Chapter 834: Let’s Drink and Celebrate

Lorgar did not know how she had walked out of the castle.

She found herself standing in the middle of a busy street, watching people stream past in both directions, and she had no memory of the stairs, the courtyard, the gate. The city moved around her like a river around a stone.

The meeting had confounded her in every possible respect.

She had built a picture of how it would go. The chief would react to her appearance — some chiefs disguised hostility behind blank expressions, others let it show. Either way, she had expected it. Then she would explain her offer — a skilled warrior, free of charge, willing to fight demons and pay her own medical costs — and he would accept, because only a fool refused such a gift. She would settle into a room in the castle district, find the combat witches, arrange dueling sessions for mutual development, locate Miss Nana, and eventually move on demons at her own pace. Ashes had said they lurked in the uninhabited Barbarian Land to the northwest. Lorgar was not afraid of wilderness. Wolves were the rulers of the wild. Her sense of smell alone would locate a demon lair.

Instead.

Instead, he had looked at her ears and called them pretty.

It was the first time since her awakening that any person — not her father, who loved her but had never called her appearance anything but a deformity he wished she could overcome, not the clansmen who admired her strength while quietly questioning whether a half-man could be a true Divine Lady — had looked at her face and used that word.

Pretty.

She had been so thoroughly unpended by it that the second half of the conversation had passed through her like smoke. He had accepted her as she was and then refused her service in the same breath, and she had left the castle still not entirely sure how either of those things had happened.

“No, no — this is just a small setback.” She patted her own cheeks and drew a deliberate breath. As long as she held to her path, nothing was impossible. And when she thought it through, the refusal did not actually damage her original plan very much. She could still explore the city, still investigate the demons, still get to know the witches. It would take a little longer than she had imagined. Roland had rejected her offer but placed no restrictions on her — he had even left the door to the Witch Union open if she changed her mind. Since she intended to operate alone for now, this arrangement might actually work better.

Her ears pricked up. Her tail wagged. She clenched her fists.

If demons are truly that powerful, she thought, why did the chief build his city here? If they come from the northwest, Neverwinter is the first city they would reach. Wouldn’t a sensible man build as far from that danger as possible?

She had heard the words I don’t want you to die for nothing. They sounded, on reflection, like a man trying to dissuade her without making a direct argument. Nobody knew who would win until they tried. And if she was injured — really injured — Roland would have to send Miss Nana to her, because if he refused, he would be contradicting his own words.

Princess Lorgar of the Wildflame clan felt herself brighten again.

She had over a hundred gold royals in the pouch inside her vest. Hotel bills, medical costs, food, clothing, desert guides — at any reasonable rate, that money would sustain her here for several years without requiring a single coin from the King of Graycastle. She would find demons. She would fight them. She would grow stronger.

Resolved, she began studying the boards above the surrounding storefronts.

Since she had decided to take things slow, her first task was finding a place to sleep. It was still light, and she was in no hurry, so she decided first to do what Ironsand people did when they arrived safely somewhere new: celebrate.

A tavern, then.

She had not taken ten steps before a board stopped her.

On the painted wood, several glasses were rendered with unexpected vividness — colorful drinks inside them, topped with fruits she couldn’t name, their colors so layered and clean she could almost taste them. The sign below read Evelyn’s Complex Wine House. At the bottom, in smaller letters: New release of Chaos Drinks. 50% off on your first. Feel free to try.

Chaos Drinks.

Lorgar’s brow went up. A lame name. The two words bore no relationship she could identify, and anyone who had never tasted one would have no idea what they were getting. Apparently they had to put them on sale just to attract customers. Still — the sign clearly advertised a tavern. Multiple flavors suggested multiple types of wine. And the interior, visible through the open doorway, was bright and spacious, with a steady stream of customers going in and out. The drinks couldn’t be too bad.

She patted the money pouch inside her vest and headed for the door.

“She wasn’t telling the whole truth,” Nightingale said, chewing a strip of dried fish. “Especially about why she doesn’t want to join the Witch Union. I could feel her emotions fluctuating sharply when she talked about it. Better to have Wendy run a ten-question test to be certain.”

Roland shook his head, amused. “That’s the screening procedure for applicants. She hasn’t even submitted an application, so there’s no need to investigate her background. Besides” — he looked to Nightingale — “she does genuinely want to fight demons and train herself. You’re sure of that part?”

“She wasn’t lying on that.” Nightingale twitched her lips.

“Then that’s enough. The Witch Union was founded to give you all a place to belong — there’s no point forcing people to join. It’s perfectly normal for someone to be guarded in a foreign city. Let her be.” He waved the matter away.

He was not entirely indifferent. A very small part of him was, in fact, a little disappointed.

He had also felt an overwhelming urge — when he’d seen those twitchy, fluffy, drooping ears, and that wagging tail — to reach out and touch. He was particularly curious whether, as in the modern world, scratching the base of her tail would turn her knees to water.

He had, with considerable effort, suppressed every one of these ideas.

He was a king. He had to maintain a certain dignity. Definitely not because Nightingale was standing three feet away where he couldn’t see her. That had nothing to do with it.

While Roland was composing his thoughts around the construction schedule for the Miracle Building, a knock at the door interrupted him.

Barov, Director of City Hall, entered with the measured efficiency of a man who knows the value of his own announcements. “Your Majesty, the members of the Joint Chamber of Commerce have arrived in the castle district. They wish to see you.”

Chapter 834: Let’s Drink and Celebrate

Translator: TransN Editor: Meh

…

Lorgar did not know how she had exited the castle. She watched people pass by in a great haste, leaving her standing in the middle of the street at a loss.

The encounter with the king was beyond her expectation in every aspect.

She had thought the chief would have held a hostile attitude toward her because of her abnormal half-human appearance. An unkind king would not hesitate to conceal his feeling, whereas a calculating one would normally remain expressionless. However, she was certain that his attitude would change once he was informed of the purpose of her visit, because a free warrior was highly demanded everywhere, not to mention that she agreed to help Neverwinter defy demons. Who would decline such as a generous offer?

Lorgar envisioned that she would then settle down in the castle area, living in a hotel in the inner city and be treated as a clan guest. During her stay, she would get acquainted with more witches, especially the ones with great combatting skills, and obviously including Miss Nana. Although not everyone would like to know her, she believed there must be someone like her, who would like to advance their fighting techniques through dueling. This practicing method would benefit both parties and was certainly more efficient than punching sandbags.

When she got everything ready, she would then go find demons to further challenge herself. Ashes told her that those enemies were all hiding in the uninhabited Barbarian Land in the northwest. Lorgar was not afraid of camping in the wild, nor did she care about the treachery of the enemies’ hiding places, because wolves were the ruler of the wilderness. She

believed her acute sense of smell and excellent hearing would help her locate their lair.

But the truth was a total reverse of everything she had pictured.

It was Lorgar’s first time to hear somebody praise her ears and call them pretty since her awakening. Even her father, who had never been averse to her appearance, had never appreciated her look. Often he said, “You’ll definitely be one of the most stunning girls in Iron Sand City if you don’t have that deformity.”

Will wolf ears… really look good on her?

She had been so shocked by the unexpected comment that her head had been in the clouds during the latter half of the conversation. The chief had accepted her physical appearance but had refused her free service of fighting against demons. By the time she had left the castle, she had still not recovered from the blow.

“No, no, this is just a small defeat, ” Lorgar consoled herself. She patted her cheeks and took a deep breath. As long as she stuck to her path, nothing was impossible. Actually, when she thought it over, the rejection did not affect her initial plan very much. She could still explore the city, investigate demons and get to know other witches, except that it would take a little longer than she had anticipated. Although Roland had rejected her, he did not impose any restrictions on her and even hinted that she was welcome to the Witch Union anytime if she changed her mind. Since Lorgar had decided to act alone, this would probably work better for her plan.

At these thoughts, Lorgar pricked up her droopy ears, wagged her tail and clenched her fists. She thought to herself, “That’s right! If demons are really that strong, why did the chief build his king’s city here? If demons come from the northwest, the first human city they come across will be Neverwinter. Isn’t it safer to stay as far away from such a danger as possible when there’s no guarantee that he can conquer demons?”

The words “I don’t want you to die for nothing” were probably a feigned kindness to dissuade her from challenging demons individually. Nobody

knew who would gain the eventual victory until he tried out! If she really got injured, the chief would definitely ask Miss Nana to cure her, because if he did not, he would then break his own words.

Princess Lorgar of the Wildflame clan cheered up again after thinking over the matter in her head.

She still had over 100 gold royals, more than enough to pay the hotel bills. Even if the medical expenses were insanely high, she did not think they would charge dozens of gold royals at a time. The money she currently owned would allow her to live here for several years without her worrying about expenses on food, drinks, clothing, herbs and desert guides. She firmly believed that without the support of the King of Graycastle, she would still be able to pick on demons by herself.

Lorgar felt greatly relieved after she had a plan. She looked around, starting to study the boards that hung above the surrounding premises. Since she had determined to take things slow, the first thing she should do was to find a place of abode.

As it was still bright and that she was not in a hurry, she decided to celebrate her safe arrival in the Western Region of Graycastle in accordance with the customs of Ironsand people of the Mojin Clan.

A tavern thus became her first stop.

No sooner had Lorgar set out than a pretty board caught her attention.

On the wooden board was a lifelike drawing of several glasses, in which there were colorful drinks, topped with some fruits whose names she did not know. They appealed to her just by their looks.

Underneath the glasses was the store’s name: Evelyn’s Complex Wine House.

At the end of the board was an additional line in a smaller font: New release of Chaos Drinks. 50% off on your first drink. Feel free to try out.

Chaos Drinks?

Lorgar’s brow went up. She thought this was a pretty lame name, for the two words bore no relationship whatsoever. A person who had never tried it out might not know what kind of drink it was. No wonder they had to put it on sale to attract people.

But the store name clearly suggested that it was a tavern.

Since the name suggested multi-flavor drinks, Lorgar believed they must offer wines. Judging from the spacious, bright interior and customers coming and going, she concluded the drinks should not be too bad.

Lorgar patted her money bag over her chest and headed to the tavern.

…

“She wasn’t telling all the truth,” Nightingale commented while chewing her dried fish, “especially the part concerning the reason she refuses to join the Witch Union. I could sense a great fluctuation in her emotions. To make sure, it’d be better to ask Wendy to conduct a ’10-question’ test.”

Roland shook his head in amusement. “That’s the screening procedure for an applicant. She hasn’t even submitted her application to join the Witch Union, so there’s no need to probe into her background. Plus, Lorgar came to Neverwinter to fight against demons and train herself, of which, you’re positive, right?”

“She didn’t lie on that for sure.” Nightingale twitched her lips.

“So that’s it. We founded the Witch Union initially to provide you with a place where you belong. There’s no point to force people to join. Plus, it’s normal for a person to take precautions when coming to a foreign city. Let her be.” Roland waved away the subject, pretending that he did not care, although he indeed felt a little disappointed.

He had an urge to stroke the wolf girl particularly when he saw her twitchy, fluffy, long ears. Also, her waggy tail intrigued him a great deal. Roland wondered whether his strength would leave him as it did in the modern world when he touched the root of the tail.

But he managed to suppress his incessant crazy ideas in the end.

He had to act accordingly with a majestic air, definitely not because of the presence of Nightingale, but because he was a king.

While Roland was thinking about checking upon the construction of the “Miracle Building” at the scene, Barov, the City Hall Director, suddenly knocked on the door and presented himself.

“Your Majesty, the members of Joint Chamber of Commerce have arrived at the castle district. They wish to see you.”