The faint light of the moon filtered through the blinds of William's office. He was finishing signing the rest of his papers and stamping them with their family's seal. After a little while, the last seal had been stamped onto the final document, and William let out a sigh of relief.
He was finally done with today's work, and he could rest now. Slowly, he rose from his seat, his muscles a bit sore and his bones a bit stiff from the still position he sat in for long periods of time.
He walked over to the doors of his room and exited it, walking down the hallways of the mansion.
He wanted to find Mark and question him about the events that transpired today, whether he had learned or found out anything about the mystery behind Liora's Beast Taming abilities.
As William continued to walk down the hallways in search of Mark, the faint chatter of the staff and a recognizable voice reached him. Immediately, William quickened his pace and walked over to the direction of the sound, walking into the living room.
There, he found Mark seated on one of the sofas, drinking a cup of tea and talking to the maids of the household. He was lightly flirting with them, making the maids blush as they fell for his handsome features.
"Mark, there you are," William said with a light smile after finally finding him, walking up to him with heavy steps.
Mark looked at William approaching, his face showing surprise for a moment, before returning to normal with a smug grin. He looked over at the maids who were still in the room with them and dismissed them so he and the duke could talk.
William took a seat opposite from Mark, a table in the middle of them both as he comfortably rested into the soft fabric of the sofa. William crossed his legs over the table, throwing his hands at the back of his head as he relaxed, his expression turning serious.
"So, tell me, Mark, found anything interesting yet?" William asked, his tone exerting authority.
Mark nodded. "Yes, your grace. It was just like you said, Liora's Beast Taming abilities are rather spectacular for a Low-Tier Magic user.
Earlier today, when we had gotten her registered and took on a beginner quest, she had managed to tame a Kick Rabbit effortlessly. Even I myself, with my High-Tier Magic, couldn't do that without struggling a few times on my first attempts.
Also, I've noticed something rather interesting. Liora's connection to the beasts she tames is far stronger than anything I've seen. During our mission, I saw her cry when she had to kill the Kick Rabbit she had just tamed, and going with that logic, she must've felt a lot of pain," Mark explained.
William's eyes shined as he uncrossed his legs and leaned forward onto the table, a malicious grin forming on his lips. "Anything else?" William asked, finding the information Mark was sharing truly interesting.
Mark sighed before shaking his head. "No, I'm afraid that is all I can share," Mark said.
William's eyes narrowed for a moment before rising up from his seat. "Alright, good. Keep on taking her to the Adventurers Guild and continue to study her," William said as he turned around and began to leave the room.
As he continued to walk down the hallway, an evil grin plastered onto his face, he felt that things were going well with his plan.
After he was done extracting every little detail out of Liora's Beast Taming abilities, he would use her to gather the most powerful beasts for their family and use that power to ascend to Archduke in the Royal Capital.
"Hahaha..." A low laugh escaped William as he licked his lips, already feeling the position of Archduke drawing closer to him with every passing second.
---
Mark stared at the direction the duke went as he left the room, watching for a few minutes with a lost expression.
'Alright, that's enough. Time for bed,' Mark thought as he let out a yawn, covering his mouth with his hand as he slowly rose up from the sofa while stretching his limbs.
Talon had been perched onto his shoulder the entire day, and the hawk's sharp talons were starting to dig into his flesh. Mark left the living room and started making his way to the guest room. Since he was Liora's "teacher," the duke offered him a guest room to stay in and rest.
Mark approached his door, grabbing the key from his back pocket. He inserted it into the keyhole and pushed the door open. Inside the room was a singular large bed, a cupboard, a desk, and a mirror.
"Alright, get off me now," Mark commanded his golden-feathered companion, and the bird flew off and landed onto his desk. A golden candle illuminated the room.
Mark began to undress, taking off his adventurer uniform and remaining shirtless, with some shorts on. He quickly walked up to the desk and blew out the candle, before turning back and walking over to the bed, climbing into the covers as he went to sleep.
---
…
[Chris has leveled up! +2 stat points (x10)]
Around Chris lay multiple corpses of monsters, their bodies adorned with multiple deep cuts and slashes. Chris stood in the middle of it all, his breathing heavy and ragged.
In the distance was a small town where he could go and take rest. The lights of the houses were on, meaning that many people were still awake. Chris just hoped that the inn of the town would still be open.
Chris was now at level 23 with 13,000 Soul Points. He quickly adjusted the large carrier bag on his back and placed the sword back into its sheath. He took a deep breath and steeled himself before breaking into a sprint and running towards the town in the distance.
The silent night was disrupted by the pounding of his feet on the ground and the clash of his items inside his bag.
'Just a little longer, then I'll be able to rest at the town.' Chris thought as he quickened his pace and ran even faster.
After a while of running, Chris finally reached the gates of the town. There were two guards stationed there, each one holding a metal spear and surveying the area. When they caught sight of Chris, their immediately turned their attention to him.
"Greetings," Chris greeted warmly, reaching into his pockets and pulling out a small bag of Copper coins he had saved for the past few days. He took out a few Copper coins and handed them to the guards, the guards looked at each other and nodded, stepping aside for him to enter.
Chris smiled as he saw the guards granting him passage, he then adjusted the carrier bag on his back before walking past them. As he stepped into the town, he noted that it was much more bigger and more modern than the village he had come from.
The roads were made of stone, unlike the dirt roads of his home. Many of the houses were very well built, and that suprised him a bit more. Chris continued to walk around the village, darting his eyes all around the town, looking for an Inn he can check into for the night.
'Ah! There's one.' Chris thought as he spotted an Inn not too far from him and hastily made his way over there.
Chris entered the inn, pushing the creaky wooden door open as the faint warmth of the building washed over him. The air inside smelled of old wood, faint smoke, and the lingering aroma of a recently finished meal. A sleepy innkeeper stood behind the counter, rubbing his eyes as if pulled out of a light nap.
"Evening," Chris said, forcing a polite smile despite his exhaustion. He approached the counter, reaching into his pocket once more. "How much for a night?"
The innkeeper blinked a few times before responding in a gruff voice, "Five Copper for a bed upstairs."
Chris nodded and quickly handed over the coins, his movements deliberate and tired. The innkeeper took them without counting and gestured toward the stairs. "Second door on the left. Don't break anything."
"Understood," Chris replied, slinging his carrier bag tighter as he turned away. He climbed the wooden staircase, each step creaking under his weight. By the time he reached the narrow hallway, he could feel the soreness in his legs catching up to him.
Pushing the door open, Chris was met with a small, plain room. A simple bed with a straw-stuffed mattress sat in the corner, with a small table and a half-burned candle resting atop it. It wasn't much, but to Chris, it was enough.
Dropping his bag onto the floor with a dull thud, he sighed in relief. He pulled his sword from its sheath and propped it against the table. Finally, he eased himself onto the bed, sinking into the scratchy sheets as his body relaxed for the first time in hours.
He closed his eyes, the quiet hum of the town outside fading as exhaustion dragged him into a deep, dreamless sleep.