The office floor was covered in green carpet and there were glass cabinets on either side. One contained various bottles, probably alcohol, and the other had a variety of different, expensive-looking items and antiques. The back of the office had a large window that overlooked the streets below, which looked both dark and bright at the same time due to the shadow casted down by the massive platform above us and the various lights outside which also illuminated much of the view. The inside of the office also had its own lighting in the form of a chandelier hanging from the ceiling and something that resembled a reading lamp on a dark wooden desk. Both appeared to be magical. In front of the desk were two leather chairs, and behind the desk was the man I was here to see.

  Zalae was a fairly rotund man who looked to be in his late forties to fifties and his head was shaved bald. His face also was shaven, but it looked clear to me that he either didn’t shave very regularly or his moustache and beard hair grew very quickly. He wore a vest over a clean white shirt and I saw that he also had a jacket draped over the back of his chair.

  After looking me up and down for a second, he pointed to the door behind me. I closed it, and when I turned back around, he motioned for me to take a seat. I decided to sit on the chair on the right. When I did, he looked away for a moment, seeming to examine some papers on his desk. He let out a bit of grunt, and then pushed them aside before looking at me again. I silently stared back at him.

  “You are quite patient. Either that, or you don’t like to speak much.” I interpreted his words to mean that he expected me to have already said something.

  “I guess.” Zalae seemed to take a few seconds to analyze my first words.

  “May I ask for your name? I am Zalae, the guildmaster of Deimos’ Merchants’ Guild.”

  “My name is Braith.”

  “Braith? Is that right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “It’s a rather unique name.”

  “Yeah, I get that a lot.” To be fair, though, I’ve never heard of his name before either.

  “Have you ever been to Deimos before?”

  “No,” I responded quickly, accidentally revealing some annoyance in my tone. I mean, shouldn’t he be treating this more seriously?

  “Okay, I think I can stop there,” Zalae began, his expression now looking much more serious. I guess I got what I asked for? “Alright, tell me, how do you know Dennis?” I paused for a moment, and then I explained to Zalae our coincidental meeting and arrangement. I further explained how we parted ways in the forest just before reaching Reapers’ Pass, but omitting any details as to why and what I did there. I expected him to press me for more details about that, but he let me continue without interruption. I told him about how I found Dennis after he was attacked, and the words he wanted me to pass on. Then, I told him about how I discovered his murderers were passing off as merchants using his stolen membership token.

  “And then…well, here I am now,” I concluded.

  “...I see. That…does sound like something Dennis might have done.” Zalae leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he stared at me intensely. “Braith, why have you come to report this to me?”

  “Huh?” I blurted out confusion. Was he not listening at all? “Dennis was murdered and he told me to tell you.”

  “And that is the only reason?”

  “...I don’t understand what you are getting at?”

  “Even if the primary reason was to honour Dennis’ last request, surely there are other reasons. Such as seeking favour from the Merchants’ Guild? Or maybe reducing the risk of being suspected yourself?” I was honestly upset with those words.

  “No! I didn’t come here for such reasons!” Zalae didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by my outrage.

  “Then, perhaps to alleviate your sense of guilt?”

  “Guilt?! What are you talking about? You think I had something to do with Dennis’ death?!” Why on earth would I even come here to make such a report in that case?!

  “...well, you were supposed to be guarding him, were you not?” My anger deflated. Those thoughts that I thought I had since gotten over were coming back to me. My apology to Dennis as he was dying and the multiple regrets I had during my time in that forest.

  “When you parted ways in that forest…what really happened?” I swallowed some saliva. I was still trying to regain my composure from my distraught thoughts, so I knew I had to just remain silent until I did. I could not possibly risk revealing any of mine or Tasha’s secrets here. “Perhaps, you encountered some dangers even before reaching Reapers’ Pass?” I continued to try to not give anything away, but I could feel my eyes shift slightly in nervousness. “Perhaps…you fled to save your own life.” I froze at his words. I looked at him with a slightly shocked expression. “Running away from danger is an obviously cowardly and unprofessional thing to do as an escort. However, I am fully aware that money is rarely an acceptable substitute for one’s own life. Especially when you have your own family to look after. If it were truly a life or death situation…” Zalae looked at me with a mix of disappointment and understanding, “then it would be difficult to lay the blame on you.”

  “W- what?” I spluttered out.

  “At the very least, though, I would like to hear the full and honest truth now.”

  “...I didn’t run away,” I finally said, my voice a bit shaken. Zalae raised an eyebrow at me. Then he stared back at me with even greater intensity. “Yes, I parted ways with him, but it wasn’t because I was running away from danger. That had nothing to do with it.” My voice was stronger now.

  “Braith…it would be far worse for you and your livelihood to deny your cowardice here than it is to accept it.” Zalae’s words were almost seething with rage.

  “I admit I do feel some guilt about it all. However, it’s not because I ran from danger. It’s because…I think I could have done something for him otherwise. And…because of what the other escort said before he died.” I had omitted that part earlier, probably because of this exact reason of feeling guilty, but I felt the need to explain it now. “He told me…that Dennis waited for me.” Those words still hurt to repeat, and no matter how I rationalized that Dennis likely would have still been attacked even if he left earlier, I couldn’t know that for sure.

  “...I see,” Zalae responded, his voice much softer now. In the dark spot of the window behind him, I thought I could faintly make out my own contorted face. I quickly looked away and covered my face. “It seems you gave me a rather abbreviated version of events.” I could tell by his tone that he didn’t mean it in an accusatory way this time. “Is there more you wish to add now?” There was so much I could elaborate on, but…ah, there is also just so much I also feel like shouldn’t be said for various reasons.

  “If you have any other doubts about what I’ve told you…just ask me.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Alright…well, I would like to know more about why you suddenly parted ways in the forest…but it looks like you won’t be telling me that. Can you at least assure me that it had absolutely nothing to do with Dennis?” I nodded. “Alright…then, my next question would be about how you found out the other information about Dennis’ murderers.” Yeah, that was an obvious question.

  “...I got it from…a reliable source.”

  “...Did you commission someone? Some mercenaries or experienced trackers?” I thought for a few seconds before shaking my head.

  “Can you please tell me why you believe the information to be reliable?”

  “...I’m not sure I can. I’m also aware it would be very difficult to simply trust me on this.”

  “Indeed, it is difficult. Technically, we haven’t even verified if you truly ever met or knew Dennis. Even if that bare minimum was met, I know nothing about you or your credibility.”

  “That’s true.” And that also made me question why he was willing to meet with me alone. Is he actually a lot stronger than he looks? Or, is he also just underestimating me?

  “Is there someone you know who can vouch for you? As far as your reputation goes?” This kind of topic actually did come up in Brennan after I told the king about my plan. To smooth things over for me since I wanted to personally report the matter, King Henrik offered to write me a letter of reference, but I declined for what I thought were rather obvious reasons. Just like when I refused the knighthood, I certainly didn’t want to be tied back to the King of Brennan since that seemed to have a whole host of other serious implications. As a compromise, Sir Emmerick, the Captain of the Iron Knights, wrote me a letter of reference instead. I forgot about it when I spoke with the receptionist, but I’m still not sure I should use it.

  “If I say there is no one…does that mean you will disregard my report?”

  “No, we would still definitely look into the matter. However, it also means we would need to investigate you as well.”

  “...that’s fine. As long as you still look into everything else seriously as well.” I doubt they’ll find anything about me anyways. If no issues came up while in Brennan, I didn’t foresee any issues coming up now.

  “Does that mean you will cooperate with us until the investigations have concluded?” Zalae asked, clearly wondering what exactly I was still hiding from him.

  “As much as is reasonable,” I responded.

  “Reasonable, huh?” Zalae leaned in a bit closer, as if trying to peer into my thoughts, and then he slumped back down in his chair with a sigh. “Alright. In that case, I will have you and your companions remain in Deimos for now. I can provide you with rooms for you to stay at an inn that I own.” Zalae reached for something under his desk, and a second later Pascal walked in, looking a bit panicked at first as he analyzed the current situation. “Pascal, please escort Mister Braith and his companions to the Yellow Rose. Prepare rooms for them all.”

  “Ah, rooms for all of them, of course!” Pascal confirmed the order instantly, but then his cheeks started to redden. “Um, I believe we may only have two available rooms tonight.” Zalae seemed a bit confused by that, but I understood why. When the receptionist delivered my report, she probably only mentioned me and Tasha, but Pascal would have noted Flora when he came to fetch me.

  “I am traveling with two others, but I think two rooms should be fine,” I said, clarifying the matter.

  “Oh, are you sure?” Zalae asked me, which I assumed was more out of courtesy than anything else. I mean, he was having me stay at his inn so that he could keep better watch over me.

  “Yes, it’s fine, as long as you are not planning to overcharge me.”

  “Of course not, we will accommodate all of you free of charge. Consider this my hospitality to you in exchange for your cooperation.” Zalae meant his words in the moment, but I could tell he would probably flip in an instant if he found any problems with me during the investigation.

  “In that case, thank you.” I got up from my seat and I followed Pascal out of the office.

  “Oh, and Pascal, please guide them personally.” Pascal paused very briefly in the middle of taking a step outside.

  “Of course, Master Zalae,” Pascal responded, turning around quickly to speak. Pascal continued to exit the office and I followed after him. When I did, I could see that a couple of the armed guards outside looked a bit nervous. However, their expressions slackened when they saw Pascal leading me down the hall without a word to them. We went back down to the first floor and after briefly explaining the situation to Tasha and Flora, Pascal led the three of us outside. I explained to Pascal about our horses, but he said we could keep them there and that we didn’t need to worry about any fees. We still got our luggage, though. We got inside of a carriage that was on standby outside of the Merchants’ Guild and it took us to the inn. The whole time, there were no other armed guards accompanying us during the trip. Is this their way of showing that they trust me at least a little bit?

  There were a few guards outside of the inn, but they didn’t pay us much attention. Pascal led us inside and we followed him to the top floor of the inn. He handed me a pair of keys that he got from the receptionist downstairs. Then, he pointed to two different doors and told us we were free to use both rooms however we wished. I asked about food and he said that he would have the staff bring us something to eat shortly.

  “Is there anything else you require?” Pascal asked.

  “Not at the moment,” I replied.

  “If there is anything else, I’ll be downstairs. If you don’t see me, then please let the receptionist know, instead.”

  “You? You’re also staying here?”

  “Of course.”

  “Why?” I asked without thinking.

  “In order to accommodate you during your stay.” Is this what Zalae meant he told him to personally guide us? Hmmm, I think there should be more to it than just that. Does Pascal have some kind of secret ability or is there some other reason why he has to stay here? Maybe Pascal has some special authority as well?

  “I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you any further.”

  “It is no inconvenience at all.”

  “Well…alright. I’ll seek you out if I need anything else. I assume we can just wait in our rooms now?”

  “Of course.”

  “Could you send all the food to just that room?” I asked, pointing to the nearest room.

  “No problem.”

  “Thanks.” I turned to Flora and Tasha and signalled for them to follow me. We entered the room together and I quickly started looking around. Other than it being a clean and very well furnished room, nothing seemed suspicious about it. To be sure though, I asked Flora if she noticed anything off about the room.

  “No,” Flora replied, shaking her head, “I don’t sense anything dangerous about this room or the rest of the building.” Tasha walked past her and sat down on a sofa. She also looked around the room with a look of mild interest.

  “I guess it looks nice.” After hearing Tasha’s appraisal, I took a seat on the sofa next to her. As it was a two-seater, Flora chose to simply remain standing.

  “Tasha, move over a bit so that Flora can sit down here as well.” Flora looked like she was about to protest, but Tasha quickly moved to the edge. I also moved over and patted my empty side, urging Flora to sit. Flora put her bow by the side of the sofa and squeezed next to me. As she did, I started wondering if this was the best way to sit together. I mean, there was a small dining table with some chairs on the other side of the room.

  “Okay, now what?” Tasha asked, taking the lead.

  “Well, do you two understand what is really going on?” I asked.

  “They don’t trust us,” Tasha answered. I looked over to Flora. She seemed to be carefully considering her words.

  “I think…they just want to be careful.” Tasha shot a look at Flora, as if to say she had just said the same thing but in different words. I was inclined to agree with my daughter.

  “Well, it seems you both get it. I told you that they want us to stay here while they investigate my report, but a part of it is so that they can look into me as well.”

  “Why don’t we just leave? If they are already going to investigate Dennis’s death, then we can just go.” Initially, there seemed to be some sense to Tasha’s suggestion. As seemingly reckless as it sounded, I only came to Deimos because of Dennis. Even if leaving would have a negative impact on my reputation, what would that really mean? I never planned to associate myself with Deimos, anyways. However, at the same time, as unlikely as the possibility was, if I could personally avenge Dennis’ murder, I would want that even more. At the very least, maybe that could finally help me rid myself of my feeling of guilt. If I could use the power I obtained to avenge him, and then continue to go on doing something good, I think I could truly move on.

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Tasha,” Flora began. “Mister Braith, you said you already promised to cooperate. If we leave, this would break the Merchants’ Guild’s trust. They might even report you to the other branches.” Hearing Flora speak, I found myself agreeing and quickly realizing that there were more logical reasons other than my personal motivations.

  “Yes, Flora has a good point. And, if we just leave, they also might split their efforts into investigating the murderers as well as tracking us down. They might even prioritize us, instead.” I could see Tasha pouting a bit at how badly we shot down her suggestion. “It’s not that I don’t see your point at all, though. Certainly, if they would find out everything about us, I wouldn’t want to stay here, either. But, it’s very unlikely that these guys are going to find out anything incriminating about me.” During my time in Midgard, I think I lived the life of a relatively upstanding, law abiding citizen. Or, er, Outlander. As for the other stuff…well, I don’t know how they would find out about that. Honestly, the more likely result is that they can’t find anything about me and are suspicious because of that. I guess, at that point, I can provide them with the letter from Sir Emmerick. Hmmm, actually, maybe I should just do that preemptively?

  “But, what if they make us stay here for a very long time?” Tasha asked. That was also a good point. Even the Harbingers took ten days.

  “We can deal with that later if it comes to that,” I replied. “Obviously, I have no intention of staying here indefinitely.” Flora looked a bit worried about my answer. “But, even then, I would prefer to resolve things civilly. I don’t have anything against the Merchants’ Guild, and I can appreciate that they will want to look into this thoroughly.” Yeah, to try and smooth things out some more, maybe I should just give them that letter. Although, how do I explain how I got it?

  Tasha and Flora both had a couple other things to mention to me, but overall, I think we were on the same page. We would quietly remain here for a few days for now, and see how things start to play out.

  As our discussions were about to come to an end, the inn staff knocked on our door to bring us our food. I will just say it was delicious. After eating, I left the room to go to the other one, as I figured it made the most sense for Tasha and Flora to share one room. Before walking into the other room, I thought about giving Pascal the letter, but explaining how I got it would be so hard to believe. I mean, once verified, it would presumably be great for me, but I didn’t want to rely on it. After standing in the middle of the hallway for another minute, considering the pros and cons or either revealing or covering up the extent of my relationship with the King of Brennan, I figured it was simpler to just hope that things work out.

  After making my decision, I walked into my room. The other room looked the same as the first and when I looked around the rest of the suite, there was also warm water to use to wash myself. For the first time since Brennan, I went to sleep early in an actual bed. As I lay there, in a comfortable bed after having a hearty meal instead of rations, I figured that staying here on Zalae’s dime might actually be a good thing.