He was cursing himself when he suddenly heard the rustles of leaves on his left side. Something was approaching. He couldn't see what it was but he could hear some heavy panting.

Was it a wolf maybe?

If he was lucky the sloth might look at it an instant and he'd be able to get rid of it.

The panting noise came closer and circled in front of him until he saw the head of a huge brown dog coming close to sniff his face behind his helm. The dog even gave a lick to his helm. Emp recognized it right away and the dog wagged its tail so hard its whole whole back s.h.i.+fted left and right. It clearly wanted to be petted.

It was June's dog, with its affectionate manners and its drooping ears. The big animal was very happy to meet someone it knew but right now, it wasn't really helping at all. Emp would have preferred to see his master right now, where was she.

"Girl, where did you go? I told you not to run off like that, I need you close."

The dog barked once in answer but stayed in front of Emp waiting to be caressed. It even sat down to look more like a good dog. Emp couldn't move however, the dog could be as friendly as it wanted, Emp would never be able to reach down and pet it.

The good thing was that June would soon find him thanks to the dog and he'd be freed from the sloth that was now toying with the clasps of his armor. He heard the noise of someone moving through the leaves of the bushes nearby and soon after the voice of June.

"There you are, what have you found? Oh, some idiot got caught by a sloth? Don't sit there and come back here, we'll come back later when he's done to pick up his stuff."

Emp felt like crying. "June you traitor! So she was a thief after all!" He thought in frustration.

The dog whimpered once and stamped a few times in front of Emp. What a good dog.

"Uhr, fine then. You're always like that."

Emp heard a sword getting unsheathed and soon after, June spoke to him.

"You learned your lesson now, I'll kill the sloth for you but don't travel alone anymore. You got to promise or you're just cutting in my profits for nothing."

Just after that, the creature probably turned its eyes towards her because Emp regained control over himself and since he had been trying to all this time, he instantly shot up and sent his arm over his head and towards his back to catch the creature. He wrapped his fingers around its neck and squeezed but his fingers froze midway through his action.

He was stuck again but this time he was standing and the sloth was being chocked. Its claws scratched everywhere it could reach but it was unable to do anything to emp.

"Good move, let me do the final blow."

He heard the wet sound of metal burying into flesh and soon after, he regained control of himself as the time stop sloth went limp between his fingers. He was immensely relieved.

"Job done, I'm June by the way, I travel around here to save idiots like you from those things."

Emp made his armor disappear into the bag to reward the dog for its invaluable help. It wouldn't be good to pet the dog with his armor on after all. He also complained about her behavior.

"I know who you are, I can't believe you almost left me there!"

He gave a good chunk of salted meat to the dog and rubbed its head and neck in joy while the dog ate his reward with great enthusiasm.

"You!? I mean, Emp, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Dark-glint. You know it was an act, right? I wouldn't actually leave anyone to die from one of those."

"How can I be sure it's an act? I met you twice on that road, the first time you shot an arrow at me and now this."

"I know it sounds really bad like that but I swear I'm really doing it for the reward... No, that's not what I meant! I meant I do it to save the innocent idio-victims of the sloths. They're so glad when I choose to save them in the end that they usually give me a huge reward. You'll still give me some reward for my help right? You know me, aren't we friends?"

Emp looked at her with a very unconvinced frown while he continued to vigorously rub the back of the dog.

"That means no reward, right? d.a.m.n... Why are you looking at me like that, I'm not the idiot who goes around these parts alone. It's as good a way to earn money as any and if I come too late, I get to keep their stuff instead."

Emp shook his head in disappointment and got his armor back on.

"I'll tell mom later and she'll be the one to judge."

"Aw, come on! Don't tell Marcy, she'll be super angry again even though I saved you!"

"I don't have time to argue with you right now, I'm in a hurry. There's an emergency in Red-water. I'll talk to you later."

"No wait! Seriously, what about the reward! Curses!"

By the time Emp heard her yell curses, he was already far gone.

He was angry at her and wasn't sure whether she really helped people or not. Even if she did help, she was just doing it for the reward. However, she had indeed saved him this time so even though he made her believe he just left without thanking her, he strapped a red-dragon coin into the collar of her dog. If she was lucky, she'd find it, if not, it would fall off somewhere and she'd never see it.

Even if he chose to reward her in the end, he was still decided to tell Marcy. And next time she came to Dark-glint, she would get yelled at for sure.

The rest of his dash to Red-water was event-less. He was lucky to not encounter any more of those strange monsters and got to the gate before he needed to take another rest.

He pa.s.sed the fields around the first wall in no time and went through the gate without slowing down. At that gate, the guards only watched out for monsters so Emp ignored them. Only at the second wall did they check for the ident.i.ties of everyone.

Since it was still early, there was no line at the gate. Everyone was still working in the fields outside so Emp got to the guards right away. He didn't rush past them this time and stopped to present his card. Being in a hurry wasn't a reason to break the law after all.

The group of guards seemed nervous about a man wearing a full suit of armor appearing right in front of them. His armor had an ominous purple sheen, was ma.s.sive, heavily ornamented and there was gold inlaid everywhere. Anyone seeing it would instantly think he was either immensely rich or an incredibly good warrior. Their leader was just as nervous as the rest but still asked for his card with an almost calm voice. Emp hid his family name and was about to show him his first name when he noticed something about that one guard.

The corner of his mouth slowly curled upward as he saw the drooping moustache of the man in front of him. It was the same guard as last time! The guy who saw his card first and also the guy who arrested the men who attacked him and Galana.

He had not expected this but it was just as well. A few guards following him might help.

"I know you, I've seen you twice already."

"Did you?" The guard didn't seem to know how to answer.

"Yes, you helped me last time I was here and now I need your help again."

Emp Moved his visor out of the way to show his face and presented his card along with his name.

"It's you! I'm at your service your lords.h.i.+p! What do you need my humble help for?" The guard asked with a loud voice as he straightened his back more than usual.

He was quite surprised, both by his reappearance in front of him and the fact Emp now spoke in the common tongue but he still kept his serious behavior. He had not forgotten Emp and if a Muracier requested his help, it was his duty to do his best. In fact, he was proud that a Muracier remembered him and asked for his help specifically.

"The girl I was with last time, do you remember her?"

"Not her name but I have souvenir of her yes."

"I know she's in trouble but I don't know exactly what happened yet. I need you and your guys to help me find her. Could you find some people to replace you all at the gate?"

"Right away sir."

The guards around him ran around for a few minutes to find some guys to replace them and then the group of fifteen guards all followed after Emp. He had no doubt that most of them were thinking that they'd be able to brag to everyone they knew that a Muracier requested their help in person. Emp didn't really care as long as they solved his problem.

Now that he had some guards with him, the first thing he did was walk to Galana's house, her book store. The building itself was exactly like Emp remembered it but he was shaken to see the sign. He had hoped that it wouldn't be too late but he found that the sign above the door had been replaced. The bookstore was no more and instead, it was a carpet and rugs trader. It was currently closed but Emp knocked at the door, telling the guards behind him that this used to be the bookstore of Galana.

A woman wearing a black ap.r.o.n answered the door and froze when she saw the large group of armed guards at her door. Emp had kept his visor up so that people could see his face but it seemed that it wasn't enough to calm down ordinary people. Under her feet, the wooden boards had the darkened tint of dried blood. The shop was probably closed because she was trying to remove the bloodstain. Who's blood was it though?

" did something happen? What is..."

"I'm sorry to disturb you madam." Emp interrupted her questions. "No need to worry you are not in trouble. We're looking for the girl who lived here before, she had a bookstore. Do you know where she went?"

The woman was immensely relieved and almost melted on the spot once freed from the tension.

"No, I'm sorry that I cannot help you all, I just bought this place last week at the town hall, they said it was vacant. I know nothing more."

Emp was very disappointed but still thanked her.

"It's fine, sorry again for disturbing and scaring you like this. Thank you for your time."

Emp turned around and thought about his next move, who would know what happened? The guards around him seemed at a loss on what to do as well.

"Should we go to the town hall for information then?"

"No it might take them days or weeks to find what we're looking for." Another denied.

"Did she have family?" The drooping moustache asked.

Emp ought to ask for his name, he had a good idea and he felt guilty not knowing who he was talking to.

"You're right, her grandmother might know. She works in the merchant's guild on the square."

"We should also ask the neighbors in case they know."

The group left the curious woman at her door and split to ask those living close to here.

What they heard was that the girl living there before stabbed a man in the throat about two weeks ago but didn't know were she ended up. Her shop had been empty since.

Emp was partially relived that it wasn't her blood on the floorboards but also much more worried now that he knew she actually stabbed someone in the end.

Fearing that something horrible could have happened to her in those two weeks, they made their way to the guild Emp remembered. He welcomed the large sign as a good memory in this tense situation.

Merchant guild of Red-water, always open.

Now he could read it in two of the many languages it was written in.

He walked in followed by the troupe of guards, he remembered the grand open hall with all the doors on either side of it and the stage at the very end for the auctions. Currently, there was nothing going on and the many receptionists were wasting their time behind the counter on the far left.

Emp walked up to them with the guard and one of the receptionist came rus.h.i.+ng to them with a serious air wondering what trouble came for them. Before he could even ask, Emp raised his palm in front of him to stop him and buy them all some time.

"You are not in trouble, we're looking for an old lady working here, she has some information for us. Her name should be Whisryba I believe."

The guy raised a confused brow, he clearly didn't know anyone with such a name. Since he didn't recognize him, Emp hoped he was simply new here.

The clerk turned around and asked the others but they all shrugged witch annoyed Emp greatly.

"Then could you bring Grandus here, he should know."

The guy nodded without a word and someone rushed up the spiral stairs at the back to go get the fat merchant. After a few minutes, the big man came down the stairs and met them at the counter.

"I heard you have some trouble locating someone?" He asked with a bit of sweat running down his forehead.

"Hi director Grandus, I'm Emp Muracier, we met once two years ago." Emp introduced himself.

Hopefully, the memory of this time would help him remember Galana's grandma.

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His eyes lit up as he recognized his face and he showed a large smile.

"Of course! Sir Muracier, I do remember, you brought us the head of a woodland horror!"

"Yes, that was me. Do you remember the old lady that translated for me back then? Where is she? I need to talk to her, it's an emergency."

The fat Grandus made a pained face and answered with difficulty.

"I fear this might be an impossible request to fulfill, you see, she died last year, she was quite old after all."

"She died!"

Emp could hardly believe what he just heard. How come Galana never spoke about it in her letters?

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of such tragic news but indeed, this is what happened."

"Uh... What about her grand-daughter then?"

"I heard she failed to repay some debts she had but I do not know of her current whereabouts, I am sorry that I'm unable to help you at all. I swear that if I knew anything of value, it would be my honor to a.s.sist you."

Emp heard his apologetic comment but he didn't feel comforted at all, what a setback this was. He pinched his lips together as he tried to come up with something else. Someone had to know what happened. He just needed to find the right person. He scoured his memories of Red-water and he remembered her saying she had many death-seekers friends in the past. He also knew that the most known death-seekers living here were without a doubt Marcy's brother Tiberius and his wife Palonia.

"We're going to Tiberius's shop next." He told the grim looking guards behind him.

They had all the reasons in the world to look grim, all they knew about the girl they were looking for was that she stabbed someone in the throat and failed to pay a debt. They didn't know half the story however.

On the way, he told them a bit more about her, how her parents had been murdered by the guards they hired and how a n.o.ble had placed an impossible debt on her.

"She was angry and desperate, hopefully it's not too late to save her." He told them as they neared the shop annex to Tiberius's forge.

He walked inside the store and saw that it was just as well stocked as the last time he came. There were a few clients looking at the weapons and armor on display and Palonia was standing behind the counter, watching them all carefully.

She was tall and muscled, she seemed to be in a great mood and welcomed him with a shout.

"Good day and welcome in Tiberius's shop!"

Her face crumbled a bit when the group of guards followed him inside and the clients all made themselves small.

Emp had not thought about this until he stepped inside but now, he wondered if he was supposed to call her something special. She was Marcy's sister in law so maybe he had to call her aunt, or auntie? Marcy got angry every time he didn't call her mom so he decided to apply the same rule here.

"Hi auntie Palonia. I need your help."

The woman turned angry right away.

"Hey! I'm not that old, n.o.body calls me auntie!"

Of course he had to be wrong.

Emp answered with grimace.

"Sorry, I just thought that since I always call Marcy mom I should call you auntie, I didn't mean to anger you."

She instantly got confused by his answer.

"Who are you exactly?"

"I'm Emp Muracier, your nephew I guess, In a way. I bought a bunch of things here two years ago."

Understanding flashed on her face as she remembered about him but she was still extremely disturbed by how he called her auntie. Meanwhile, the customers had all stopped what they were doing to look in amazement at the scene happening in front of them. They were all glued at the spot they stood at and stared wide eyed at Emp and Palonia in turn.

"I remember you now but... Why are you calling my sis mom?"

"It's a long story and I don't have the time to tell it, we're in a hurry and I really need your help."

Feeling the urgency in his voice, her frown deepened and she went straight to the point.

"What do you need from me?"

"The girl I was with last time, the one that translated for me. I need your help to find some Death-seekers that might know her."

"Can you go straight to the point instead of running circles around it? I know her well, Galana is the daughter of two good friends of mine. What do you want with her? What did she do?"

That was great news! A hopeful smile rose up his face. Palonia apparently thought he had some problems with her but Emp quickly explained that it wasn't the case.

"We were exchanging letter while I was in Bêtéclair but in the last one I received, she wrote that she failed to pay her debt and/"

"What! That cursed idiot!"

Palonia slammed both her palms on the counter in a loud bang that made everything on and around if shake.

"The shop is closed, everyone that isn't him and the guards get out, now!"

The clients were fascinated by the scene but the loud sound of her hands smas.h.i.+ng against the counter brought back their wits and they all ran out of the shop before the strong Palonia really got angry. The moment they were all out and the door closed behind them, she complained some more.

"I told her to get help! I thought you would have helped her!"

"I did! She owed fifteen dragon but she refused to accept my money so I had valuable books delivered to her instead. There should have been more than enough to repay the debt but the books somehow never reached her! I learned about it just with that letter and I came rus.h.i.+ng here to help her only to find that her shop didn't exist anymore and that her grandma died." He complained.

"What are you doing here then? Why aren't you going after her? Since you were exchanging letters, I a.s.sume you became friends at least, why are you wasting time here?"

"I'm doing my best, she just never agreed to tell me who she owed money too because she didn't want me to go pay for her."

Palonia clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"The stubborn idiotic girl. That's just like her alright. Thankfully, I can help you with that. The name's Balpoisson, a viscount's son."

Emp had a name! Finally!

Now he had something to work with, he knew who the enemy was. The situation was still bad for Galana but he couldn't help but smile at that moment. It was just a simple viscount he had to go after. Out of the ten steps of the social hierarchy of the Empire, if you excluded the slaves, viscounts were on the sixth step where he was on the second from the top. In fact, his true opponent wasn't even that, he was just the son of the viscount, at best, he should be equal in rank to a knight.

"Thank you, I'm glad you knew. I'm going there now." He told Palonia.

"Hey, wait up, let me come along. I feel like a toothless mutt for not noticing her problems and not doing anything about them. Galana's the only daughter of my friend, I've seen her grow up since she was a tiny sprout. Even if I'm not helping that much, I need to go."

Emp didn't argue and let her come along. She locked the door behind them as they left and shouted at her husband that she was closing the shop for today and that she was going out with his nephew.

"What nephew? I don't have any!" He shouted back from the forge.

"That ought to keep him in suspense." Palonia laughed as she followed them off.

Emp asked the guards to show him the way towards the viscount's house and as they traveled there, he talked a bit with Palonia. She walked by his side in front of the guards and like Marcy she was much taller than him and more muscled too.

With the two big subject of him calling Marcy mom and the fate of Galana on the table, she didn't know where to start. She decided to speak about Galana first as this was the urgent problem.

"You know, the last time I saw her was the day she came in with you. I told her to get your help to pay her debt and if she still had problems, that she could come to me. I didn't think back then that she would be so stubborn. I knew her so well though, I should have known. I hope she hasn't done anything too stupid."

"I heard she stabbed someone when they came to get her. With the dagger I gave her." Emp told her.

Palonia groaned and gripped her forehead as if the news gave her a sudden violent headache.

"By the ancestors, can't she do anything sensible?"

She turned back towards the guards following them.

"You, you're a guard, what happens usually if someone stabs someone else."

"Usually, one would get sent to jail until the lord can process their case and then, if the person is found guilty, they will be forced to work as slaves and do hard labor until their deaths. She was already supposed to be made into a debt slave however so the lord might come to an agreement with the debt holder."

"I see, thanks for the info, we'll have a hard time saving her now. What's your name by the way?"

"Its Bonver madam."

Great, now Emp didn't need to ask for his name anymore. He thanked Palonia in his head.

"Alright Bonver, I hope you're ready for trouble." She nodded.

"Speaking of this, pardon me your lords.h.i.+p but may I ask a question in return?"

Emp wanted to tell him that he didn't need to call him lords.h.i.+p but he felt Blackbull might die of frustration if she ever heard of this. He used the name of the man directly instead hoping he would catch on.

"Sure Bonver, what's on your mind?"

"That time back then when you fought back a.s.sailants and I listened to your conversation with the woman we're currently looking for. She brazenly called you an idiot in front of a whole crowd and it didn't bother you at all. I a.s.sumed you were close but is it really the case? What is she for your lords.h.i.+p is what I'm asking I guess. This whole story makes really little sense."

"You're right, this whole thing doesn't make a lot of sense. Its all because everyone involved were too stupid to do things right. I didn't know how things worked two years ago, she was too stubborn to accept the help of anyone and no one noticed that anything was wrong because we were all too naive and thought everything would end up fine."

This whole thing could have easily been avoided if even one person acted differently. If Galana had been less stubborn, if Palonia moved to help, if Emp had insisted in the beginning. As for the original question of the guard, Emp didn't really know how to answer.

"Galana is one of my very first friends but the actual reason I didn't get upset when she kept calling me an idiot is because I was never one to get angry over that sort of thing. I mostly was acting like an idiot too so I probably really deserved a few of those. She's not some lover of mine if that's what you're asking."

Bonver didn't dare ask any further and Palonia turned the conversation to something else right away. Maybe she was uncomfortable with the subject.

"You got taller since last time, and you changed your armor too. My sister must have made it right?"

"She did most of it but I helped too, she made me her apprentice, didn't she tell you and her brother?"

"No, she just sends us small bits of paper with a list of whatever material she wants, she never says anything. How does a Muracier end up the apprentice of a smith and how does he end up calling said smith mother?"

Emp felt the story was too lengthy and complicated to tell now.

"I'd rather not say it in front of those guys. There's a lot of things I'm not supposed to talk about in it."

The guards all tensed up a little and then felt relieved that Emp wouldn't say anything too important in front of them.

"I see... Later then."

"This way, I'll be able to tell uncle Tiberius at the same time and I won't have to explain everything twice. In the meantime, can we just agree that you are my aunt."

Palonia didn't seem sure on whether to be happy about it and agree to it or if she should be weirded out instead. She chose to just nod for now and the group made their way to the residence of the Balpoisson while Emp told his aunt about how his hammer broke and he wanted to buy a new one. He could make one with Marcy but he kept pus.h.i.+ng it back for later and it was annoying him to know that he didn't have a functional hammer to work with.

She agreed to show him the hammers she had in stock latter just before he banged on the immense double door of a mansion.

Apparently, despite being only viscounts, that family was well off. They lived in a mansion about five times the size of Emp's new house, three story tall, with big windows all over it and a large garden where many slaves toiled to take care of flowers and vegetables.

Emp had no interest in any of this and banged at the door for a second time when he felt that it was taking long for anyone to answer. The first time, he had used the door knocker shaped like three large fish but this time around, he just smashed his gauntlet against it to produce more noise.

"What do you plan to do exactly?" Palonia asked him, curious.

"I'll try to just pay off the debt first and see where we can go from there."

"Why did you bring the guards then?"

"Because I don't trust them at all. I am not afraid of crus.h.i.+ng them if I have to. The guards are here to witness."

Palonia nodded with a half smile. She approved of how decided he was but at the same time, it was s.h.i.+ver inducing to think he was talking about destroying a middle ranked n.o.ble house so casually.

Finally, one of the two doors was pushed open by a woman in a maid outfit. At first, she didn't seem to think it was proper to knock so loudly and come disturb them without an appointment but she swiftly changed her att.i.tude when she saw the guards and the armored man leading them.

"You knocked at the door of viscount Balpoisson, what might be your purpose for doing so today?"

"Hi, I'm Emp Muracier, son of the great general Chinui. I have some business with the son of the viscount. What was his name again?" He asked Palonia.

"No idea." She shrugged.

"It's Maurice I believe." Bonver answered instead.

"Is it? I have business with that Maurice then, would you let us in?"

The maid was at a loss for words and under the pressure of his name, let them all in. Because of the nervousness she felt, she led them directly to the office of the viscount instead of the waiting room like she should have. Blackbull would have been infuriated and so was the old viscount.

"What is the meaning of this? Who are they and why were they led here?"

"But sir, this man is a Muracier." The poor maid stuttered.

The jaw of the viscount clenched from surprise and amazement. Soon after he welcomed the whole group into his office with great politeness and many reverences.

Because of his heavy weight, the reverences he made were a pretty strange sight but it had no importance for Emp. Aside from his corpulence, this man also had a mustache, long and thin, going straight to the sides, a very narrow beard cut in a triangle and a long coat he was too large to tie properly.

"What a pleasure to welcome a Muracier in my humble house. What might bring you here today may I ask?"

"I want to see your son, a friend of mine had a debt towards him and I'm here to pay."

His face scrunched up a bit and he quickly turned back towards the maid.

"Go get him!"

"But sir, your son is out."

"Then find someone who knows were he went and bring him here!"

The maid ran off hurriedly and the man looked back towards Emp.

"While you wait for him, might you want something to distract yourself? Maybe a tea, or wine?"

"No thanks, I don't drink alcohol."

"Right, of course, what was I thinking."

While the man was doing his best to figure out what might please him, Emp looked around the room.

He had a lot of books, stored neatly in many bookshelves along the walls of his office. Emp wished his own office would look like that one day, the sight was quite appealing.

"I see you love books as well." He told the man as he made his way towards the bookshelves.

The viscount was all too happy to jump on the subject.

"I absolutely adore them, I have so many I had to get rid of some in my collection."

Emp nodded in understanding as he looked closely at the t.i.tles of the books here.

"Funnily enough, the friend I was talking about happened to own a book store. I Sent her many books but they all got lost on the way somehow."

"Really? How does one loose a book?" The viscount seemed to be disbelieving.

"I was asking myself exactly that."

Emp ran his armored fingers on the back of all the books, stopped on one of them and frowned. "The th.o.r.n.y wall" was the name of the book, an original edition of a rare study on the Thornwoods.

"I had a copy of that one too..."

He pulled it from the shelf and flipped the pages absentmindedly until the last one. It was signed by an imperial court mage, the author, and also a duke who the book had belonged too. Incidentally, it was also signed by himself. "A gift to my book loving friend." Was written in the corner.

Emp started grounding his teeth in anger.