that would be enough for one birthday party." He continued like he didn't hear her. At this point, Annie had had enough.
"She said no already, get lost will ya!" Annie stood in front of him.
The coachman was speechless for a few seconds, then he frowned, "Excuse me, who are you?"
"I'm her bodyguard, now piss off if you don't want to get clobbered."
"Is this some kind of joke?"
Victor, who hadn't spoken all this while, finally opened his mouth, "Herman, remove her."
"Yes, sir." The coachman – Herman – walked towards her and grabbed her shoulder harshly, "I suggest you mind your business after this child."
Instead of talking, Annie just grabbed his arm and twisted it, then she kicked him to the ground. He had a fit of coughing as he grabbed his chest. Annie dusted her palms and glared at him, according to [Inspection], he was just a level two goon. She could beat him without breaking a sweat.
Herman looked at Victor with embarrassment and saw him frowning at him. He quickly stood up and rushed towards her again, but this time he pulled out his sword. Annie dodged his slow swipe, grabbed his arm and swung him over her head. He landed with a heap of dust and began moaning in pain. Anyone could tell he was incapacitated.
Annie looked at Victor, "Well? Aren't you leaving?"
Victor didn't answer, but went to grab Herman's sword, "You have embarrassed me today, and as a Swordsman, that is unacceptable. For my reputation, I challenge you to a duel, right here, right now."
Annie scoffed and summoned her rapier. She also used [Inspection] on him and found out he was level 5.
He must be a young prodigy that has unlock at least one Aura, Annie thought. She was still pretty confident that she could defeat him, since they had the same level. She had seen a lot of Sword Manuals, but she was sure he hadn't seen any Rapier Manuals.
"Storage pouch…" Victor's eyes widened as he saw her sword appear, "No matter, that won't help you win, unless you're storing something that can help you cheat."
"Don't insult my integrity," Annie frowned, "I don't cheat."
Victor smirked, "We'll see." He looked at her sword in mockery, "Shouldn't you use a more fitting sword, I don't want you to blame your failure on a defective sword."
"Didn't they teach you not to underestimate your opponent in your preppy school? Stop yapping and attack already."
"Hmph, as you wish."
He lunged forward and swung his sword, Annie hit the base of his sword, successfully blocking the attack. 'She's strong, and that sword is harder than I thought', Victor thought then attacked again. They went at each other for a while, Annie hadn't fought a Swordsperson before, so she was mostly on the defensive. Victor wasn't having it easy too, all his attacks were either dodged or blocked by her.
Suddenly, Annie took a big step forward and used the tip of her rapier to hit his sword twice, almost causing it to fall. He hopped backwards to create some distance between them.
"Aww, running away already?" Annie mocked.
"You wish!" He seethed. He spread his legs wide and groaned lowly, then a whiteish smoke surrounded him; he was using the First Aura. Annie had read that every stage of Aura had a different color, she didn't know how many stages there were but she knew the First Aura's color was white. The crowd that was forming moved quickly moved backwards, only Unique stayed where she was, she was going to protect Annie if something happened.
After successfully opening the First Aura, Victor bent slightly and leaped towards Annie, his speed visibly faster than before. Annie seemed to stand there in a daze but really, she was just thinking of which skill she should use. She had unlocked two more skills before she came to the duchy, but those skills would definitely cripple him. She decided to use [Multiple Thrusts] on one spot on the sword. The result was the sword shattering and Victor being blasted backwards. He landed in and awkward position.
"Young master!" Herman rushed out from wherever he was and tried to raise him up. Victor's eyes were only on Annie's, he was staring at her in shock, like he couldn't believe he lost. She didn't shy away from his gaze, she smirked and said two words.
"You lost."