I can only surrender and apologize when scolded by the gatekeeper. They explained that wandering outside the kingdom walls at night is a foolish act because there are numerous savage creatures that can take your life if you roam at night.
After they lectured me, I was allowed to return to the bar. However, I felt a bit uneasy while listening to the gatekeeper's explanation. If we are strictly forbidden to wander outside the kingdom walls at night, what about the fate of those who live outside the walls?
If there are indeed royal soldiers assigned to guard the areas outside the kingdom walls, there shouldn't be a problem, right? If they insist on prohibiting activities outside the walls at night, does it mean that there are no kingdom soldiers patrolling out there?
Yet, the economy of this kingdom relies on resources generated from the villages outside the kingdom. Fruits, milk, and eggs from livestock, even the production sites for weapons and armor for the soldiers are located outside the kingdom walls. Is this kingdom truly so rotten when it comes to caring for its people?
As I arrived in front of the bar, I opened the door and inside it was bustling as usual. Jenny seemed busy mixing drinks, and I saw Maria starting to deliver those drinks to customers.
I decided to head upstairs immediately to take a shower, as I wanted to get to know the people here who liven up the bar every day. After cleaning myself up, I went downstairs and saw Victor sitting at Jenny's table. Since everyone seemed busy with their own activities, I decided to approach Victor.
"Just arrived, sir?" I asked.
"Well, I had a lot of work to finish at the academy today, so I only managed to come at this hour," Victor replied while enjoying his drink.
"Where have you been, Oliv?" Jenny asked me.
"Ah, I was training all day. I roamed around these kingdom walls to build up my stamina," I answered.
"Is the gate still open?" Victor asked.
"No, as soon as I arrived at the gate, they had already closed it. I had to persuade them to open the gate for me, and I ended up being scolded severely," I replied.
"Well, that's how it is. You have to be a member of the royal family or someone important to freely enter and leave this kingdom," Victor explained.
"And they also mentioned that there are many savage creatures roaming outside the walls at night. Is that true?" I asked Victor.
I saw Victor and Jenny exchange glances, and Victor nodded at Jenny as if giving a signal.
"SORRY TO ALL THE VISITORS, WE WILL BE CLOSING SO YOU CAN GO HOME NOW..." Jenny shouted to all the bar patrons.
After that, I noticed one by one the visitors leaving the bar, but there were still some who remained seated, seemingly ignoring Jenny's words.
After a few visitors left, I saw someone closing the bar door and locking it. Then, a beautiful woman with bangs and glasses approached Jenny.
"Do you want to have a meeting, sis?" the woman asked Jenny.
"It's not really a meeting, but please do it as usual," Jenny replied.
I saw the woman nod and then walk to the center of the bar. She seemed to concentrate as she raised both of her hands. The other patrons also started gathering around the central table one by one.
After that, the bespectacled woman started walking back towards us.
"Are you done, Sil?" Jenny asked.
"Yes, sis. I made the radius limited to this room," the bespectacled woman explained.
Then I saw Jenny stand up and walk onto the stage. This bar indeed had a mini stage that was usually used by intoxicated patrons for dancing. As Jenny walked towards the stage, I noticed the other visitors stopping their conversations and focusing their attention on Jenny.
And my suspicion was correct. The remaining people here were members of the rebellion organized by Jenny, and until now, I hadn't gotten to know who exactly were the rebellion members.
A few minutes later, Jenny called me to join her on the stage. I walked towards her, and suddenly everyone here started cheering and applauding, as if they wanted to liven up the atmosphere.
"HEY, I'VE SEEN YOU HERE OFTEN, BUT I DON'T KNOW YOUR NAME, KID!" one of the spectators shouted to me.
"Ah, forgive me for only introducing him to you now. His name is Oliver Blackwell," Jenny said to the entire audience.
I could only smile at the audience at that moment because this introduction came so suddenly, and I had no idea what to say to them.
"Jenny, why all of a sudden?" I whispered.
"Don't worry, everyone here is part of the rebellion, so there's no need to worry," Jenny explained.
"Yeah, I know, but why did you introduce me to all of them at once? And in this way, I feel embarrassed," I whispered to Jenny.
"Don't worry, they're all friendly. Besides, you've already decided to join us, right?" Jenny asked.
I could only stare at Jenny, remembering that she had once offered me to join her, but all I had been doing so far was focusing on myself. I had even forgotten that Jenny had made me the offer.
"Oliver? Are you forgetting something?" Jenny asked.
I saw all the spectators' gazes focused on me. I looked at each of them, and their expressions seemed like they were ready to pounce on me. But in the corner of the room near Jenny's table, I saw Maria lost in thought, still wearing a sad expression.
I recalled all the events that had befallen me when I arrived in this world. The chaotic scene I witnessed on that hill when the Chaos Legion attacked this kingdom, how Jenny saved me and told me the history and dark side of this kingdom.
About how Victor trained me, my closeness with Reid and Max, and learning the harsh reality that the villagers in the village outside the kingdom's walls always lived in fear and uncertainty, at risk of being killed at any moment.
Furthermore, the realization of how rotten the governance system of this kingdom was, which led to the deaths of all the villagers in the village and Maria's parents due to the revenge of the Chaos Legion, a fate that should never have befallen them.
Should I join?
As my mind was filled with turmoil and thoughts, suddenly my ears began to ring, and my head started to ache. I closed my eyes, enduring the pain, and suddenly I remembered a voice from my dream.
.............................................................
DARIO...
YOUR FATE IN THIS WORLD DEPENDS ON YOUR CHOICE...
PROTECT WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS RIGHT...
FROM HERE ON, THE DESTINY OF MANY WILL BE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY...
.............................................................
The pain slowly subsided and disappeared. Honestly, I had no idea and didn't care because it was just a dream. But I felt like I had found the answer to everything I had been experiencing all this time.
I clenched my right hand and raised it in the air. With a loud voice, I shouted, "OLIVER BLACKWELL WILL JOIN YOU STARTING TODAY!" to the entire audience.
My shout instantly broke the atmosphere and made it more exciting and lively. Many of them pulled me down and offered me their drinks, forcing me to drink and dance with them.
I spent the night with them, all the members of the rebellion whose names I still didn't know. But they were truly welcoming to me. We partied all night, and suddenly the sunlight penetrated through the bar's windows, reminding us that dawn had arrived, signaling that we had to stop the party and go home to rest.
Luckily, it was Sunday today, which is why the bar still felt lively even though I was already very late to go home. One by one, they started to leave the bar, and as usual, only Jenny, Maria, Reid, and Max remained. However, today was a little different because Victor had passed out from heavy drinking about an hour ago.
Jenny looked at me while tidying up her table. I walked up to her and asked why she suddenly introduced me to all the members without informing me beforehand.
"You're strange, you've been living here for almost a month, and I even asked Victor to train you. So, there shouldn't be any reason for you to refuse," Jenny explained while wiping her table.
"But at least let me know beforehand, so I don't look foolish on stage. I don't even know all of them, and I don't know if our group has a specific name or not," I asked.
"It's called the Royal Guild," Jenny replied.
"Huh?"
"That's the name of our group, you idiot!" Jenny answered while hitting my head with her tray.
"Was that the name given by you when the group was formed? Or did you just think of it a few minutes ago?" I asked.
"No, the name was given by the group's founder before me," Jenny replied.
"Before you? I thought you were the one who founded this group all along," I said.