With an energetic step, Kedra made her way into the busy streets of the capital. She had spent a long time within the academy's walls and had at some point lost track of time; she knew it was late, as evidenced by the setting sun, but the exact hour was unknown to her.
Unbothered by her ignorance, she pressed forward into the main street and looked around for anyone who seemed knowledgeable about the capital's layout.
She spent around half an hour wandering about aimlessly before finally setting eyes on a busy tavern and deciding to go ask around.
However, before she could enter the building, Kedra spotted a familiar one-armed knight out of the corner of her eye, making conversation with a band of adventurers. Judging from their silhouettes, she saw two women and a man.
Trailing behind them was Maria, who seemed to be eagerly trying to separate Lionel from them.
Kedra breathed a sigh of relief and began making her way over to them; once she was in eyeshot of the group, she began waving in an attempt to grab their attention.
Lionel was too occupied with the conversation, but Maria quickly noticed and rushed over to Kedra's side, leaving Lionel perplexed.
As soon as Maria reached Kedra's side, she promptly got down on her knees in apology. "Forgive me for not being there sooner, my lady! That fool Lionel got caught up with some past acquaintances."
Kedra let out an embarrassed chuckle and motioned for Maria to get up, though what the maid said stuck with her. "His past acquaintances, you say? I wonder who they could be."
Maria rose to her feet, her head still bowed. "From their conversation, I have concluded that they are Lionel's old adventuring party."
'Lionel used to be an adventurer? Not that it's that surprising, but I wonder where those guys were when he got reduced to a vagrant.'
After a short moment, Lionel finally noticed Kedra waiting for him in the distance and accelerated his step. "Kedra—Um, Lady Kedra, what brings you out here? You should have waited for us."
"Yes, yes, before that, who are these people, Lionel? Are they friends of yours?"
"That's right, I used to travel with them; of course that was back in Atrea, so you can guess how surprised I was when I saw them all the way here in Aswal."
Kedra's eyebrow raised at the mention of the country. "Atrea? Isn't that on the other side of the continent? What could your friends possibly want all the way over here?"
Before Lionel could answer, one of the adventurers stepped forward, a tall, well-dressed elven man wearing a pointed wizard's hat. He had long and straight silver hair; his eyes were green, yet their dull hue betrayed his impaired vision.
"Allow me to answer that question, young lady. We have come all the way here to Aswal in pursuit of a dangerous criminal, a dragon-kin by the name of Ranrik. We came across a request to pursue him in Teflie, though he's managed to evade us all this time."
Kedra raised her eyes to meet the elf's gaze. "So you think that this Ranrik is here in Astoren?"
"Indeed, we have reasons to believe that after crossing the border into Aswal, he quickly fled here to meet with a contact, though the contact's identity still eludes us."
"Do you even have any means of tracking him down, or are you just going to go through every tavern in the capital until you overhear talk of him?"
The elf let out a soft chuckle. "No, of course not; we have plans to ask an information broker about him; we were actually heading there before we encountered Lionel."
"And might I add, now that we've encountered him, I'd very much like to borrow him for the purpose of this mission; I'm sure that with his help, Ranrik would have no hope of escaping us again."
Lionel lightly shook his head. "I've already told you, Bellas, I've sworn allegiance to my lady, and I don't intend to go back to the adventuring life. I'm afraid I'll have to deny your request. Isn't that right, my lady?"
As he looked over, he noticed that Kedra was deep in thought, as if she were weighing out the pros and cons of allowing him to participate; however, after a few seconds of silence, he saw a crooked smile appear on her face.
"You know what? Lionel has already expressed his disinterest, but that doesn't mean that our household cannot help you... Here's my offer: instead of Lionel, I will be the one to help you."
Both Maria and Lionel's faces immediately dropped, with Maria rushing in front of Kedra. "My lady, I cannot allow this! I understand that you are more than capable, but I could not stand to see you put yourself in danger!"
"I agree with Maria; I know these guys well; if they're going after this dragon-kin he is guaranteed to be powerful; I must ask that you rethink your decision."
Kedra crossed her arms and nodded her head pensively. "I understand your concern; I truly do. And I appreciate that you would think of my safety first."
Suddenly, she raised her head. "But how could I possibly pass up such an opportunity! To catch a wanted criminal in the company of great adventurers! What could be more chivalrous than this?"
"Please, my Lady, the academic year hasn't even started. How will you possibly attend classes while trying to catch a criminal?"
"I'll just do it after classes; it can't be that difficult."
"My Lady, this isn't some game! I-"
Suddenly, the elven man stepped in between them. "Now now, we appreciate your enthusiasm, Lady Kedra, but it would be difficult for us to bring a child into such a dangerous situation. While I'm sure you are more than competent enough to deal with lowly bandits, Ranrik is not your everyday thug; he's much more dangerous."
While the elf was speaking, Lionel leaned towards Maria. "Say, has our Lady always been so impulsive regarding such decisions?"
"Well, during our stay at the old residence, I often saw her flipping through tales of knightly chivalry with an amazed look in her eye; I can only assume that those books, mixed with her natural impulsiveness, have sparked on this quality of hers."
Lionel nodded. "Now that I think about it, Naoya told me that she fought an armed thug the other day in order to save a woman in distress."
"Yes, it seems our lady is naturally attracted to dangerous situations."
Meanwhile, Kedra was considering the elf's words carefully. "Alright then, if you won't take me alone, then how about this? I'll bring one of my soldiers along with me; he's a horn-folk that managed to best Lionel in a duel."
"He managed to beat Lionel? He must be a monster then..."
Hearing his words, Lionel chuckled. "I decided to hold back in order to show off the boy's strength, but in truth he is a very competent fighter, and since our Lady seems to be so adamant on the subject, I suggest you accept Bellas."
The elf scratched his head for a second. "Alright fine, we desperately need a warrior, and if Lionel recommends him, I have no reason to refuse, but you must take care to not get in our way, Lady Kedra."
The man's words prompted Lionel to place a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about that, Bellas; Kedra is more than competent enough; I've had the experience of that firsthand."
"Don't tell me... she managed to defeat you too?"
Lionel nodded. "Well, we have had many duels over the years, and I can certainly say that she has been the victor of the vast majority of them."
Bellas' face dropped in shock as he slowly turned his head towards Kedra.
The girl winked. "I look forward to working with you."